stir-fried beef with bitter melon

I remember when I was young, the garden in my childhood home was filled with a cornucopia of plants. Some grew more successfully, others not so much. One of the less successful was our attempt to grow corn, which were rewarded by some of the ugliest, gap-toothed, bland corn that we had the misfortune of eating. But, I have to admit, it was fun for us kids to be able to experiment in the garden.

One plant that had more luck was my father's bitter melon. Not one person in the house liked them, except my father. And every time he asked the cook to serve some bitter melon, with pork or beef, he would undoubtedly tout the supposed health benefits of bitter melon and try to convince us kids to try them, which were greeted with silent thoughts and plans on how to kill this evil plant.

viet hoa bò viên

Continuing on my recent foray into the Vietnamese pho, I visited Viet Hoa in Northbridge during a particularly ravenous state as I foolishly skipped breakfast that morning.

I was in the neighbourhood running some errands. When I finished getting the things I needed to get, my stomach was my next urgent priority. I carefully looked at a few restaurants before settling on Viet Hoa. About 7 years ago now, I went there with my parents, and we did not have a particularly good meal / experience, we never came back since. But I thought I should give it another try, seeing as 7 years is probably about enough for holding a grudge, not that I let go of my grudges very easily.

trà vinh phở bò viên

Trà Vinh is one of those places that I have been meaning to review but never got around to do it. So, here goes.

what the pho rice noodle soup with beef balls

A few weeks ago, my brother-in-law wanted to try out this newly opened Vietnamese noodle (Pho) shop in Northbridge. It’s funny that he couldn’t remember the name of the shop at first. I mean who could forget a witty name such as “What The Pho”.