We haven’t been to Kim Phung Vietnamese Restaurant before so decided to give them a try. They’re across the street from Shun Fa Noodle House and RGK BBQ.
We dropped in on a late Saturday afternoon (around 4:00pm). They interestingly had Vietnamese electronic music up on the TV. Our waitress brought out cups of hot tea.
Menu is typical fare.
They did have a few specials (banh xeo, canh chua and banh bot loc) that are harder to find in town.
They brought out a fermented shrimp paste on the side, which was optional to add to the bun rieu. Very pungent but adds an interesting element.
Strawberry shake ($6.50)
Goi cuon (#2) ($9.25)
We asked for the salad rolls to be made with just shrimp inside. Came with a side of peanut sauce and chopped chili peppers. Decent.
Herbs
Bean sprouts, basil, lime wedges and rau muong (shredded water spinach).
Pho tai (#8) ($13.50 large)
Rare beef. O wasn’t impressed with how little noodles they gave and had to use some of their condiments to brighten up his broth’s flavour.
Bun bo hue (#30) ($14.75 large)
Beef, pork blood, Vietnamese ham, pork hock and beef balls. The broth was pure disappointment. No complexity to it. Shocking that they have this labelled as one of their special noodles on the menu. No issues with the meat. But for a large, the noodle portion they gave was small and meagre.
Bun rieu (#31) ($14.75 large)
Crab, shrimp, pork blood, Vietnamese ham, tofu puffs and tomato with thin vermicelli. The vermicelli was very thin, with little substance to it. Broth was better than the BBH but still found it weak and lacking in depth.
Didn’t find anything special or satisfying at KP. The large bowls didn’t fill us up. Won’t be coming back.
Kim Phung Vietnamese Restaurant
5764 Victoria Drive
Vancouver, BC
(604) 327-4490
CHERRY BOB-OMBS 