Vi-Ann
I have only ever been to one other Vietnamese restaurant in Winnipeg, being Phuong Nam on William and Arlington, so I can't give a definitive answer regarding the best Vietnamese restaurant in Winnipeg.
Out of Vi-Ann and Phuong Nam, though, I would say Phuong Nam wins hands-down. Phuong Nam has real Vietnamese food for cheaper.
I'm sorry to disappoint those who *love* Vi-Ann's Vietnamese food, but it's actually Chinese food, with a couple of Vietnamese dishes. The people who own the restaurant are Chinese (I am Chinese and I heard them speaking). Most likely, they are ethnic Chinese from Vietnam. That's my guess because the menu and cooking style remind me of my own family's cooking. My grandma was ethnic Chinese from Vietnam.
I went with three friends. We ordered the Vietnamese vegetarian spring rolls to start. They were fresh and good. They are the small kind of spring roll, about the size of rotund pinky. Five to a plate with a generous dish of plum sauce.
For our main course, we ordered the Charbroiled Pork Ball Salad Wrap, Beef Lo Mein, Vegetarian Singapore Curry Rice Vermicelli, and the Honey Garlic Ginger Chicken.
The Salad Wrap was very good, though the pork was not in ball form. There were eight rice wraps, a platter of rice noodles, iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, and bean sprouts (sparing on the vegetables), and the pork, and a dish of fish sauce. I missed the fresh herbs that you get at Phuong Nam.
The Chinese dishes are all very generous, easily doubling the size of dishes at most North American-style Chinese restaurants. I really liked the Beef Lo Mein. About 2 parts bean sprouts to 2 parts noodles, with a generous helping of broccoli, and an average helping of beef. The Rice Vermicelli was disappointing, though. The curry flavour was off, and they use flat rice noodles... which aren't vermicelli... hmm. The vegetables were also the same as the Lo Mein dish, which made for a weird combination with the thinner, lighter-tasting noodle. Finally, the chicken dish was great! A smaller serving than the noodle dishes, the chicken was lightly battered and in a not-too-sweet sauce, along with green peppers and onions, and sprinkled all over with sesame seeds. A very nice touch. The chicken came with steamed rice--a decent variety of jasmine rice.
All of the dishes were on the sweet side. I'd propose the reason people like Vi-Ann is because of the sugar in each dish. Even the Lo Mein was sweet tasting.
After the four of us had finished eating, each noodle dish could still fill its own take-out container, and there was also half a container of chicken. Oh, and don't take us for light eaters, either.
We all had water. Two of the girls had the iced Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk. The coffee was very good with great presentation... as far as family-owned Vietnamese places go. The coffee comes still dripping from the filter onto a thick layer of condensed milk, with another glass of ice.
Regarding service, it's pretty on par with other low-staffed Chinese restaurants. I made eye contact with the waitress when I was ready to orderand she came right over. Ice water came without our needing to ask. We did have to ask for refills, but that's no big deal. When we were finished, they came to ask if we'd like to take it home. I'm guessing the "bad service" rep comes from the naturally surly look of the waitress. She's not a smiler.
Our bill came to $50 and change. Though this isn't an amazing deal, when you consider that there was enough left over for another supper, it's worth it. The location in Osborne also makes the restaurant a great place to meet with folks before heading out somewhere else. I'd recommend it for some good Vietnamese/*Chinese* food.
For a greater variety of Vietnamese food, try Phuong Nam. Vi-Ann is limited to the essential dishes: salad wraps, pho, and rice noodle dishes (tossed with meat, julienned veggies, and fish sauce--sorry, I can't remember what it's called in English).
Out of Vi-Ann and Phuong Nam, though, I would say Phuong Nam wins hands-down. Phuong Nam has real Vietnamese food for cheaper.
I'm sorry to disappoint those who *love* Vi-Ann's Vietnamese food, but it's actually Chinese food, with a couple of Vietnamese dishes. The people who own the restaurant are Chinese (I am Chinese and I heard them speaking). Most likely, they are ethnic Chinese from Vietnam. That's my guess because the menu and cooking style remind me of my own family's cooking. My grandma was ethnic Chinese from Vietnam.
I went with three friends. We ordered the Vietnamese vegetarian spring rolls to start. They were fresh and good. They are the small kind of spring roll, about the size of rotund pinky. Five to a plate with a generous dish of plum sauce.
For our main course, we ordered the Charbroiled Pork Ball Salad Wrap, Beef Lo Mein, Vegetarian Singapore Curry Rice Vermicelli, and the Honey Garlic Ginger Chicken.
The Salad Wrap was very good, though the pork was not in ball form. There were eight rice wraps, a platter of rice noodles, iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, and bean sprouts (sparing on the vegetables), and the pork, and a dish of fish sauce. I missed the fresh herbs that you get at Phuong Nam.
The Chinese dishes are all very generous, easily doubling the size of dishes at most North American-style Chinese restaurants. I really liked the Beef Lo Mein. About 2 parts bean sprouts to 2 parts noodles, with a generous helping of broccoli, and an average helping of beef. The Rice Vermicelli was disappointing, though. The curry flavour was off, and they use flat rice noodles... which aren't vermicelli... hmm. The vegetables were also the same as the Lo Mein dish, which made for a weird combination with the thinner, lighter-tasting noodle. Finally, the chicken dish was great! A smaller serving than the noodle dishes, the chicken was lightly battered and in a not-too-sweet sauce, along with green peppers and onions, and sprinkled all over with sesame seeds. A very nice touch. The chicken came with steamed rice--a decent variety of jasmine rice.
All of the dishes were on the sweet side. I'd propose the reason people like Vi-Ann is because of the sugar in each dish. Even the Lo Mein was sweet tasting.
After the four of us had finished eating, each noodle dish could still fill its own take-out container, and there was also half a container of chicken. Oh, and don't take us for light eaters, either.
We all had water. Two of the girls had the iced Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk. The coffee was very good with great presentation... as far as family-owned Vietnamese places go. The coffee comes still dripping from the filter onto a thick layer of condensed milk, with another glass of ice.
Regarding service, it's pretty on par with other low-staffed Chinese restaurants. I made eye contact with the waitress when I was ready to orderand she came right over. Ice water came without our needing to ask. We did have to ask for refills, but that's no big deal. When we were finished, they came to ask if we'd like to take it home. I'm guessing the "bad service" rep comes from the naturally surly look of the waitress. She's not a smiler.
Our bill came to $50 and change. Though this isn't an amazing deal, when you consider that there was enough left over for another supper, it's worth it. The location in Osborne also makes the restaurant a great place to meet with folks before heading out somewhere else. I'd recommend it for some good Vietnamese/*Chinese* food.
For a greater variety of Vietnamese food, try Phuong Nam. Vi-Ann is limited to the essential dishes: salad wraps, pho, and rice noodle dishes (tossed with meat, julienned veggies, and fish sauce--sorry, I can't remember what it's called in English).
posted by anny | 7:46 p.m.
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