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.
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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.
4.3. We had heard great things about Mr. Red Cafe, so we had to check it out. We ordered the green papaya salad, one of the noodle bowls, and the pate on bread. The salad was very fresh and tasty, it would be great on a hot day. The noodle bowl was our least favourite, not that it was bad, just not as good compared to the other two dishes. The pate was our favourite! So delicious, we wish they had served us more! Service was good and prices are fair for the quality of food. We recommend and would come back!
“Mr. Red Cafe” is a well known Vietnamese restaurant that specializes in North Vietnamese cuisine. They have been a long standing staple, therefore it is surprising that I am only just now visiting them. And lucky me, I was here with the best tour guide, acclaimed foodie and blogger extraordinaire “@foodologyca”.
Hello internet friends! I’ve mentioned a while ago that Mr. Red Cafe relocated at their Grandview location. It’s a block down from where it used to be and the interior is similar to their Kitsilano location. I’ve been here once before but Mother deer has yet to visit this location so we decided to bring her here for her birthday.
Bottom line: A lot of people like Mr Red and it's different. It's good but I can't justify the cost. for 4 people it was about $80 which is quite a bit for Pho. Salad roll is a pass, the spring roll was pretty good, my pho felt like it could have used another handful of noodles. Tea was unique though and I enjoyed that the most.
Mr. Red Café紅先生越南餐廳於2014年4月在溫哥華東區East Hasting開業，由一對來自越南河內的夫婦經營，他們從祖父母起三代都是從事餐飲行業，可以說是餐飲世家。在溫哥華經營的越南餐廳為數不少，但多以售賣越南牛肉河粉或法式麵包為主，而Mr. Red Café主打是比較獨特的北越菜色，有別於常見的越南餐點，因此多次獲得本地報章雜誌推薦。於開業隔年便已獲得溫哥華雜誌評為最佳越南餐廳第二名，今年更被評為最佳越南餐廳金獎，對於一家新餐廳來說，確實是不俗的成績。由於被受歡迎，店家旋即在2016年2月在溫西Kitsilano區的West Broadway上再開了一家新分店。
走進Mr. Red Café感覺上比一般的越南食肆更多了幾分精緻與情調。從門口花盆擺放飽滿下垂的稻穗捆紮、餐廳牆壁以排編細竹圍繞、茅草棚的櫃檯、福祿壽三星的陶瓷擺設，垂吊的古式火水燈罩、以至牆上三個寫著店名的藤編篩子等，都讓這家餐館散發出濃烈的越南鄉間風情。加上橙紅色的四堵紅磚牆面，正好呼應了店名中的“red”字。剛坐下就發現每張桌子上都擺放著一個透明玻璃瓶，裡面泡著大蒜片和紅辣椒，顏色十分搶眼，這可是店家特製的醋漬調料，而且是免費任食啊！而店家奉客的茶也非常獨特，據服務員說是加了烤焗麥米的斑蘭葉茶。至於這裡每種餐點都會加上大量莞茜，相信這就是北越菜色的傳統吧！
This place was lovely. The menu had options I never saw in other places. The food looks and taste delicious. The service is excellent, the place looks clean and with an special design. Im looking forward to go again to try more stuff
Had a really lovely dinner here tonight. BF and I ordered crab and pork spring rolls, bo la lot vermicelli bowl, and soup with chicken, mushrooms and meatballs. Food was all delicious and served with lots of fresh herbs which further heightened the flavours. Spring rolls were a must order - amazing flavour and perfect crispy texture from the rice wrapper. Our server seemed to be one of the owners of the restaurant, very friendly and welcoming and took time to chat with us about the difference between northern, central, and southern Vietnamese cuisine. She even sent us home with a complimentary bag of the delicious pandan tea that they serve. Such wonderful service! I look forward to visiting again soon to try more of the menu!
I went with my boyfriend and we didn't know it had moved across the street! They got more seating
This new location is wonderfully decorated and clean. The food was very interesting- different to the flavour profiles I'm used to when I get good, regular pho. The broths are lighter and soiced differently. I got a bowl of soup and my boyfriend got something similar to a vermicelli bowl. We also got the green papaya salad. They were all well-made and flavorful. I am not likely to return myself because the flavours aren't my thing- but my boyfriend said he is open to coming back! Definitely a place to try, if only once.
