Ben Thanh Viet/Thai
Prabhakar Ragde
Northfield Drive location (in the Keg plaza north of the Future Shop
complex).
They've put some money into this place; the tables and chairs look
good, the room feels spacious, there's a full wall shelf with
porcelain vases, and a high ceiling with recessed lights that change
colour periodically.
A gaggle of young Asian waitresses with "awesome" Canadian accents
spent more time sitting at empty tables and giggling with each other
than actually serving the room, but there were a fair number of them,
which is a good sign. The menu is more professionally typeset, with
good pictures of the food, but you still order by writing numbers down
on an order form.
I've never been really crazy about the food at BTVT, in any of
its locations. They do a lot of things okay, but nothing really
well. My wife and younger daughter ordered the Pad Thai Mixed
Seafood. This was better than I remember it, though still not up to
the best I've had elsewhere. On the other hand, there isn't a single
Thai restaurant in the Bay Area I currently trust; they all seem to
have gotten sloppy in the face of massive competition, as if everyone
is cutting corners and reaching for the lowest common
denominator. BTVT's version is not too sweet, suitably tangy, has a
kick to it. It'll do.
I ordered the Phuc Kien Chow Mien, amused by the Vietnamese-style
transliteration of "Fukien". This has the same ingredients as the Pad
Thai, except that yellow round egg noodles are used, there's some bok
choy added, and the sauce is thinner, soybean-based, and less spicy. I
wouldn't make a trip just for this dish, but it was decent, and
certainly better than the last disappointing Yaki Soba I had at
Yummyaki, a few weeks ago.
My older daughter had a vermicelli bowl. The container was shallow,
which is a nice touch, but the vegetables and herbs were not varied
enough, and the grilled pork was chewy and gristly.
We also ordered deep-fried spring rolls and fresh grilled nam
rolls. The spring rolls came straight from the fryer. I've never cared
for BTVT's wrappers, which aren't rice paper, but something more
spongy and eggy. The insides were all right. The fresh rolls consisted
of a mild grilled pork sausage stacked up with cold vermicelli and
head lettuce, then rolled in a rice paper. It was a bit too
factory-like for my tastes. The dipping sauce was warm, again a nice
touch, but too heavy on the hoisin.
The only condiments on the table were two squeeze containers. One had
hoisin in it, and the other looked as if it had ketchup, but it could
have been sriracha. I neglected to make sure. There wasn't any fish
sauce, which is unfortunate, because usually the nuoc cham at these
places skimp on it, and I have to add more.
BTVT is a Vietnamese version of a pan-Asian fast-food joint, drawing
on Thailand and China with liberal interpretations. I think Pho Dau Bo
is better at what they do, but with a more limited menu. (It may be
too hot for me to try a pho comparison for the next few months.) If I
feel like a vermicelli bowl or straight-ahead pho, I'll probably head
for PDB. If I feel like something vaguely Thai, or a Chinese-style
stir-fry, I'll head for BTVT. Neither place will be an eagerly-awaited
destination for me, but both will serve me well when I'm too tired to
cook or we need to grab something reasonably fast and tasty while in
the vicinity. I'm pleased to see that BTVT is doing well, and I think
this new location will be a big success. --PR
--
Prabhakar Ragde plr...@uwaterloo.ca
Professor, School of Computer Science DC 1314, (519)888-4567,x4660
Faculty of Mathematics Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2L 3G1
University of Waterloo http://db.uwaterloo.ca/~plragde
Viktor Haag
> A gaggle of young Asian waitresses with "awesome" Canadian
> accents spent more time sitting at empty tables and giggling
> with each other than actually serving the room, but there were
> a fair number of them, which is a good sign.
I noticed while we had lunch there last week that some of the
waitresses (the more somber ones) were hold overs from the
original Cedar St location; no doubt they'll be more efficient,
but probably not as ebulient.
Our waitress was a bit distracted, but friendly.
> The only condiments on the table were two squeeze
> containers. One had hoisin in it, and the other looked as if it
> had ketchup, but it could have been sriracha. I neglected to
> make sure. There wasn't any fish sauce, which is unfortunate,
> because usually the nuoc cham at these places skimp on it, and
> I have to add more.
The red squeeze bottles have hot sauce in them of bright red and
smooth variety, not the sort that has chilli seeds still in it.
> Neither place will be an eagerly-awaited destination for me,
> but both will serve me well when I'm too tired to cook or we
> need to grab something reasonably fast and tasty while in the
> vicinity. I'm pleased to see that BTVT is doing well, and I
> think this new location will be a big success. --PR
The grilled beef (308) and fried spring rolls were as I remember
them, as were the shakes; I agree with your assessment; not great
food, but, there are particular choices from them I'm partial
too, and which I don't like in their incarnations at other
Viet-Thai places I've tried in town.
I have a group of regular lunch-pals who are also in the same
camp (they all have their favourites), so I suspect we'll be
going at least once or twice a month.
--
Viktor Haag : Senior Technical Writer : Research In Motion
Prabhakar Ragde
> > The only condiments on the table were two squeeze
> > containers. One had hoisin in it, and the other looked as if it
> > had ketchup, but it could have been sriracha.
