Foods from Cafe Indochine
Comments
2007 Apr 13
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.
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.
2007 Apr 13
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.
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.
2017 Feb 20
The lunch special for $11.95 included a vegetable spring roll and a bowl of "hu tieu" with chicken and shrimp. The spring roll was good enough and the soup had a thinly flavoured but enjoyable broth with too-soft rice noodles and a garnish of julienned celery. :-(
The stars of the soup were the nicely browned slices of chicken. Tender and tasty!
It was a perfectly sufficient lunch, except I know just how much better (i.e. tastier, richer, larger, and loaded with lovely garnishes) this soup can be out in the suburbs! Or even in Chinatown...
That said, it was still much better than the "chicken noodle soup" I had at the restaurant named after Ho Chi Minh City's historic name a few doors down. (That one was so disappointing that I didn't even post a review. Part of the problem was that the menu had no Vietnamese on it, so I had to guess what the english names meant.)
The stars of the soup were the nicely browned slices of chicken. Tender and tasty!
It was a perfectly sufficient lunch, except I know just how much better (i.e. tastier, richer, larger, and loaded with lovely garnishes) this soup can be out in the suburbs! Or even in Chinatown...
That said, it was still much better than the "chicken noodle soup" I had at the restaurant named after Ho Chi Minh City's historic name a few doors down. (That one was so disappointing that I didn't even post a review. Part of the problem was that the menu had no Vietnamese on it, so I had to guess what the english names meant.)
Sybaritica
I ate at this tiny restaurant with my wife around ten years ago although I didn’t recognize it until I had a peek inside and saw the same, shot-gun narrow little eatery divided into an upper and lower floor with just a few tables on each. I hadn’t especially planned on Vietnamese cuisine for supper on this particular occasion but after a quick perusal of the menu I decided to give the place a second try…
Chai Gio ... Rating: 4 out of 5
Scallop Xuo Tong ... Rating: 4 out of 5
Overall
This is a very pleasant little place with good service and nicely prepared food. It will be worth returning to in order to sample some of the other dishes on the menu. Rating: 4 out of 5.
See full pictorial review at: sybaritica.me