The broth here is amazing and my all time favourite. It is a noticeable step-up from your average greasy pho restaurant. It is super clear, but has depth to it from all the aromatic spices used. The regular size bowl was a good size and managed to fill me up. Mr. Red Cafe is my favourite hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurant that is worth visiting for their delicious broth.
A few months ago I was walking home along West Broadway when I noticed a sign in an empty storefront announcing the opening of a second location of Mr. Red. Cafe. This was great news! I’d been wanting to try the original location on East Hastings ever since they opened, since they specialize in Northern Vietnamese cuisine (which is different from the predominantly Southern Vietnamese restaurants that are found in Vancouver). Now there would be a location literally two blocks from my house! I immediately ran home and went on Chowhound to post the wonderful news, only to find out that (of course) this had already been reported months earlier. Damn me and always being behind the times!
Reservation Under Cindy
+4
Mr.Red Café is a humble Vietnamese restaurant on East Hastings that serves up authentic Northern Vietnamese food. Their specialties are Hanoi-style so you can expect the dishes to be very nice and light in taste but full of flavour from the combination of fresh herbs and spices.Mr.Red Café offers staple Vietnamese dishes like pho and regular banh mi sandwiches, but we didn’t come here for that! Between the three of us we ordered a couple of appetizers and an entrée to share.
Decided to try this place out after seeing it on IG posts, and decided to try sometihng a little different. I ordered one of the specials, it was a large platter similar to vermicelli but with meat rolled in some type of leaves. It was a great little change from your typical bowl of pho. I didnt get a chance to try anything else but would like to see what other unique items they have to offer.
Sorry, I have been really unforgivably MIA on you guys, I am in a process of moving, renovating, redesigning the blog and a bunch of other things that I didn't have much time to do any posts! I am going to play catch up all week. Please forgive! In the meantime, lately I've been heading to Mr. Red (their new location in Kits) on a weekly basis, I should be letting yall know about what I am eating there!
One-liner: Northern Vietnamese cuisine which takes you on a different ride than the traditional pho shop
Highlight: Xôi Xéo Pate Gà
Recommended for: "Pho and more" Vietnamese loversWould I go back? Yes.
Check out my blog post for the full review!
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
My friend and I came here for dinner. She called and reserved a table for two. We got our table right away once we had arrived.
We ordered a dish of pork and shrimp tapioca dumplings with banana leaves as an appetizer. They were quite good and unique that the tapioca dumplings were steamed, hot and soft. I did not see them on a menu at other Vietnamese restaurants. We ordered (1) a bowl of flat noodles in beef soup base with the beef shank, flank and beef balls and (2) a dish of boiled pork shank, deep fried tofu, vermicelli with shrimp paste and mixed herbs. (1) was like the beef noodles in soup that we could eat at other Vietnamese restaurants. Just a normal dish. However, (2) was quite special that I rarely saw other Vietnamese restaurants had it on the menu.
The prices were average. Not too expensive. The service was good. Two servers took care of all the customers and tables together. There were quite a lot of customers when we were there for dinner. The servers could still be able to manage the workload and serve the customers to meet their needs. The ambiance was quite comfortable and up to the "Vietnamese" style (as some other Vietnamese restaurants are quite simple and crude). It's worth to come back to try other dishes.
The food is surprisingly delicious. I'm not sure if the food is Vietnamese, but whatever it is, it is flavourful and wholesome. Ingredients (including chunks and sliced of beef in the stew and soup) are good quality.
I thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at Mr. Red Café. Unique items which were very tasty. Also, their sub is one of the best in the city.
A lot of traditional Vietnamese dishes on the menu that are not commonly found in other Vietnamese restaurants, i.e more than just pho and banh mi. The sticky rice items, in particular, you can usually just buy at a few smaller Viet delis in Vancouver. The style of pho here was not to my taste - lacks the depth and spices in the broth more traditionally seen in southern Vietnamese style pho. I did like the papaya salad and mango salad, sticky rice with shredded chicken, wings, and crab rolls. Would definitely recommend this place - even to my parents, who are used to the greater variety of Toronto Vietnamese offerings.
