Toronto's newest Vietnamese restaurant
Ha Long Bay gets a rave review from the
Toronto Star. Located in Forest Hill, the restaurant is lauded for its service, atmosphere and, of course, its delicious food.
"I respect a Vietnamese restaurant that won't serve pho. Ha Long Bay is
such a place, at least at night. Even when it's cold and rainy, and a
steaming bowl of noodle soup would greatly hit the spot, we can't get
pho at dinner."
"It's really a lunch thing," says the waitress firmly."
"Really, though, do we need another fluorescent-lit pho joint?"
"Ha Long Bay chef/owner Lynn Hoang didn't think so. This June, in upper
Forest Hill no less, she opened an upscale Vietnamese dining room with
a streamlined menu of homey dishes. I respect Ha Long Bay for other
reasons, like its modern decor. Tables are free of battered napkin
dispensers and stacked plastic soup spoons. Instead, we get elegant
celadon china and black-and-sliver wooden chopsticks. An abstract
painting of the namesake body of water, a UNESCO World Heritage site in
Hoang's homeland, floats over a long banquette.I also approve of Ha
Long Bay's competent, encouraging service. Unlike in certain Chinese
restaurants, where I've been told "That's not for you," the waitresses
at Ha Long Bay encourage us to try new things, such as cuon diep ($5),
or winter rolls: bitter mustard greens wrapping fried tofu. Thanks to
such coaxing, I discover sticky rice pudding with coconut cream and
sweet corn ($3.50), a new dessert favourite.Not that you need to be adventurous at Ha Long Bay. Hoang's cooking is
soft and sweet; any heat comes on the side, in small saucers of
Sriracha. Nor do you need to spend much, not with a nightly $25
three-course prix-fixe that features the restaurant's three best
entr�es."
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original source
Toronto Star