Hello everyone, here is another restaurant food review and this time one of my girl friend and I decided to check out this restaurant Mr. Red Cafe on Oct 4, 2019 for dinner. Upon researching about this restaurant apparently there is two other sister location that is managed by the same owner. Two other location is located on Stephens Street at West Broadway in the Kitsilano area with the same restaurant name and another newly opened restaurant on Victoria Drive on East 35th Avenue called Hanoi Old Quarters.
Read Full Posts:
https://foodieyvrjasmine604.wordpress.com/2019/10/04/mr-red-cafe-visited-on-oct-4-2019/
Yes. We,re Eating Again.
+4
Thursday at noonish is evidently a good time to stop by as it was busy at Mr Red but we did not have to wait for a table. The restaurant is on East Hastings, not far from Nanaimo.
To get us started, it was hard to pass on the Bahn Gio, a pyramid-shaped dumpling steamed in a banana leaf. When we broke into this tender almost pyramid, we were rewarded with a generous filling of pork and wood ear mushrooms. Taken with a little bit of hot sauce this was delicious. Savoury and spicy with the almost creamy rice envelope, I would order this again in a second. One of their "must-try dishes", are the Nem Cua Be, deep-fried pork and real crab meat spring rolls.
These were truly amazing with the crab definitely distinguishable (sometimes the mild meat disappears into the mix of stronger flavours). They were crispy and hot and served with a generous amount of rice noodles, sprouts and greens. I think "must-try" is an appropriate label. Also, from what I did read, crab and pork in spring rolls is a typical northern cuisine combination. Finally, and in line with my vegetarian/vegan quest, I tried the Nom du du Chay (again I apologize for lack of the appropriate Vietnamese punctuation), fried tofu and vegetarian green mango salad. Refreshing and sweet with a savoury crispy topping (and the tofu), I'm not sure what makes it green mango as it was very ripe. The Mr Red menu has a page dedicated to vegetarian dishes with 8 choices including appetizers to mains. Not a huge place with seating for maybe 36 but definitely worth the wait or make a reservation. Comfortable enough and nicely decorated with a nod to Buddhist culture and some greenery that made me think jungle. Originally, I found Mr Red on the Scoutmagazine.ca's "Never Heard Of It" list but I believe they have long since graduated as there are now 3 restaurants in this family including a Mr Red in Kits and Hanoi Old Quarter on Victoria Drive. Put this place on your bucket list!
Almost 3 years ago, I wrote about my first visit to Mr. Red Cafe. Since writing that post, the restaurant has moved one block down to a newer location. Mr. Red Cafe is quite popular for Vietnamese food, and for good reason! I don’t come here that often, but I do enjoy the food here and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. Pho: I ordered the standard pho with rare beef and beef balls. The broth here is fragrant, flavourful, and has depth. In addition, they do not skimp out on the cilantro and onions! I was really satisfied with their pho and it was consistent with my past visits.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes