Bun cha shines at downtown Vietnamese restaurant Pho Tuan

On Booth Street a few steps from Somerset there's a house that's been retro-fitted with a restaurant sign that reads Pho Tuan. I've been by it many times and never gave it a thought. My actual destination turned out to be closed and so I thought I would pop in to see about the Pho Tuan way of cooking.

It's a cozy and clean room with small chandeliers dangling from the ceiling and they add an element of whimsy where you wouldn't expect it. You can enjoy a very proper bowl of Pho here and the Imperial Rolls (pork, shrimp and crab wrapped in rice paper and fried) offer the most flavour and texture satisfaction of any I've had in Ottawa. And while all that is certainly a reason to try Pho Tuan, what you might want to explore instead is another dish entirely.

It can be tricky finding truly regional Vietnamese cuisine in our city but it is possible if you give yourself over to Pho-hopping through the bounty Ottawa has on offer. At Pho Tuan, you'll notice that many of your co-diners are all eating the same dish. It's the same thing each time I've been and when a friend ordered said dish, well I headed back the next day for my very own.

Bun Cha Ha Noi (Hanoi Style Vermicelli) could almost be considered a de-constructed Vermicelli Bowl with proteins prepared and served just a little differently. Bean sprouts, slivers of pickled carrot and cabbage, chopped romaine lettuce and vermicelli rice noodles are served on a large plate alongside a bowl of sliced and grilled pork submerged beneath a sweet, sour and spicy jus all topped with 4 halves of well—let’s just call them puffy pork burgers.

Both in texture and appearance these deliciously grilled “puffy pork burgers” have much in common with a classic German snacking food known as “Frikadellen.” In Germany, these are a mix of ground pork and beef seasoned with marjoram, salt and pepper, bread crumbs, egg and sauteed chopped onion. The Pho Tuan version is pork only with seasonings that are understandably more Vietnamese while still reminding me very much of those Frikadellen in Germany. If I'm honest, I suppose my deep appreciation for this dish, in part, has much to do with how it takes me home and at $18 (enough to feed two) it's a trip I'm always prepared to take.