Oh My Au Petit Cafe

Anthony Bourdain has summed it up best.  “Maybe it’s a pheromonic thing, but for me, a good bowl of pho will always make me happy.  Taking me to that special place where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.”  He couldn't be more right. A good bowl of pho always seems to make everything a little brighter, and I always know that half way through the meal that I’ve hit the high point of my day.  The operative word in that last sentence was “good”, as there are plenty of bad...really bad pho joints that take next to no pride in the product and are simply going through the motions of providing simple sustenance.  The pho place above, Au Petit Café, is among one of the standouts in a city where you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a pho restaurant.  The key here is consistency, and everytime one goes, you get exactly what you got the last time.  The right additions and condiments are on the table, namely fresh sprouts, cut limes, chili paste and hoisin sauce.  The way you build it is up to you, leaving a little food democracy in a time when straying from the chef’s vision is a no-no.  If the pho is great, then the shredded chicken bahn mi is awesome. Just the right amount of spice, with thick cuts of cucumber, a whole spring onion, julienned carrots, and a dab of the sweet fish sauce on a fresh, crisp and flaky on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, French baguette (baguette made and delivered by La Baguette and L’Echalote of Granville Island).  Oh, and the spring rolls.  Oh the spring rolls!  If you have had bad experiences with the spring roll in the past and are now gun shy, please, please, on our advice, try the spring rolls here.  They are definitely the best we’ve ever had.  


Now, we must warn you that there is little in the way of acoutrements, or ambience at this place.  That being said, and if one were so inclined, you could literally eat everything above (the bowl of soup is huge) for less than $15, or have the sandwich and soup for under $10.  But be warned, one try and you’ll be hard pressed to not to want to go back again, and again, and again.  Definitely habit forming.  More pics after the jump.