Had the #11 Pho Bo and it tasted similar to what I had in Vietnam. The soup is clear and light, so it had a crisp taste of the pho and beef toppings. Also had the xoi xeo pate, ga and don't let the texture and flavor throw you off, it will grow on you. The sweet and sour green mango salad is very refreshing dish to start.
Food here is yummy! I usually get a bowl of hot pho, but I actually ordered their vermicelli bowl this time, while my husband got the pho. They both tasted delicious. The pho was on the lighter side, it just didn't scream MSG like many places.. The little jar of vinegar on the table went very well with the pho. The vermicelli bowl I got had beef wrapped in betal leaves, and it was so yummy! The leaves added a crispy texture which I really enjoyed. The vermicelli noodle was cooked well and didn't tangle or stick together. But no matter what you get, make sure you order a side of their chicken wings! Pretty much every table ordered it!
I love this place. Don't get the pho tho,it's crazy salty (unless you like it like that) but their wings, bun bo hue, rice rolls, and sticky rice are my absolute favorites!!!! I can never go wrong with going here. Their tea that they serve is also really fragrant and nice! You'll love! Donalds market is also down the street so I usually grocery shop there right after my awesome meal here 😉
Sep 19, 2015
Here we are back to Mr. Red again. This time we tried the Bun bo Hue, sticky rice with pate and chicken, and the beef roll wrapped in rice paper. What I like the best was the right balance of sweet and savoury flavour in the soup. It was spicy but I couldn't stop taking more sips. The portion is small for the price so if you are craving for gigantic pho, go to Bau Chau. I wish they offer regular rice dishes but I guess the sticky rice was what made this restaurant different from the other pho places. I probably won't order that sticky rice dish again because I didn't like the powdery texture.
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This place offers dishes that are diff from the typical pho places. I found the tapioca dumpling quite interesting as well as some of their dessert items. It would be a nice place to try if you want something a little out of the ordinary. Will return.
Back in 2005, our president-pho-life Bummiepho started a little club to go around trying the best resPHOrants in Vancouver. Over the next 10 years, she followed this PHOlosophy and visited over 95 restaurants, organized PHOlympics, had PHO-marathons, and even survived a website move (yes, it used to be on Xanga). And now, she’s pursuing her dream of a full-time PHOod PHOtographer in France, so we got the crew together for one last pho with Jo!
This Vietnamese restaurant is unique amongst others. First off, no joke they have the best springs rolls in town. Super crunchy, non greasy and packed with fresh task ingredients. Next they have super traditional dished like sticky rice. The beef roles were insane as well. I'm still wondering how they role such an immaculate
A little while back, I visited a unique Vietnamese restaurant called Mr. Red Cafe for brunch after hearing lots of great things about the place. Located on Hastings street in the Sunrise East Village Neighborhood, Mr. Red is an authentic Vietnamese restaurant that offers various traditional noodles, sandwiches, and sticky rice plates. To check out what I ate, click.......
Just amazing. One of my favorite viet places to eat. Love the tapioca dumplings, mango salad, sticky rice, and platter dishes.
Pretty authentic. It's hard to find other restaurants that do these dishes... And they do these very well.
My pet peeves are when people order chicken wings or pho. Like seriously what the hell are you expecting. And go eat with a bunch of people so that way you know what your eating. And go with viet people not a group of Chinese people for heavens sake, they can't tell from North or South viet style food.
Weekend Lunch. Came when it was mildly busy given the small restaurant but service was prompt and friendly.
Had the Steamed Pork & Shrimp Tapioca Dumpling Wrapped in Banana Leaf. It's pretty gooey and goody though getting the stuff out of the banana leaf but that's probably me.
Next is Special Sticky Rice w/ Pate & Chicken, Daikon. This was an interesting dish when you mix up the sticky rice and ingredients. Pretty good overall.
