Viet Mama Cafe is a small family run Vietnamese restaurant on Victoria Drive. They have a small menu, but everything is executed with love. There’s no MSG in their soups and all their dishes are bursting with fresh ingredients. They are currently open for dine-in as well as delivery and take out. Viet Mama Cafe is known for their rice rolls, and they are the best rice rolls in Vancouver.
Rice Rolls – Best Rice Rolls in Vancouver
I’ve seen all the photos on Instagram of their Banh Cuon Nhan/Meat Rice Roll ($14.95) and it came highly recommended, but I was blown away by just how much I enjoyed it! The rice roll was ultra thin and the technique was perfect. The rice rolls didn’t stick together throughout the entire meal.
The best way to enjoy this dish is to take one rice roll and lay it flat. Add a piece of Vietnamese ham, some herb salad and then roll it up in a pretty little package and dip it in the fish sauce. The flavour combination is out of this world. The rice roll is so smooth but the herbs add a nice freshness. We ate this dish up in time!
Appetizers – Spring Rolls and Clear Dumplings
We tried two other appetizers – Cha Gio/Spring Roll ($7.95) and Banh Bot Loc/Clear Dumplings ($8.95). The spring rolls were flatter than the standard spring roll you see in most restaurants. The filling was so flavourful. It was jam packed with pork, crab, mushrooms and vermicelli noodles. The use of rice paper resulted in an ultra crispy exterior.
The clear dumplings had the faint aroma and taste of banana leaf. It was slightly chewy and the filling was full of delicious umami flavours from the pork and shrimp.
Crab Meat Noodle with Fish Cakes – Must Order Noodle Dish
To round out our meal we tried the Bun Rieu Cua Cha Ca ($12.95). This is my first time trying a dish like this and it was so flavourful. The soup base had a very clean and clear taste but still packed full of seafood flavour. The dill was a bright fresh component and it worked well with the slightly sour crab soup base.
Overall, every dish was executed very well. There’s a homey feel to every dish that makes me feel like I’m in a friend’s home. The dishes all had very clean flavours and I love the copious amounts of fresh vegetables and herbs served with every dish.