>
> The red squeeze bottles have hot sauce in them of bright red and
> smooth variety, not the sort that has chilli seeds still in it.
That's Sriracha. Finely ground dried red chilies, garlic, vinegar,
sugar. Not as spicy as the coarsely ground fresh red chilies in
vinegar you're alluding to, which probably has a Vietnamese name as
well, but the bottles I buy are labelled "sambal oelek", the
Indonesian name.
Speaking of hot stuff, I made a traditional beef stew the other day,
but I added a couple of heaping tablespoons of Pixian hot bean sauce
(dou ban jiang), and it was fabulous. Many of the Sichuan dishes that
use this condiment are stews, really, so it wasn't that much of a
leap. --PR
hk...@writeme.com
Prabhakar Ragde
> Is Ben Thanh licensed?
There's an application notice posted on their window, so they'll soon
be licensed. --PR
Viktor Haag
> Is Ben Thanh licensed?
I think they're posted application displayed May 14th as their
licensing date. So, not yet is what I'm guessing.
Viktor Haag
> hk...@writeme.com writes:
>
>> Is Ben Thanh licensed?
>
> I think they're posted application displayed May 14th as their
> licensing date. So, not yet is what I'm guessing.
Well, that should be "their" posted application... senior
technical writer indeed... must have been tired when I posted the
original...
Alex Lopez-Ortiz
We went for dinner there today (Monday May 23, Victoria day weekend).
It was jam packed from around 5:00pm until 7:30pm. If they are usually
this busy at dinner time they should hire at least two more waitresses.
Service was ok, but you can tell that they were trying really hard to
keep up with the volume.
We ordered two dishes each. For me, first a bowl of Pho to start.
This was tasty: Not as savory as the one I remember from my favourite
Pho place in Seattle, but definitely held its own. We'll be back for
more.
The second dish was "Vietnamese yellow curry with potatoes, warm bread
and shrimp". This was good. I don't know what is supposed to taste
like, so I cannot rate if for authenticity, but it was delicious. We
dipped the warm bread in the curry sauce and enjoyed every bit of it.
The fresh squeezed lemonade was also very tasty. We ordered three
rounds each, and it seemed to us that by the end they were running
out of lime and rather than declining the order they started
scrimping on the lime.
The wife had coconut soup and some cashew nut chicken. She thought
both of them were ok, but not quite in the same league as the curry
I had ordered. We ended up splitting the curry, since she enjoyed it
so much.
Alex
--
Alex Lopez-Ortiz alop...@uwaterloo.ca
http://db.uwaterloo.ca/~alopez-o Associate Professor
School of Computer Science University of Waterloo
Ray Butterworth
alop...@softbase.math.uwaterloo.ca (Alex Lopez-Ortiz) wrote:
...
>We went for dinner there today (Monday May 23, Victoria day weekend).
>It was jam packed from around 5:00pm until 7:30pm. If they are usually
>this busy at dinner time they should hire at least two more waitresses.
>Service was ok, but you can tell that they were trying really hard to
>keep up with the volume.
We tried to go the Saturday before (about 5:30) and found a lineup
at the door. So we ordered takeout, and it came a few minutes later,
before the line had even moved. What was interesting was that about
1/3 of the tables were empty and just needed cleaning or setting up.
i.e it was rather obvious where their bottleneck was.
This weekend we went again, early this time, and got in OK,
but their delivery was very irregular, with dishes arriving
in no particular order. i.e. tables that ordered their food
first often got theirs last. Even within a table the dishes
arrived a very different times: mine arrived last, which is
fortunate because I'm the fastest eater, had it arrived first,
I'd have been finished before the third person's dish arrived.
We also saw a few instances of waiters wandering around asking at
each table if anyone there had ordered the dish they were carrying.
During all this, there really didn't seem to be a shortage of
waiters. There were always a few in sight, and when we needed
to ask for something, they came right away. But there was an
impression of chaos/anarchy to what was happening.
What they really need is someone more competent to manage the wait staff.
C. Jones
"Prabhakar Ragde" <plr...@uwaterloo.ca> wrote in message
news:3zd5rx6...@ds1.cs...
> My family and I went for an early dinner last night at their new
> Northfield Drive location (in the Keg plaza north of the Future Shop
> complex).
I've gone 3 rounds w/ PR concerning this place before (years ago now) and I
have to repeat my position:
My ignorance of 'good' pho better keeps me very happy. My one attempt at
duplicating Pho for myself was a dismal failure. Sadly, I live in guelph,
where my choices are Pho quinh do, pho saigon and the red papaya. None of
whom I particularly like. Pho que huang,which I did like, (they always had
a second kind of leaf to go with pho, not just the mint leaves, but another
long bladed leaf that reminds me of coriander) unceremoniously went away on
me.
Joe Szalai
> I've gone 3 rounds w/ PR concerning this place before (years ago now) and I
> have to repeat my position:
> My ignorance of 'good' pho better keeps me very happy. My one attempt at
> duplicating Pho for myself was a dismal failure. Sadly, I live in guelph,
> where my choices are Pho quinh do, pho saigon and the red papaya. None of
> whom I particularly like. Pho que huang,which I did like, (they always had
> a second kind of leaf to go with pho, not just the mint leaves, but another
> long bladed leaf that reminds me of coriander) unceremoniously went away on
> me.
