Com Tam
Com tam, otherwise known as broken rice, is served for breakfast or lunch. Like other dishes in Vietnamese cooking, com tam is extremely healthy – low carb, high in fibre and veggies, and protein. Some of the more common foods mixed in with com tam includes fried eggs, green onions, barbecued pork chops, shredded pork, and a mix of greens and herbs. Like many Vietnamese meals, you will find that com tam can be customized to be vegan, vegetarian, meaty, or with the list of vegetables you like.
Vermicelli
We start off our countdown with an entire category of customizable vermicelli noodle bowls. Depending on the variety, vermicelli noodles are made from either mung beans or rice. Vermicelli’s usually served with a side of either peanut sauce, fish sauce, or veggies. On this account alone, the customizations can grow pretty wild. Some of the delicious foods included within a vermicelli dish include spring rolls, grilled beef, shrimp on sugar, carrots, herbs, grilled chicken, grilled pork, and plenty more in veggies.
Pho
Though traditionally served for breakfast, pho has become Canada’s most well-known Vietnamese dish and is commonly enjoyed for lunch or dinner. Pho is a noodle-based soup, created from herbs, vegetables, a tasty broth, and meat or a meat substitute. It’s common for pho to be served with fish sauce or chili sauce, depending on the variety. Typical ingredients include mint, basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, and other fresh herbs, as well as beef slices, beef meatballs, or alternatively chicken, pork, shrimp, and/or other meats.
Salads
There are several Vietnamese salads at TorontoPHO, including mango and papaya, which are worth a lunch stop. These sort of salads make use of traditional Vietnamese ingredients, with numerous greens, herbs, and very little use of any oils or dressings. As is the case with a lot of Vietnamese cooking, you won’t find a lot of ingredients which aren’t extra fresh. The meats get cooked without much modification of taste, the herbs and vegetables are picked right off the farm, and everything’s prepped just right.
Leche flan
Leche flan is created from a mixture of caramel syrup, milk, and egg yolk. Any sort of flan takes careful cooking. It’s a dessert you’ll find not only in Vietnamese cooking but there are versions across the world that are shared across events and celebrations. In Vietnam, leche flan is prepared relatively clean with as minimal sugar as achieving the right taste will allow. After a delicious lunch or dinner, enjoying a tea and some leche flan is an amazing way to cap off a meal.
Bubble teas
Do you need a quick sugar boost in the afternoon – instead of grabbing a Coke, try some Vietnamese-style bubble tea. Choose from coconut, honey dew, macha green tea, taro, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, milk tea, strawberry, and watermelon. Bubble teas are all the rage across Asia, though aren’t as popular outside of city centres here in Canada. Everybody should try a bubble tea, at least once in their lives. It’s one of the few Vietnamese beverages translated to Canadian dining.
Are you a Toronto foodie?
If you consider yourself a foodie, please feel encouraged to come on down to TorontoPHO. Amazing-tasting food awaits. When we cook Vietnamese food, we use only the freshest ingredients and invest a lot in getting the balance of a dish just right. The philosophies of Vietnamese cooking dictate that no meal is ever too salty, too sweet, too sour, or ‘too much’ of anything. From the main foods to the gentle sprinkling of herbs, a perfect balance of taste is achieved every time.
Is Vietnamese vegan or vegetarian?
While Vietnamese is not vegan or vegetarian, there are customizations and certain meals prepared unintentionally vegan or vegetarian. As Vietnamese families came to Canada and opened restaurants here, various cultural modifications had to be made to some favourites. Inherently a good thing, one such change was the creation of vegan and vegetarian meals. Thankfully, with tofu and similar meat substitutes, it’s not difficult to offer a vegetarian or vegan pho among other dishes. If you self-identify under either of these lifestyles, you won’t feel challenged trying to find something on a Vietnamese restaurant menu. No one is excluded!
Can you eat Vietnamese and still live a healthy lifestyle?
Vietnamese cuisine is one of the healthiest, trendiest, and freshest collections of foods and philosophies worldwide. It’s very much having ‘a moment’ right now. If you pride yourself on managing a diet that’s healthy, you don’t have to sacrifice that coming to a Vietnamese restaurant like TorontoPHO. Everything’s fresh, nutritious, and we can guarantee you’ll find something on the menu that suits every diet plan. Back in Vietnam, a lot of attention is given to freshness. Though it’s not always possible to go from farm-to-plate here, we do our best at providing the most delicious, healthiest, and nutrient-dense Vietnamese cooking in the GTA.
Are you looking for Vietnamese eating in Toronto or the GTA? Bring your appetite on down! TorontoPHO has a plate with your name on it. Try any of the must-tastes on our list or find food elsewhere on the menu that speaks to you. Join us today.
