Vietnamese Tonight!

One of my family's staple dinner restaurants would have to be Thai Hang Vietnamese Restaurant at the corner of Kingsway and Victoria Drive. This casual restaurant has a menu armed with Vietnamese dishes that will surely make your mouth drool! 

Fish sauce (aka "nuoc man") is one of the main ingredients in pretty much all of their food - from their soups to their dipping sauces, there is no escape from this Vietnamese staple.

Like any casual Asian restaurant, service is mediocre. What you're really in for is the good food and value. This place accepts cash only so make sure you've got some bills tucked in your wallet. It's comparable to a very casual diner, great for group or family dinners, late night bites, morning after meal, or just when you want a taste of Vietnam.

My family visits this place probably once a month (sometimes more). Our favorite dish is the "bo ba mon" - 3 course beef dish. You get a large plate of chunks of beef made 3 different ways to wrap up in "banh trang" (rice paper) with "bun" (vermicelli) and veggies. It is then dipped in a special fish sauce "nuoc mam nem."

(bo ba mon)

This dish could easily feed 3-4 people depending on your appetite. Make sure you don't spill or wipe any of the sauce on your clothes! It can be a bit of a stinker!

Another favorite of ours is the "banh beo" - a small steamed rice cake sprinkled with minced shrimp and bread crumbs. Each banh beo comes in its own little plate, scoop in a couple spoons of fish sauce and it's ready to be eaten!

(banh beo)

If you're feeling adventurous and want to try a soup that's not Pho or a noodle soup dish, "canh chua" is a traditional Vietnamese sweet and sour soup loaded with fish, okra, tomatoes, beansprouts, pineapple, and "bac ha" you can add to your dinner. We like to order it with one or two Vietnamese dishes to eat with rice. 

(canh chua with a side dish of "tom rim" - shrimp)

And there you have it! A Vietnamese dinner for 4 (with left overs to pack for home). Our bill came to just under $90 (we also ordered a couple "sinh to bo" avocado smoothies). A super satisfying dinner with fast service and great value. Thai Hang gets busy for dinner, but we have never had to wait in line before. It's not an overly large restaurant, but it is spacious enough to seat quite the crowd.

Try it out next time you're in the area - don't forget to bring some cash!

xo

Lori