Walking on Sunshine and Rain

On Thursday, I visited several Vietnamese businesses. Just before noon, I headed south in the bright sunshine along Saint Laurent until Bellechasse. Stores became quotidian and less chi-chi. Bellechasse was an industrial street with several large edifices including a new bus depot under construction. There was a smattering of stores and restaurants for the residential side streets and buildings being converted into hard lofts.

My first stop was at Lien Phat on Saint Hubert. This bakery made cakes and other baked goods but I was interested in pate so (pate chaud), a Vietnamese take on a French pastry. I grabbed 12 ($30) with 4 vegetarian options. I headed north and noticed that Saint Hubert's sidewalks had fancy glass awnings. But although there were some trendy stores and restaurants, the businesses were eclectic offering all manner of goods and services: jewelry, clothes, wigs, tchotchkes, cellphone repair, nail salons, barber shops. If Toronto had beautified Yonge St or Queen St West as they existed in the year 2000, that would be Saint Hubert.

The sky grew dark when I arrived at my second stop: Petit Marché Végé. I grabbed a few vegan to-go items ($6.50-$7) to bring back to Ottawa. I should have stayed and gotten lunch but I braved the rain because I wanted to try My Tien's famous noodle and bao dishes. A mistake as they were temporarily closed until December.

On to plan B. I dropped off my purchases at the AirBnB and decided to try T'ami on Saint Laurent. Unfortunately, their specialties were only available on the week-end. All Vietnamese restaurants offer the ubiquitous pho soup, though some shouldn't, because it's expected. So I reluctantly ordered pho ($16) and it turned out to be a so-so lunch. The broth and noodles were good but they skimped on the fresh greens and herbs. The big miss was the tough beef. Considering the (now Michelin recommended) Cafe Rang in Toronto only charge $1 more for a much superior bowl, this was disappointing. Maybe their special dishes were worth a second visit.