Last is Deep Fried Crab Meat Rolls Served with Vermicelli, Mixed Herbs & Sweet & Sour Fishsauce. This was pretty awesome especially the Crab Meat Rolls, so good plus I mix the vermicelli and herbs together then pour in the Fishsauce which is amazing~
Highly recommend the deep fried crab meat rolls!. We came when they were almost closing and the place was still packed with people! We tried the shrimp salad rolls with peanut sauce, pho with beef and deep fried crab meat rolls. The food is amazing, the pho noodles are slight thinner and broth tastes really hearty, very different from other pho places. The deep fried crab meat rolls were surprisingly delicious. The thin philopastry that it was wrapped with was paired really well with the filling and there was so much filling (mushroom, crab and vegetables), the accompanying vermecelli noodles, parsley, cucumber, lettuce, bean sprouts fresh and tasty. The tea is also very special, has a nutty coconut flavour to it. I recommend trying their sauces on the table, especially that vingegar soaked in chili, not spicy, just right!
"While I wouldn’t necessarily say that Mr. Red Cafe on East Hastings (coincidentally on the same block as Red Wagon Cafe) is any more or less authentic than the many other pho restaurants in town, it does lean more toward the northern style and it features several menu items not normally found elsewhere. "
Check the comment below for a link to the full written review.
Long time no see Mr. RED! The dishes that we had last time were absolutely authentic and delicious. We came here again for lunch in the Easter weekend. While they have some of the standard dishes (pho, bahn mi), they specialize in dishes from the Northern Vietnam. There are dishes on the menu that I have not seen elsewhere. Must Eat...
Mr. Red Café doesn’t sound like your typical Asian restaurant but don’t let that fool you. They specialize in Northern Vietnamese dishes, which I haven’t come across before unless you count my time traveling in Vietnam itself. Lucky for me, I found out about this place through some research and Dennis, who is the coolest guy I know through cyberspace. You can check out his review here. He’s got a wackload more pictures, the menu and greater in-depth than I will ever go into.
Worth the drive from North Burnaby. Took my dad here for dinner before the Canucks game. The restaurant was decorated nicely and modern. We both ordered our favorite: Bun bo hue. It was quite good! You could definitely taste the lemongrass which is something a lot of Viet restaurants don't add in to their bun bo hue. The meats were really nice and tender and the broth was warm, flavorful with a hit of spice (could have been a tad bit spicy perhaps?) We also ordered prawn salad rolls. They could have used a bit of bean sprout for an added crunch but at least the prawns looked really good. Service was pretty good. Waitress came around to check out how things were and food came out pretty quickly. The waitress was friendly and was able to converse in Vietnamese with my dad which was a bonus. I'll definitely be back to try more of their dishes!
Great food and service. Never really had northern Vietnamese food before, but it was a welcome change from the usual. Banh mi what quite good, bread fresh and crisp, not too chewy. The sticky rice was fantastic! Phở Cuốn rice noodle beef roll was great too.
Service was good. They was polite with a smile and answered whatever questions I had about the food. Will be coming back!
A friend of mine told me about this place, couldn't wait to try it as it is right in my neighborhood.
We tried #17, #18, #19 on the menu... Just by chance they happened to be in sequence...
Sticky rice with pate and chicken- I always order items that I don't see at other restaurants. Very unique indeed! Similar to glutinous dumplings that I've had, with mung beans (Chinese style) but the pate made it original. Very good!
Rice roll w ham- this was very good.... Seriously good. They made the rice rolls the old fashion way. Steamer, and scrape it very thinly. Like velvet.
Chicken wings- good but different then what we expected. Worth trying but didn't blow me away. Like a spicy honey wing.
Definitely will be back to try more!
Wow! Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. And wow! I cannot begin to describe the flavours that did a dance in my mouth as I worked my way through my share of sticky rice, green mango salad and crab rolls. I'm trying to leave a decent amount of time before returning so as not to coming across like some wierd culinary stalker but the menu is sitting right here on my coffee table....
