Foods from Asian Alley
Comments
2014 Dec 9
I visited with my wife for a late light lunch on a Saturday. The food was decent, but for $11 I'm used to getting a much larger bowl of soup (both on Somerset and in the suburbs). No matter -- this is the Byward Market, the rents are high, and the broth is "organic" according to the sign outside.
The soup was nice, with sumptuous rice noodles and excellent quantity and quality of sliced beef. But the broth was very mild; too light tasting for me. Thinly sliced cabbage took the place of the usual bean sprouts, which, along with the skimpy sprig of basil, was disappointing.
My wife's grilled pork chop was well seasoned but without much in the way of lemongrass flavour.
While it's a nice alternative to most of the chain restaurant style pub food in the Market, I'd describe this as Vietnamese food for North Americans. Probably a safe choice given the location, but not for me.
The soup was nice, with sumptuous rice noodles and excellent quantity and quality of sliced beef. But the broth was very mild; too light tasting for me. Thinly sliced cabbage took the place of the usual bean sprouts, which, along with the skimpy sprig of basil, was disappointing.
My wife's grilled pork chop was well seasoned but without much in the way of lemongrass flavour.
While it's a nice alternative to most of the chain restaurant style pub food in the Market, I'd describe this as Vietnamese food for North Americans. Probably a safe choice given the location, but not for me.
warby
Notably lacking were the normally generous garnishes of herbs and vegetables. The round rice noodles were in somewhat short supply but the fried patties of fish with dill were generous and tasty and the rich tangy broth was excellent.
So a bit of a mixed bag but if you find yourself at this restaurant it's worth giving it a try!