Do you mean basil? That's usually served with some pho. Actually, I have
never been served mint with pho. I usually get a plate with twigs of
basil, bean sprouts and a piece of lime. Sometimes the plate also has a
couple of hot chili peppers.
Joe Szalai
C. Jones
news:Pine.GSO.4.58.05...@library.uwaterloo.ca...
> On Sat, 4 Jun 2005, C. Jones wrote:
>
>> I've gone 3 rounds w/ PR concerning this place before (years ago now)
>> and I
>> have to repeat my position:
> Do you mean basil? That's usually served with some pho. Actually, I have
> never been served mint with pho. I usually get a plate with twigs of
> [...]
> Joe Szalai
You are right of course. I meant mint in the sense that almost anything
with a squarish stem and opposing leaf pairs is a member of the mint family.
The owner of pho que huang described the leaves I'm talking about as being
popular in the south, and that not even all vietnamese liked them. (but
after I mentioned I did, he never failed to provide them. I miss pqh
*sniff*)
Ha, I've found it. A quick foray into the world brain seems to be what I'm
talking about:
http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/essentials/herbs.htm
It's apparently called ngo gai. also Mexican coriander, thorny coriander,
culantro, saw-leaf herb, saw-tooth herb, recao, Tabasco parsley
It's really good with pho dac biet
ken d.
> It's apparently called ngo gai. also Mexican coriander, thorny coriander,
> culantro, saw-leaf herb, saw-tooth herb, recao, Tabasco parsley
many of Ben Thanh's dishes are quite heavy with the cilantro.
(or i should be precise and say at least they were at their old
no longer location in downtown kitchener)
its a flavour that seems to be love/hate thing with people. not sure
i've met someone who did not have a strong opinion about this flavour.
many people like to use it in moderation as a secret ingredient in their
chili as most people eating it are aware of "something" but can quite
define it. ...but then i've seen curry used in chili before too :)
-ken
Prabhakar Ragde
> > It's apparently called ngo gai. also Mexican coriander, thorny coriander,
> > culantro, saw-leaf herb, saw-tooth herb, recao, Tabasco parsley
>
> many of Ben Thanh's dishes are quite heavy with the cilantro.
> (or i should be precise and say at least they were at their old
> no longer location in downtown kitchener)
Ngo gai is not the same as cilantro, which is rau ngo in
Vietnamese. You can get the former at New City Supermarket, and I've
been served it at Pho Dau Bo, but not at any of the other Vietnamese
places in town.
We were at Ben Thanh on Northfield tonight and both my wife and I
independently concluded that the portion sizes of the noodles had been
downsized. Still reasonable.
> its a flavour that seems to be love/hate thing with people. not sure
> i've met someone who did not have a strong opinion about this flavour.
My wife reports having had lunch in a Vietnamese restaurant on Spadina
in Toronto sometime in the late '80's with a fellow grad student who
took a bite/sip of his choice and said, "This has that herb that some
people can't taste, but the ones who can, don't like it." She had to
inform him that she could definitely taste it and definitely liked
it. Of course as the child of East Indian immigrants, it played a
major role in the food of my youth... and living in Northern Ontario,
it was not to be found in the local supermarket. We would have to wait
for the brief summer, when my parents would coax it to grow in the
clay-laden soil of our backyard. --PR
Julie Lavoie
> took a bite/sip of his choice and said, "This has that herb that some
> people can't taste, but the ones who can, don't like it." She had to
> inform him that she could definitely taste it and definitely liked
> it.
I am in the "love" camp with respect to cilantro. One of my favorite
snacks is a whole unit of cilantro, chopped with lime, cashews,
hot peppers and sugar. My cilantro-hating friends think I am insane.
-Julie
Viktor Haag
> We were at Ben Thanh on Northfield tonight and both my wife and I
> independently concluded that the portion sizes of the noodles had been
> downsized. Still reasonable.
I concur. I followed my standard practice of asking for my 308 to
be "large-ified", and (a) I could detect no difference at all
between my dish and my neighbours, and (b) it was marginally
smaller than the dish used to be at the Cedar St location.
::sigh::
Ray Butterworth
Viktor Haag <vh...@rim.com> wrote:
>Prabhakar Ragde <plr...@uwaterloo.ca> writes:
>
>> We were at Ben Thanh on Northfield tonight and both my wife and I
>> independently concluded that the portion sizes of the noodles had been
>> downsized. Still reasonable.
>
>I concur. I followed my standard practice of asking for my 308 to
>be "large-ified", and (a) I could detect no difference at all
>between my dish and my neighbours, and (b) it was marginally
>smaller than the dish used to be at the Cedar St location.
>
>::sigh::
Funny. Last time I was there I ordered pad thai chicken, and the
noodle serving was actually larger than I had expected or wanted.
(I'd never ordered it before, so I don't know what the
pre-downsized size was.)