The Viet Noodle Guy

Great Ban Mi

Good portion of foods, Vermicelli and bang mi are good. Noodle soup is ok. Need better HVAC system, always make my coat smell for the rest of the day

Ordered take out, was kind of them to warn as about the wait time as they were busy. Portions were hugh.

Everyone has their own favourite spot for pho. In the past, this usually meant some hole-in-the-wall noodle joint that’s seen better days. The Viet Noodle Guy kicks that trend and seems to be doing quite well at it. The interior of this Vietnamese restaurant is very bright and airy owing to the large windows that fronts onto Rosser Avenue and the high ceilings. My first encounter with this restaurant was actually for take-out as we noticed the restaurant while we were dining across the street. Intrigued, we decided to get some Chicken Wings ($6.50) with a lemon pepper sauce to-go. The chicken wings were okay but nothing very memorable besides the coating being a bit too thick for my liking. I came back in early December to try their pho and stuck with a classic… the Pho Dac Biet or Viet Noodle Special ($10.45 for a small bowl). There was nothing small about this bowl, however, as it had plenty of meat and noodles. Specifically, thin slices of rare beef (perfect for dunking into the piping hot broth), beef brisket, beef balls, tripe, tender chunks of tendon, onions, green onions, cilantro, and the requisite basil, bean sprouts, lime, and jalepeño slices. The bowl also contained an ample amount of thin, flat, rice noodles which was filling for a small bowl. A week later, my sweetie and I returned during the weekend for lunch and were lucky to grab a table given how busy they get. The Bun Dac Biet or Special Vermicelli Bowl ($12.95) is a pork lover’s dream with lemongrass, grilled pork, pork patty, and shredded pork combined with the crispy spring roll. I picked the Com Bo Luc Lac or Shaken Beef Cubes with Rice ($14.95). Served with a fried egg, this is a complete meal which will really satisfy your hunger. Unlike the famous Beef Luc Lac at Phnom Penh, the shaken beef here is served in cubes but is just a tender. While they have a separate area upstairs dedicated to banh mi (Vietnamese subs), you can order them in the restaurant. We picked the Banh Mi Dac Biet ($6.25). They do make a very good version here with a nice crusty bun. This one comes with ham, pork roll, fried pork roll, Vietnamese ham, pate and accompanied with the requisite pickled veggies, cilantro, hot peppers, cucumber, soy sauce, and mayo. On a return visit, I decided to try their Bun Bo Hue ($11.55 for large) which comes with thick, round, slippery rice noodles, beef slices, chicken balls, ham, onions, and green onions in a piping hot broth that has a nice spice level. Located diagonally across from a large cherry blossom garden, I’m sure this would make a great spot for cherry blossom viewing during the spring. It gets super busy here during the lunch hour but food comes out pretty quick. Update: Mar 2024... Been about 4 years since we were last here. I had forgotten how large their dishes are. Ordered the bun dac biet - special vermicelli with lemongrass chicken, grilled pork, pork patty, spring roll, and shredded pork and picked daikon. Loved the crispy spring roll in this dish. The pho dac biet pho with rare beef, beef brisket, tripe, cilantro and green onions is so comforting! Nice broth that you just want to slurp up all day long. Akso got an order of canh ga (chicken wings) with lemon pepper sauce. The dipping sauce really does the trick.

This place went downhill big time. The broth is inconsistent and tastes either like msg or strange fishy flavour. Skimped out on the meat in the sub, $9 pretty sad stuff. Price is way too high for pho and quality is way below average. Customer service is poor as well. Store closes early at 8. There is nothing good to talk about here besides the interior being clean.