Cheers! Santé! Kampai! “When I say sake, you say bomb… SAKEEEEEE…” We’ve all said these things at one time or another. If you’re not Vietnamese (or drank with Vietnamese friends) I’m about to put you on to a new drinking toast. “1…2…3… Yo!” which roughly translates to “1,2,3 let’s go!” This toast is the namesake of the newly opened Vietnamese spot in Laval, 1,2,3, Dzo! A spot that is offering up legit street food eats and an authentic curb-side dining experience. Be honest, we’re all fans of street food and we’re fortunate enough in Montreal to have access to all kinds. From Japanese izakayas, to Korean indoor stalls, Chinese crepes and dumplings and Vietnamese pubs, we’re got them all, and now, we’ve got another.
Vietnamese
It’s that time of the year; the air is crisp, the days are getting shorter, and the foliage is picturesque. But most importantly, I finally zip up the pant-legs to my cargo shorts and call it a season. Yes my friends, it’s officially autumn. This means we fall our clocks back an hour and it’s time for me to eat my weight in comfort-foods. Mainly big bowls of steamy noodles. I was recently asked about where is the best place to eat pho in Montreal. If you’ve been following me long enough, you’ll remember I put out a list of the best pho in Montreal. Don’t worry, I’m working on an update. Until then, here’s another spot at add to the list. This week I visited (got take out from) the newly opened location of the local chain I Am Pho in DDO.
If there’s one thing I get asked often it’s, “Jason, why are you so awesome?” A close second is, “Is there good pho in the West Island?” Once upon a time, I ate my way through the city, one bowl of pho dac biet (special) at a time to try and find the best pho in Montreal. That was five years ago and have since added to the list of places I’ve tried. Don’t worry an update is on the way. I have one place listed in the West Island in that post. But I’ve reconsidered its ranking. In my head it lost its position a while ago – I went back twice and was disappointed twice. The food fell off and should not be in contention as a pho-asis in the west. HOWEVER, I did try a relatively new place recently that I suspect may make the list – purely based on the lack of options west of autoroute 13. This week I tried Pho Zui Zui in DDO.