For anyone following this series, I’m sure the obvious question has been, but what does she think of The Golden Turtle? No other Vietnamese restaurant I know of inspires more vehement debate; it is the most hyped and written about Viet resto in Toronto. People Love it or Hate it, but for better or worse Rua Vang (aka the Golden Turtle) is the standard against which all other Vietnamese restos are judged. Knowing this, I’ve held out against writing about it until now, simply because the stakes are so high.

A quiet moment on busy Ossington.

Full disclosure: I used to live around the corner from the Turtle and during that time (about 2 years ago) I ate here on a weekly basis. So if you had to place me in a camp, I’d be pro-Rua Vang. However, since the Ossington strip has metamorphosed into a hipster zone and the Turtle has become correspondingly busier, I feel the quality of their broth has gone down somewhat. Given the demand, service is silent but efficient, special requests are frowned upon and there is defiantly a vibe that discourages lingering around the table after your meal is done. And yes, the servings are small (compared to the baby bathtubs you get served in a lot of places) and yes, there are other places in town to get pho that is just as good or better, but Rua Vang is still damn good.

The gentrification of Ossington combined with all the hype surrounding this place, means that you should expect to wait for a table most nights. The crowd, mainly non-Vietnamese, is composed of young arty types and those drawn by repeated Toronto Life profiles on the “next hot ‘hood”. Rua Vang is also popular with the foodie crowd, probably lured by rumours that Susur Lee used to eat here on his day off. The girls at the table next to me on my most recent visit looked like indie rockers, but incongruously spent their meal discussing methods for braising red cabbage and comparing features of commercial ranges.

Vermicelli with grilled chicken and pineapple

But how was the bun? It was great. I ordered #93 Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Vermicelli ($7.25). The noodles themselves were firm and distinct in texture. The chicken was strongly marinated with vinegar and soy, quite salty on its own, but a perfect match for the sweet and unassertive nuoc cham. The garnish was composed of cucumber, pickled carrot and daikon, all perfectly sliced into ribbons, as well as crushed peanuts, bean sprouts and shredded lettuce.  The flavors were vibrant and true and I found myself using a spoon to scoop the last bits of goodness out to the bottom of my bowl. The only small disappointment was that the pineapple was canned rather than fresh, but that is true pretty much across the board in restaurants at this price point.

I know that this is going to spark debate. So lets hear it. When it comes to the Golden Turtle, should we believe the hype?

Rua Vang [aka The Golden Turtle]
125 Ossington Avenue
(416) 531-1601
10am -10 pm, closed Tuesday

Hu Tieu My Tho

I was so delighted to see this arrive at my table. Colourful ingredients piled high upon a soft mound of noodles in a clear flavourful broth. On this occasion I was feeling adventurous and decided to veer from the usual suspect. Seafood is always a good alternative when the palette desires a change from the ordinary. This meal definitely satisfied my expectations…

Different view of my lovely My Tho Seafood Noodles

This bowl of goodness is a mouthful to describe. While admiring what was in front of me I realized how simple all the ingredients were that conspired to build such complimentary flavours. The butterflied shrimp was the first thing that caught my attention but what I wanted to taste immediately as I swirled my chopsticks into my bowl were the deep fried curls soaking up the broth. It was crunchy and sweet fish cake. The next thing I did was disassemble the artful pile to examine what tastes would come next.

Mmm : )

What I discovered was a meld of herbs that complimented nicely the subtlety of seafood. Atop bean sprouts and lettuce were shrimp and squid next to coriander, garlic, chives, and green onions. Because seafood with noodle soup is mild and fresh, the dish was paired with deep fried fish cake and sprinkled with sweet fried shallot to create a more dynamic taste. Next time you are feeling adventurous try this!!!

Grilled pork vermicelli

So what are vermicelli dishes? In a nutshell, it is a combination meat/salad dish over thin rice vermicelli noodles, where the vermicelli (usually cold or room temperature) is topped with charcoal-grilled, thinly-sliced marinated meats or seafood such as chicken, pork, beef, meatballs, shrimp, or calamari, and then finished with fresh salad greens, bean sprouts, fresh herbs including mint and coriander, chopped peanuts (beware allergies!!) and a pickled assortment of carrots, cucumber and daikon radishes.

Mix this all up together with some choice additions of lime, srirachi hot sauce and the robust Nuoc cham sauce made with fish sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar and chili sauce, and the end result is a medley of absolute goodness! Also, a vermicelli bowl is almost always served with a crispy spring roll making it the perfect combo meal for one.

Spring roll vermicelli

Vermicelli can be found on the menu of every Vietnamese restaurant so be sure to give it a shot next time: I recommend the grilled pork or chicken, which really soak up the bold flavours of the marinating liquid to give you a true taste of Vietnamese ingredients.

Photo Credit: Thanh Tran

Pho

For me, a bowl of Pho (sounds like ‘fuh’) noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food. The Pho with which you are likely associated with (and the one I grew up eating) likely includes lightly chewy, thin rice noodles covered in a rich but clear meat broth and topped with assorted meats of your choice (thinly sliced rare or cooked beef, brisket, tendon, tripe, meatballs, chicken), scallions, onions and is accompanied by fresh bean sprouts, cilantro, Thai sweet basil, chili peppers, mint, and lime.

However, this variation is actually the result of the interesting evolution of Pho over the past century during its migration from Vietnam to North America.

The most important part of Pho is the broth: a good broth should take several hours to prepare by simmering beef (sometimes pork or chicken) bones, oxtails, and spices such as cinnamon, star anise and cloves. Also, the defining ingredient of Pho is the use of charred onions and ginger, which gives the broth its distinct color and fragrance. An interesting note as to this technique is that the French often char bones and vegetables before preparing soups and sauces, and that the word Pho is similar to the French word feu for ‘fire’ and the dish pot au feu, therefore perhaps indicating a French influence on the birth of Pho.

Pho garnish plate

Traditional Pho, which is thought to be from Northern Vietnam, consists only of noodles, beef and broth. It wasn’t until after Vietnam was split in two and citizens migrated to Southern Vietnam that the garnish plate was introduced. Locals also started adding hoisin, fish, soybean and srirachi sauces directly to their broths to add flavour and spice. Following the Vietnam war, Pho followed soldiers back to America where the first noodle shops opened up in California. Portions doubled and various choices of meats were offered to meet the demands of Westerners yielding the beloved Pho we order today.

Photo Credit: C. P., Tony Ngo