A TASTE OF VIETNAM
Pho and more at relaxed eatery
The young woman who was running Chez Anh all by herself during our recent lunch visit seemed to be right on top of things, cooking and doling out tasty food in a cool, steady rhythm. We certainly had no qualms about the piping hot beef pho or the beefy bánh mì sub at our table.
But when her co-workers arrived with provisions — packages of noodles, chopsticks, paper towels and more — heated but funny banter ensured. “I swear to God, you’re giving me PTSD leaving me alone!” the woman said. When my friend asked if the woman and the other staffer she was squabbling with were sisters, she replied that they weren’t, and glowered intensely.
Chez Anh — a wee, eminently affordable café of fewer than 20 seats, wedged into a former convenience store on Sunnyside Avenue closer to Bronson Avenue than to Bank Street — is, I guess, a bit like that. It’s a slightly dishevelled, youthful place that serves up a relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere and the occasional sitcom exchange along with a concise listing of distinctive Vietnamese savouries and soups, plus — if they’re available — intriguing house-made desserts.
Who is Anh? That would be Anh Nguyen, a 26-year-old former federal public servant and food lover whose cooking résumé lacks any previous restaurant experience but does include being a Top 50 finalist on the second season of MasterChef Canada a few years ago. He opened his café three months ago, bolstered by a crowdfunding campaign that raised almost $4,000 for renovations.
As the owner and chef, Nguyen serves dishes that reflects his mother’s cooking and the fare of Hanoi in Northern Vietnam, where he was born.
The pho here, available with chicken or beef, is Northernstyle, meaning that it stresses a lucid, beefy, salt-seasoned broth and underplays the sweeter notes of many a Southern-style bowl of pho elsewhere in Ottawa. “It has to be as clear as possible,” Nguyen says. Also absent at Chez Anh are the plates of herbs and sprouts for garnishing one’s pho, although there are hoisin and chili sauces available on a counter, if not on every table.
Differences aside, I’m a fan of the very much restorative pho here, which pleased with clean, well-developed flavours, freshness, lots of lean meat — usually beef brisket or sirloin from Lavergne Western Beef in Navan, or shreds of chicken — and cubes of fried dough as a welcome bonus. I’ve also had the special mien gà — a chicken and glass noodle soup — which was fine, especially for lovers of fried shallots and those must-slurp vermicelli.
A beef bánh mì sub here was an artful example of the exalted Vietnamese sandwich, its warm, crusty baguette generously filled with tender grilled meat, lightly pickled veg and a smear of pâté.
A rice vermicelli bowl lost marks for its dry chicken breast and tepid rather than tangy dipping sauce. But it was redeemed by a fantastic, meaty, massive and nicely seasoned spring roll.
When we ordered some of Chez Anh’s pâté chaud (pastries stuffed with meat), our server warned us: “They’re ugly today.” But she continued, “I promise, they’re delicious.” We didn’t think they
looked that bad, and they were, indeed, deliciously flaky and richly savoury — everything you would want in a sausage roll.
Among Nguyen’s other snacks, the rice paper rolls were simply made, good and fresh.
The desserts listed on Chez Anh’s wall-filling blackboard have always appealed on sight, although we’ve sadly missed on house-made macarons — Nguyen says to come early in the week for those — and slices of tiramisu or other cakes that sold out. I had a bowlful of green tea panna cotta that could have been better. It was jiggle-free and too cold. Better was a “Hungarian” square which was above all sweet and topped with orangey glaze.
The café is not licensed, but it does serve, in addition to soft drinks, Cultured Kombucha, strong Vietnamese coffee and pandan ice tea.
When school starts in a few weeks, it’s likely that Chez Anh, which can already be packed with neighbourhood folks, will become still more crowded with Carleton University students who want takeout treats or a linger in an unpretentious spot staffed by people barely older than themselves, where a sassy playlist sends the sounds of Amy Winehouse, Lana Del Rey and Santana into the air.
This weekend, Nguyen is kicking off Night Market Fridays and Saturdays, when he will open to midnight and from 9 p.m. serve snacks such as lamb skewers, grilled squid, curry fish balls and mango sticky rice. Don’t be surprised if things get a little hectic, and comfort that server if she appears a little frazzled.