Ottawa Foodies

Wanted to try the local Vietnamese scene in Ottawa while here on business, but without access to a car, didn't want to try to make my way to Somerset which seems to host most Vietnamese restaurants.

There were two of us at dinner and we had:

Summer Rolls
Beef Pho
Grilled Shrimp with Vermicelli (came with a spring roll) (also known as Bun)
Seafood Stir-fry on Crispy Noodles

Dinner was all very good. The Summer Rolls were good, the spring roll was excellent (I'm craving them now). The Pho (belonging to my dinner companion) was excellent (good beef stock, plenty of noodles, seasoning, green onion, bean sprouts, basil with plenty of hot sauce).

My Vermicelli was good, though could have used more vegetables, less cooking time on the shrimp and better timing, it was brought well before my companions Stir-fry. The bun had grilled shrimp, vermicelli, lettuce, cucumber and carrots served with a rice wine vinegar sauce.

The Seafood Stir-fry had crispy ramen style noodles beneath a slightly sweet sauce with excellent crisped vegetables (carrots, green and red bell peppers, zucchini, bok choy and brocolli) with shrimp and squid.

The total for the meal, before tip was $47.57 and that included an iced tea and perrier.

Went to Cafe Indochine for dinner tonight. My entree, Grilled Shrimp with Vermicelli came with a Spring Roll and it was delicious. Crispy, hot, non-greasy and satisfying. I'm wishing that I'd placed an order for several to take back to the hotel with me.

Had Fresh garden rolls with Shrimp (Summer rolls) at Cafe Indochine. They were 2 for $4.95 and they were large rolls, stuffed with mint, vermicelli and three slices of halved shrimp each. They tasted fresh and were well paired with the bean sauce that came with them.

I'd have preferred a bit less vermicelli and some basil in addition to the mint as well as some carrot, but all in all, it was very good.