There’s certainly no shortage of Vietnamese restaurants in Vancouver, with the majority of them offering mostly Pho on the menu. As delicious as I think pho is, it’s nice to change things up a bit from time to time.
Overview
Located on Main and King Edward, but originally from a location on Cambie St. (which explains the name), Cambie Vietnamese Restaurant offers a wide menu selection that expands far beyond the typical varieties of pho. The dining space is fairly large with a number of tables and booths, and those who know me know how much I love booths. The inside is recently renovated, looking clean and fresh.
What went in
We were only there for a quick dinner, so we only ordered two dishes. We had the Hot Pot Chicken Rice Pilaf, which can be described as a Vietnamese style Bibimbap. A mixed rice dish is one of my childhood favourites. I just can’t say no to any variety of that, especially one that comes in a hot clay pot. Mixing all the ingredients together, adding my own hot sauce is all part of the fun. The end result was pretty good. The chicken mushroom stir fry was saucy, and so a perfect match for the rice.
We also ordered a grilled meat combo (Combo C). It came with a lamb brochette, pork brochette, Vietnamese roll, fried rice, and some salad. The grilled meat was well seasoned and very tender, however there was nothing special about the rest of the dish. The rice is hardly “fried” and the egg roll was a bit hard (rather than crispy).
I had a craving for a Vietnamese dessert drink, the Rainbow Red Bean drink. Their colours have always impressed me, but it is too damn filling for a drink. With all the red beans, jelly bits, and condensed milk, you really have to treat it as a full fledged dessert. I haven’t had enough of them to be a fair judge, but this seemed tasty as expected.
What went out
Everything was pretty reasonable like any other local Vietnamese restaurants. I probably wouldn’t have bothered with the drink if I didn’t have a coupon for the place, which leads to the next point.
Service
Why would you bother putting out an entertainment book coupon if you didn’t want people to use it? The service is mediocre from the start and it certainly didn’t improve when I brought out the coupon. There are tons of other restaurants around this area that I’ve been to and have enjoyed, a coupon is supposed to bring me to your establishment, make a good impression so I will come back. That didn’t happen here.
Conclusion
The food is pretty solid, but the service could use work. I probably won’t go again, but it’s not bad enough for me to tell you not to go.
Rating
(Max Score: 10; Base Score: 5)
What went in (+/-2, 0) = 1
What came out (+/-1, 0) = 0.5
Service (+/-1, 0) = -0.5
Mr.’s Bonus (+/-1) = 0
Total Score – 6/10
4136 Main Street
Vancouver, BC
VanFoodies.com 
About the entertainment book, actually, I have heard horror stories about them, not from customers but from owners. At times, they would put a coupon even when the restaurant owner say they do not want to participate anymore. So that put the restaurant in an odd position: what will you do when a customer shows up with such coupon? But, if it was legit, then certainly, I agree 100% with your thoughts.
(As a side note, since I myself don’t have the book, I think I would have enjoyed it more than you!)
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Yeah the food is good enough that I would not tell people to stay away. However whether it’s a mistake that the coupon is there or not, it’s hardly acceptable for him to take it out on the customers. 9.5/10 times i go out to eat I don’t use a coupon of any sorts, and it’s the restaurant’s responsibility to get me to come back again.
And frankly (I swear I’m not being biased here because of what happened) I found the service to be substandard even before I presented a coupon. It’s also interesting to note that I saw him paying a lot more attention to other people that were eating there… I don’t know as to why that was.
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It’s weird because the owner is very friendly and always cheerful when I’ve gone. Some have nicknamed it happy pho!
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