ottawa foodies

Agree with TheNatureMan regarding:

-excellent bánh mì
-casual service

I think that they'll do well when the Carleton U. students return en masse in September, and also hope they tighten things up a bit.

Food here is still great, especially the banh mis. It is worthwhile following them on Facebook/ instagram as they run some great specials every week. Be forewarned that their pho broth is saltier than most, which is apparently the norm for Northern Style Pho. I enjoy it although my friend found it too salty.

One constructive thing I must note is that the service is very casual and I think it could benefit from more structure (ie not being on phone while working, not talking too loudly amongst each other etc...)

I was excited to try the iced coffee and it did not disappoint, but man is the Pandan green iced tea delicious. Easily the most delicious iced tea I've ever had. Will be coming back for it throughout the summer anytime I'm remotely in the neighbourhood.

I confirm that the banh mi sandwich is indeed awesome. Perfectly balanced and served in the freshest, most perfectly crunchy-on-the-outside-only baguette I've ever had. Run here to support this restauranteur.

Pho here is made "Northern Style" and is quite different than any I have had in Ottawa. Anh serves it with fried dough (quay) which is obviously delicious. Noodles are also thicker than the rice noodles I'm used to in Pho. The broth is much more beefy tasting than most and had that nice bone broth flavour I love. When we were there he was out of bean sprouts, sounds like business has been better than he had anticipated which is always nice.

They also have very authentic banh mis, best I've had in Ottawa. They also offer to serve them toasted which to my knowledge is the only place in Ottawa that will do it. Ices coffees were fantastic as well.

Great service, great prices and great food, looking forward to going back.

I stopped in for a bowl of Northern Style Chicken Pho ($8) and it was pretty good. The broth was salty and very mild, made delicious by a generous garnish of chopped scallion. The rice noodles were a bit chewy, unlike anything I've ever had in other restaurants, and more like when I've made them at home and not soaked them long enough. The fried bread stick (which I normally love) tasted a bit stale or rancid, like most of the pre-made ones I've bought at grocery stores.

The chicken meat was good and the savoury broth made this a tasty light supper. At 8 bucks for a bowl, there isn't really anything to complain about. If I lived nearby, I'd likely visit often.

When I arrived around 5:30pm, I was told that only the lunch menu was available. The atmosphere of this tiny place feels more like a university hangout than a restaurant. And whether that's a good or a bad thing is entirely up to you!