Yes to Yes! Mama Kitchen

• Name + address: Yes! Mama Kitchen, 1380 Clyde Ave.

• Type of food: Vietnamese, fusion

• Appetizers: $8-$14

• Mains: $12-$20

• Diet: Meat, seafood, vegan

• Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

• LCBO Licensed: Soon

• Website: www.yesmamakitchen.com

Those who love Vietnamese food love it a lot and by writing that, I suspect I speak for a large number of people.

Once occupied by Asian Stars restaurant, Yes! Mama Kitchen opened its doors July 6 on Clyde just south of Baseline. Part of the vision is to create a menu with items from the Vietnamese kitchen that are more unique to Ottawa.

One such dish is the clear pork and prawn soup Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang. Pork and bones along with ten other ingredients are simmered for eight hours to create a fragrant and flavorful broth that becomes the basis for a Vietnamese classic.

Certainly Pho is known across the globe but it’s a step in the right direction that Vietnamese eateries are beginning to offer other classics from that cuisine.

A broth of this clarity, yet so lovingly flavoured, demands the freshest of ingredients as they are so front and center in the dish. You can’t mask second-rate ingredients with dark sauces as in some cuisines and here the soup is a worthy competitor to a good Pho. It’s bright and refreshing with all ingredients at their peak.

The ground pork is deliciously accented with garlic and the bits of crushed and toasted garlic made every mouthful an exercise in anticipation. That toasted garlic just made everything sing. The pork loin was supremely tender and the quail eggs were a delightful addition.

In my early years experiencing Vietnamese food, I was, almost always, served Vietnamese spring rolls that had been deep fried in a rice wrapper. This was true of restaurants in either Toronto or Vancouver. In the last decade however I see more and more rolls made in wheat wrappers and I’ve been told more than once that this is actually the traditional Vietnamese way.

Whatever the case, the spring rolls here are very good. They are expertly rolled and the filling of shrimp and vegetables is nicely seasoned. For my tastes, these rolls are a little too long as I prefer eating a spring roll that’s gone in two to three bites.

On my second visit I was very much looking forward to trying the Vietnamese breakfast but the stone plates on which these sizzling breakfasts are served hadn’t yet arrived so I was out of luck. I settled on a bowl of Pho which, let’s be honest, is never a hardship.

Unlike at other Pho restaurants, the Pho here comes in just one size and with one option: everything. So for those who are reluctant to eat tendon or tripe take note but you can ask to have those items left out.

My favourite part, the broth, was delicate and lower on the msg scale than other eateries. MSG, to many Vietnamese chefs, is not just a flavour enhancer but imparts a character that is seen as essential to the Pho experience. It may be a form of salt but it lends a distinct low-level sweetness as well.

To finish my meal on this opening day, guests were served a traditional dessert of tapioca and taro finished in mildly sweet and savoury coconut milk. The contrast of the waxy taro against the gelatinous bounce of the tapioca pearls was fun and I remarked how filling such a small dessert could be. They haven’t decided yet if this dessert will stay on the menu.

Yes! Mama Kitchen is working in collaboration with Banh Mi Yes and you can enjoy their great sandwiches here.

Other traditional items such as crab soup are scheduled to arrive on the menu in the months ahead. Stay tuned as everything so far is showing serious promise.

Suggested stories

• Chez Lam for very good Vietnamese cuisine in Kanata

• Smart and stylish Parlê in the ByWard offers plenty of Vietnamese classics

• Banh Mi Yes opened its second location in Hintonburg