A couple of friends invited us over for dinner the other night to try out their homemade bun rieu and I was hooked. It reminded me when my mom use to make it. Their soup base was with pork meat. Craving the taste and also the challenge, I scoured the internet to find a recipe to make some. Of course the extra challenge was to find a recipe that was simple with easy to find ingredients and also something that can be made on the fly. We all know how busy life gets so something that is quick and easy is always a good thing. Happy to report that I found it and the prep time along with the cooking time is roughly 45mins to 1hr depending on how efficient you are in the kitchen (lol). The time cruncher is really all the simmering time to allow the flavors to infuse the soup. I made the soup the night before as I didn’t know how long it would take me. The good news is that it allowed a longer time for the flavors to meld together…and the other great news is all the more quicker dinner was served tonight. The biggest time saver is the fact that this recipe uses a chicken broth soup base. I think if you use pork meat and bones you’ll have to add some time to boil and prepare the pork. But that’s for attempt #2 when I always modify the recipe to shake things up a bit (lol).

Here’s what it looks like simmering in the pot.

Here’s the finished product with beans sprouts and basil.

Verdict: It was YUMMY, the sort of yumminess that causes you to drink all the soup and lick the bowl clean type of Goodness. Well at least I thought so. My two taste testers both went for seconds so it must be a good sign!! Now I can’t wait to modifiy the recipe with Pork bones next time for an even more authentic taste.

If your interested in trying out the recipe, you can find it here. If you do give it a try, let me know how it goes. I did a slight modification by putting in a whole can of tomato paste instead of the 1 TBSP they recommended, just because I didn’t want any left over tomato paste (lol). Oh and for all those out there that have little experience with Shrimp Paste….a little goes a long way and its one of the things that makes bun rieu authentic in my opinion. But it has a very strong flavor and smell so you might even want to substitute it out or add into the bowls later for those that can handle it.

Happy Cooking everyone!!

First impression, there was a line up, must be good enough to try to incur some form of lineup. My friend made reservations, which was a pretty smart idea. We got sat pretty quickly and filled up their one and only “Harvest table”. It was a quaint restaurant I must say, the décor was neat, wooden tables, mixed with floral wallpaper, an open concept kitchen and deli bar and even chandeliers. It really gave off that homey comfort farm feeling with a electic twist, minus the animals (well there was some animals on the menus) and the hay of course (lol). It immediately gave a sense of comfort. You can order off the regular menu or the daily specials that are written on the chalkboard in the back or choose from the charcuterie selections of cheese and meats. If you see something you like on the chalkboard menu, my suggestions is you better order it, they ran out of the “Baked Egg” dish that morning. Guess we’ll have to come back to try it out next time. The atmosphere is quite laid back, it seems that time had stood still and we left the hurriness and the bustle of the day when we walked through the door. It was just a place where the restaurant didn’t give off the persona to rush you to order, to quickly prepare the food to usher you out the door for the next round of guests. The server leisurely came and took our order, giving you ample time to soak in all the choices. But as we waited for our food it really gave us an opportunity to connect with friends and actually enjoy one another company. So when the food arrived, it was a feast for the eyes. The presentation was simple, nice but the taste…divine. Everything we tried was delish despite how simple it looked. Definitely worth a try,..or second try for us. I would love to sample more of their charcuterie menu with all the different meats and cheese and also maybe give their wine list a perusal next time.  They also have a Harvest Table Menu/Tasting, that you can enjoy with a large group of people that you can check out too. So what did we eat?!? Scroll down to find out!!

Wanna order Coffee? It comes in a pressed canister and raw cubed sugar!! Love the quaint and mismatch cups (lol)

Items from our Charcuterie Menu (this was a 3 items for $15 dish that we shared between 3 ppl). We tried Wild Hog Salami, Buffalo Pepperoni and Chaumes Cheese (France). It was served with Apple butter, mustard seeds, fresh baguettes and OLIVES!! If you love olives, you’ll really like these ones and maybe even if you don’t like olives, you should give them a try!! I haven’t found an olive I liked since travelling to Spain and eating their olives, but these come a close second on my scale. What’s so special?!?, they buy the olives from a local farmer and marinate them in-house with oil and spices.

Sweet corn, Potato & Murguez sausage with fresh basil. Simple and yummy!!

Janice’s bubbling, mildly spicy mac n’ cheese accompanied by Farm pickles (lg). This Mac n’ Cheese was to die for. It was one of my favorite dishes that we ordered.

Croque Madamme sandwich: Béchamel, Brassica mustard, Maple Pepper ham & Gruyere with a Fried egg on top. The little dish on the side was juiliene radishes in a sweet vinaigrette dressing, VERY REFRESHING!!

Frittata: Shallots, Peas, Fresh herbs, Fairwinds Farm Chevre & preserved lemon on sourdough toast (but only b/c they ran out of Baked Spinach and Chorizo baked eggs with parmigianno and garlic sourdough toast)

And if I had room or wanted something sweet, I would have ordered this: French toast with Saskatoon berry compote, chocolate sauce and & housemade ricotta

And what better way to celebrate a Sunday then with GOOD FOOD and GREAT FRIENDS.

Until the next FOODIE adventure….