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| - Vietnamese food was never one of the Asian cuisines that made me crave it as I found previous restaurants just being 'ok' in terms of flavour. It's often cheap, fast, but great or memorable? Rarely. I was drawn here by the number of 5 star reviews from people who share similar taste buds. Could it be that there is a Vietnamese restaurant that provides stellar service AND tastes?
I arrived to this spot on Dundas and it's quite a cute looking place. It has an unique look and feel that makes it stand out among the boxy and aged commercial strip malls nearby. It looks like it has a great patio as well... considering it's dead in the winter, it's not in use but it can be a great place for the summer time. We walked in and we were immediately greeted with a smile and a sweeping hand gesture to take a table. Bonus points for being attentive even when they're serving other guests!
The menu is structured like most Vietnamese places... you have your pho, rice plates with various meats, your Chinese influenced dishes (fried rice or noodles), huge number of fruit base shakes, and several grilled meat options. Our group of three goes for some hearty soups as we're still trying to defrost from the Canadian winter. Our order goes smoothly and repeated back to us without missing a beat.
The first thing to arrive is the mango shake... It's sooo good. It's thick, luscious, and reminds me of eating mango fresh off the tree in Thailand. I'm sure it has a good dose of sugar in there too but I'm happy and content. Our noodles come piping hot and with a good dose of basil, and various other leafy goodness to adjust the flavour of our soups. I add the chilli and all the green items in and take a sip. Ok... this broth had FLAVOUR! It wasn't some hot oily water that was masquerading as broth. I'm not sure if they used beef, pork, or chicken bones or a combination to create the flavour but it was seriously good. My friend had the 'kitchen sink meat combination' and it was chock full. She must have had at least 4 pieces of everything in there. There was no shortage of the good stuff instead of rice noodle filler.
The price is so reasonable for this hearty soupy affair and it definitely stands out as one of the best (if not the best) Vietnamese options in Mississauga. I'll definitely return to try other dishes such as their grilled meats.
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