Restaurant: Le Bay Cà Phê 
Restaurant type: Vietnamese, bistro, pho, cocktails
Prices: $3-$4.50 entrées, $8-$14 mains
Date: Saturday November 17th 2018
Table of: 2
My favorite dishes: beef flank pho + grilled pork bún

A few weekends ago, I had the pleasure of checking out the all-new Le Bay Ca Phe. Located in the Mile-End on Boul. Saint-Laurent (in between Fairmount and St-Viateur) this Vietnamese bistro offers a selection of classic and popular Vietnamese dishes, like bánh mì, pho and grilled meat bowls as well as cocktails and beers. Open at lunch time and for dinner, Le Bay Ca Phe is the perfect spot to grab a quick bite for lunch during the week or for a 5@7 with friends after-work.

We pretty much got to try everything on their menu, including:

• Vietnamese fried tofu
• Grilled chicken bánh mì (sandwich)
• Grilled pork bún (vermicelli noodles and salad bowl)
• Beef flank pho (soup)
• Shrimp cà ri (curry over crispy noodles)
• Bánh cam (golden sesame balls)
• Màn thau (sweetened Vietnamese bun)
• Vietnamese ice coffee
• Homemade lemonade

Everything we ate at Le Bay Ca Phe was absolutely delicious. Vietnamese cuisine is one of my favorites, if not my all-time favorite and I was not disappointed by anything. I like to judge a Vietnamese restaurant by its pho and Le Bay Ca Phe’s beef flank pho was on point with regards to the sweetness and the saltiness of their broth. They use wider rice noodles which is different than other places, topped with delicious slices of flank beef and onions. I also loved the grilled pork bún, which is basically a bowl full of vermicelli, with some lettuce, grilled meat (pork in this case), Imperial rolls and a salty, sweet, sour and spicy dipping sauce. If you’ve never had this classic Vietnamese staple, its a must try!! Everything else was very good too, like the grilled chicken banh mi (which Alex loved – he loves banh mis) it was very nicely seasoned and the balance between the ingredients was perfect. The shrimp curry over crispy noodles was good too, but watch out for the red peppers! They are VERY hot. Both beverages were very good, as were the sweetened Vietnamese buns, which had this perfectly fluffy texture on the inside and this sweet and crispy outside.

We had a very delicious time at Le Bay Ca Phe and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to try a new Vietnamese spot! On the plus side as well, not only is the food delicious and authentic, they also serve alcohol, which can be a nice plus (often times, Vietnamese restos in Montreal either don’t serve alcohol or they are BYOW). Enjoy!

UP NEXT: My restaurant review of Modavie (The perfect spot to enjoy a 5@7 and listen to some live music!

*This restaurant post does not contain my usual restaurant review criteria of restaurants, as this is a sponsored post where I was invited to the restaurant as a guest.

*All photos and comments are mine