The quality of the service matches the food, btw. The owners and staff (family?) really put their heart into the place and it shows.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Another Gem in the East Village. Was in the area and tried Mr. Red Cafe based on the reviews. It's located about 4 or 5 doors down from the Red Wagon. They serve Northern Vietnamese cuisine which isn't as common in Vancouver.
The place is clean and bright. The owner was very nice and she recommended the Pork Meatball Banh Mi and I also ordered the Pho with Rare Beef and Fatty Flank.
The Banh Mi arrived first, the baguette was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside with a nice portion of meat and the usual vegetables in the sub. The pork had excellent flavor and I had them make it spicy. The sandwich was really, really good. In my opinion, these subs are on par with Ba Li and for $4.00, it's a deal. Next time, I'm going to try the Liver Pate Sub.
The owner explained in Northern Hanoi Pho, they add a bit of the vinegar from the pickled garlic and chili jar on each table to the broth. I added a couple of teaspoons with fresh sprouts, basil and chili oil. The broth was deep and flavorful with little or NO MSG, that I could taste and the vinegar gave it a nice balance. They give a good portion of beef and noodles and top it with fresh cilantro. The soup was very good and you could taste different nuances in the broth that could be attributed to the Northern influence.
Can see this place becoming one of my regular spots. I know I'll be craving the Pork Meat Ball Banh Mi soon enough... Like tomorrow :)
Will come back for Pho. Service: Five stars for attentive and friendly staff. Keep smiling, guys; it makes the customers revisit your place.
Place: Pretty clean and organized, bright red walls and tables. One nice touch was the wrapped wooden chopsticks.
Menu: Their menu mainly focuses on Northern Vietnamese dishes, and they've done a pretty good job when trying to bring the authentic taste of Hanoi Pho to Vancouver. Bun bo Hue broth is a little bit too salty; the bun noodle is also too thick and hard. Overall, thumbs up for their Pho broth and sticky rice!!!
Absolutely delicious!. Service was great, friendly staff and attentive. Love the sticky rice with chicken and pate and chicken pho. Everything was very well executed! Authentic Vietnamese food, must try!
I tried a bit of his soup and it was also superb as it was flavourful and not too oily. The proportion size of the dish definitely filled me up.
So this was a classic pho, consisting of rice vermicelli noodles, served in beef broth, with thin slices of rare round steak, and veitnamese meat balls, garnished with scallions and cilantro. It should come with fresh bean sprouts and lime, but we didn’t get any. The broth (which is the key to good pho) is very good. There’s a mellow beef flavor with just a light accent of the spices and seasonings, and the roasted aromatics. The rare beef slices and meat balls were pretty good, but otherwise not noteworthy.
Next we also shared the Fried Crab Meat rolls served with vermicelli, lettuce, parsley and bean sprouts. It was a bit difficult to eat this since we mixed the noodles with the other ingredients but it was difficult since the other stuff was uncooked so the mixing did not go well.
I ordered the Special Sticky Rice with pate and chicken ($7) and was quite pleased with what arrived. It was almost like a deconstructed Chinese jung/zong. The yellow sticky rice (probably from tumeric) was on the bottom of the plate and mixed with mung bean. Good mix of textures and flavours here from the soft and chewy sticky rice to the crunchy bits they added into it, the crumbly mung beans and crunchy sour pickled veggies. I mixed in some of the hot sauce that they have sitting at each table – just be careful with the red chili pepper… it can be lethal and you don’t notice the heat until it’s too late.
Service was quite prompt and friendly when we first arrived around 11:30AM, giving us menus and Pandan Jasmine Tea (although we could really only taste the barley-esque notes) as soon as we arrived, but as the restaurant filled up, service slowed to a crawl, to the point where our group was quite hungry before we started getting our orders – and even then, only half of our table was served their PHOod while the rest waited about 10 mins before their orders arrived. Stir Fried Beef Rolls Despite the wait, we were pleasantly impressed with the quality of the pho. While the broth wasn’t quite as piping hot as we would prefer, it was nevertheless tasty with a strong beefy flavor, with lots of depth and a spice/herbal mixture that gave it an extra mysterious quality. The Bun Bo Hue broth also had a very light red color (surprising) comp
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