First Visit to Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen

I’ve recently went on my first (won’t be last) trip to Vietnam. I’ve always loved Vietnamese food but going to Vietnam blew my mind and my taste buds. Ever since I came back, I’ve been wanting a good bowl of beef pho. To satisfy my craving, I started surveying my friends and scouring the internet’s “best pho list” for something that will remind me of what I had in Vietnam. My search led me to Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen.

Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen, or Hoang Yen is a small, unassuming restaurant that is both an institution and a hole in the wall. Apparently most authentic Asian restaurants in Vancouver is a combination of those two things. The seating areas are cramped and packed together, the staff moves around at break neck speed and there’s a line out the door. Those are all good signs. Knowing that Hoang Yen is known for their crab soup, fish soup and bun cha, I convinced my whole family to come out for dinner with me so I can try everything. I think of this as less of using my family and more of sharing with everybody :)

Small plate of veggies, herbs and lemon

As appetizers, we ordered spring rolls and fried fish cakes. My parents both wanted fish soup but my mom opted for the small while my dad wanted the large. My partner wanted to try the bun cha and I wanted to try the crab soup. I convinced my brother to get the beef pho so that I can try the broth for it. Our noodles came within 10 minutes. What was strange was that our appetizers arrived after our main. It’s not a big deal but it was a bit odd. When the appetizers arrived, they were pipping hot. Hard to argue against the restaurant serving hot, fresh food when it’s ready instead of going by a specific order and letting some dishes get cold.

Spring rolls

As you can see, there’s 4 spring rolls in an order and the spring rolls are cut in half. I think these are more Chinese style spring rolls but they’re definitely tasty, crispy and really really hot. Everybody enjoyed them but if you’re looking for a traditional Vietnamese spring roll, you might be disappointed.

Fried fish cake

If you’re thinking fried fish cake will be crunchy pieces of fish like tempura or fish and chips, these are not it. These fried fish cakes are made from a fish paste and then fried. They are not made in house but is from a store about a block or 2 down the road. They are soft and is a nice appy/snack. It kind of reminds me of a Thai fish/shrimp cake.

Small fish noodle soup

The fish soup had a lot of herbs, predominantly dill, tomatoes, some fish balls, and fried fish cakes. There’s a good serving of noodles underneath the herbs. This reminds me of cha ca thang long (turmeric fish) in Hanoi. It was definitely refreshing and a nice change from the typical beef broth. I will mention that the small size is pretty fair and if you’re not a huge eater or is not especially hungry, you do not need a large.

Large crab noodle soup

I’ve never had crab noodle soup in Vancouver so I don’t have a whole lot to compare to. I can say that the broth was rich and was not too fishy. You can definitely taste the crab and the sourness of the tomatoes break up the richness of the broth. There’s slices of pork, a few shrimp and fried tofu puffs with the vermicelli. I was really full after eating this and would definitely recommend it for a cold, rainy day.

Large beef pho

The beef pho is good but it’s not anything special. The broth was flavourful and clean but I would get bored of the taste after awhile and need to add sauces to change it up. You probably wouldn’t need to do that for the other soups. Overall, everything was fine but there wasn’t anything interesting or memorable about it and wouldn’t wait in line for it.

Bun cha

The bun cha was large and very generous with the topping. The pork patty was sweet and the pork was well seasoned and not chewy. Overall, it’s pretty good but it’s not the same as what we had in Vietnam. It is good for Vancouver standard though, not mind blowing but it’s a fair bit of food for a reasonable price.

I would say overall, I would definitely come back when I want a hardy bowl of seafood noodle but everything else is just good but not exceptional. The food taste fresh and is good value. They’ve also recently extended their dinner hours to 9:00 PM. I would definitely say this place is worth at least a visit.