Review Series: Best Vermicelli On The West Side
After 4 weeks of tasting bun in Toronto’s west-end Vietnamese restaurants, I thought I had hit my stride. Though quality, freshness and style varied to some degree in each place I visited, the formula was basically the same. I knew what to expect. Then I wandered into Canh Buom and got thrown a curve ball.
Outside Canh Buom on College.
Several aspects of the evening conspire to unsettle and surprise me. First the Décor: An unexpected nautical theme (Canh Buom translates as ‘boat’s sail’) is strangely mismatched with 1950s-bowling-alley-style booths upholstered in sparkly vinyl. Second the Service: A gruff old man and a young fireball of a waitress tag-team our table in good cop/bad cop mode. At times the scene plays out like a slap-stick comedy—for instance, when a fellow diner went to squeeze some siracha chili sauce into his pho, only to have the entire lid fall off, dumping half the bottle into his bowl.
Deciding to leave my fate up to chance, I ask the waitress to bring me her favorite vermicelli dish. Imagine my surprise when instead of the large bowl of thin noodles I’ve come to expect, a flat plate bearing thicker, spaghetti-like rice noodles and a veritable mountain of herbs (mint, Perilla, and Vietnamese balm) arrives in front of me. Along side is a dish of grilled pork and sausage patties, pickled green papaya and carrot, all soaked in nuoc mam cham and garnished with crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, and crispy fried shallots. When I inquire of the waitress what it is I have received, she explains that this is the North Vietnamese style of vermicelli (much less common in Toronto’s Vietnamese restaurants than the Southern style) known as Bun Cha Hanoi [A18, $8.50]. Rather than mixing the noodles and toppings together in a large bowl and dressing with Nuoc cham to taste, in this style the diner selects choice bits from the serving dishes and blends them in a small bowl, a few bites at a time. The cooked meats are dressed with the fish sauce in advance so that the strong salty flavor permeates them to a much greater degree. The effect is less delicate and less sweet than in the southern style, but is tasty and quite compulsively edible. You will find that you fill that tiny bowl many, many times. Particularly the cha (juicy grilled pork patties flavoured with garlic, sugar, salt and black pepper) will disappear all too quickly.
Little bowl of Bun Cha Hanoi.
Canh Buom bills itself as a Viet-Thai restaurant and has variety of Thai options on the menu. Do yourself a favor and take the opportunity to sample the much less well-known North Vietnamese fare instead. Don’t let the wacky décor, or the enthusiastic, yet ineffectual, service distract you. But do check the lid on the hot sauce before you squeeze.
Canh Buom
1144 College st
416-538-4287
Would love to be added to the list too!
How’s the thick noodles compared to the thin ones?
I prefer the thin ones personally. No difference flavor-wise, just a texture thing.
Does this place specialize in Northern style cooking?
They describe themselves as a viet-thai resto. Menu is a bit of a mish-mash, but does have some North viet options, which are rare in Toronto.
Bun cha Hanoi is a rarity in Toronto. Don’t know too many places that serve it. I gotta check this place out