ottawa foodies

My family has been going to Vietnam Palace for over 20 years and it never disappoints. The service is fantastic and they offer a great variety of classic Vietnamese dishes beyond the sphere of PHO. Had a tasty family B-day event at Vietnam Palace last Sunday.

This time we enjoyed Crispy Fried Quail with a lime salt & black pepper dipping sauce. Crispy with a real zip to the sauce. This is one of my father's favourite dishes.

Vegetable spring rolls were crispy and packed with little clear noodles, cabbage and string carrot, served with mint leaves, pickled carrots and lettuce wraps adds a fresh spin to what can otherwise be a greasy app (+fish sauce to dip)(not pictured)!

The Singapore noodles are dressed in a light yellow curry and also have a lemongrass garnish. The fine noodles are cooked perfectly and matched up with a balance of vegetables and chicken. This dish is also available vegetarian (and cheaper!) my brother used to order it all the time when he was still a vegetarian!

The chicken sauteed with lemon grass and chili is flavourful with a little heat and is nice with steamed rice.

We also had delicious deep fried bananas for dessert (not pictured) They are absolutely delicious if you have room left :).

They also have really great lunch specials that are nicely priced (around 10$ appetizer soup incl) if you happen to stop by for week day lunch!

I had the privilege of visiting with a part-time Saigon resident (legalnomads.com). We had originally planned to eat at Pho Bac to appease a craving for Bánh Cuốn but they were closed for the week.

When Jodi saw hến xào "baby clams stir fried with herbs" ($11.95) on the menu, she was excited to order it. Apparently it should contain the herb rau răm (Vietnamese mint) and this one contained basil instead. No worries -- I found it to be absolutely delicious anyway! Totally a new favourite dish. Get it wherever you can find it. Here's a recipe: danangcuisine.com

Very disappointing... Had my birthday dinner there last night and everything lacked flavour. We had the dinner for 4 and there was not a single dish that was satisfactory. Although she was nice, communication with the waitress was difficult. To top it off, my friend spotted a mouse near my chair at the end of our meal. We will not be going back.

Went to VP last weekend for a party - huge disappointment.

The one positive thing I can say is that their spring rolls were delicious. Apart from that ... we were very displeased.

The service was terrible. Yes we were a big table but had expressly ordered early. Customers who had ordered much much later than us received their meals first. When we spoke up, the servers were defensive and there was an utter lack of customer service or responsiveness on their part.

The food, apart from the spring rolls, was average.

Not having realized that the gratuity was already accounted for (I think it would be a professional courtesy to be reminded) because we were a large group, I gave a 10% tip to reflect the bad experience so ended up basically tipping somewhere around 30%+ - abominable given that it was nowhere worth it. I'll know for next time but there won't be a next time at VP.

I love the vietnam palace! My favourite thing on the menu is the #3 soup- hot and sour with pineapple and shrimp, sooo good. It is one of my families favourites and we have had our Christmas dinners there many times. Be sure to get the wrap and roll fresh rolls :)

Love the Vietnam Palace!
The pho is amazing if you're looking for a cheap quick meal.
Crispy quail, spring and salad rolls, and the sizzling specials are family favourites.
My dad comes from 4 hours away to visit me but he really just wants to go there for dinner.
One downside, last time, I had to remind my server about 4 times for a coffee I ordered. I think he was new as I had never seen him there before. Other than that, service is always great.

I recently went here also before Christmas and my experience was somewhat different.

We had to ask for tea and they also charge for it. Many vietnamese restos offer the tea for free and it is already flavored upon arrival, which I personally like. We also had to keep asking for tea and had to request water.

The food was quite good, but apart from a restaurant in Vancouver, I have not found any vietnamese food that is "amazing" in Ottawa. I've had bad, but most have been good and I can pretty much go to any vietnamese place and be happy with the food :)

I just found the service a little lacking at this particular visit. Perhaps it was the particular server that night because I did not encounter this on a previous visit, but we were only two that time as opposed to eight.

They have opened an other restaurant in Quebec called Palais Du Vietnam (exact translation to Vietnam palace).

335, boulevard Alexandre-Taché Gatineau, QC J9A1L8

I have been there quite a few times already. It's without a doubt as good as the one in ottawa.

We have been coming to Vietnam Palace for years and have never been disappointed. A recent family birthday celebration was no exception. We like the large round tables available and the pleasant décor. There is a large space available upstairs for groups and parties. In the summer you can sit outside if you don’t mind the traffic. There is free parking behind the restaurant. They do not use MSG-this is clearly stated on the menu. They have always been very accommodating for our severe allergies (shellfish, peanuts and MSG).

We were immediately served water and green tea, other beverages arrived soon after. We started with a few appetizers-a couple of old favourites and a couple of new items. Spring rolls were fresh and hot, the crispy quail are incredibly delicious. These come with a salty, flavourful lime sauce that is quite addictive. We tried the chicken wings and were surprised at how yummy they were. The fried pork wontons were very crispy, the sauce and fillings nicely seasoned. Also tried the grilled goat on skewers, they were savoury and tender.

Now the mains-we ordered way too much food and it was declared excellent by all! 1) Grilled pork on vermicelli without peanuts! (bun)Vegetables were very fresh and lots of mint was provided. 2) Beef sautéed with lemongrass and chilli-this flavour combination was complementary and delicious. 3)Pho-since he was a toddler my son has always ordered the beefball and as usual it did not disappoint. 4)2 people shared a chicken fresh roll order-there was more than enough for 2 after all the appies.
5) Something new-calamari stuffed with shrimp and chicken in a red wine sauce-son #2 declared it a new favourite, though he said it was richer than most Vietnamese dishes he has tried. 6) One small hot & sour soup-all I could manage by then!

Everyone was absolutely stuffed by then but we had to have dessert since it was a birthday! We indulged in 3 orders of the decadent deep fried bananas with ice cream-these are lightly breaded and come drizzled with honey and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. Unbelievably delish!

Another enjoyable, reasonably priced, tasty dinner was enjoyed by all. Service was friendly, prompt and they put up with us sharing! 3 studying students had enough leftovers for the next day.

I was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of product put out by Vietnam Palace. I didn't read any of the reviews prior to ordering from Vietnam Palace, so I didn't know what to expect. I thought that their menu looked interesting and I try not to be influenced by the opinions of others, so I gave it a try.

It is clear that the owners are concerned about their business. The place has more interesting decor than most asian restaurants and is impeccably clean. Obviously they are trying to correct issues that they had with the health department and convey this to their customers. Their Health Inspection documents are clearly displayed at the cash register.

The owner( I assume) was extremely polite and helpful.

I ordered spring rolls, pork salad rolls, shrimp salad rolls, fried shrimp, fried squid and Bun with shrimp paste on sugar cane and BBQ pork.

The spring rolls were good and meaty without being greasy.

Both types of salad rolls were very good and actually contained fresh herbs and by the warm skins, I'd assume they were made up fresh to order. The accompanying peanut sauce was also good.

I don't eat alot of fried foods but calamari and fried shrimp are weak spots. The shrimp in the appetizer were panko breaded and quite large. I felt these were good value. I don't know if I care for panko breaded calamari, as opposed to flour dredged, but it was properly cooked and tasty.

The bun was very good. They use nice thin vermicelli noodles and adequate garnishes. In addition, an extra bundle of lettuce and herbs was thrown in with the order.

I would definately order from here again.

The pho at Vietnam Palace is much like what you get at Ottawa's better pho joints, but with a slightly richer tasting broth. Be warned -- a large here ($7.50) is about the size of a medium elsewhere. Good thing they offer extra large. ;-)

The Superior Seafood Soup is a must-have if you enjoy seafood soups like the almost gelatinous Crab Meat and Sea Foam soup you find in Chinese restaurants. This soup is full of chopped shrimp, scallops, and surimi. Delicious!

Fresh and tasty, the way it should be!

The pork wrap and roll is amazing. The produce is always fresh and crisp, and the pork is grilled to perfection.

The crispy quail are incredibly delicious. These come with a salty, flavourful, lime sauce with hint of pepper. Addictive and delicious contrast of flavours.

Best I've had in my life! You must try them with the lettuce and the mint!

The best I've had - I can eat a dozen of them!

Some of the nicest spring rolls ever. Not greasy at all (this is very rare) and with good flavour.

This is one of the few places in town where you can find the much-loved canh chua cá (sour fish soup). On the menu here, it is listed as something like Fisherman Soup. It was light and enjoyable but unfortunately had an overpowering amount of celery instead of the usual porous stalks of bạc hà (elephant ear plant). A medium was loads for two people as a starter.