By Amy Van Veen (The Cascade) – Email
Date Posted: October 4, 2011
Print Edition: September 28, 2011
#107 – 3240 Mt. Lehman Rd.
Abbotsford, BC V2X 2M9
604.625.5555
Prices: up to $16.25
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
As someone who has eaten at her fair share of restaurants, it seems strange that Vietnamese has never entered my radar; then Vi-La was introduced to me and a world of new flavours was experienced.
My avoidance of this type of cuisine has been a mixture of never having had the opportunity and, more notably, fear of onions. It’s not that the vegetable itself haunts my every dream, but rather that the flavour associated with this particular family of earthy products has always kept me at bay. Given the choice, I would choose bitter over salty, salty over sweet, sweet over sour and all four before ever thinking of touching that fifth flavour: umami.
The fear of the unknown can be rather crippling, it turns out, and so with slight trepidation, I opened the door to a new taste experience at Vi-La Palace located on Mt. Lehman Rd two doors down from Mystic Mug.
What greeted me on the other side was not what is commonly expected when entering an ethnic restaurant that was rumoured to serve delicious fare. Usually one has to sacrifice attractive décor in favour of such tasteful luxuries, but Vi-La offers a classy, quality space to match their menu.
Along either side of the restaurant are two long, leathered black benches with a handful of tables on each side. Tables also run down the middle, all sized to cater to parties of two to four; however larger parties are easy enough to fit with a little rearranging, or one of the larger tables at the back. The sleek furniture is matched with tasteful decorative elements that suggest owners who actually care about their diners’ experience. At the back of the restaurant is the kitchen area where a waitress was incredibly prompt to guide me to a table for one and offer me a beverage.
Her service was spot on with a timely taking of my order, appropriate lapses between visits to the table and minimalist inquiries as to how I was enjoying my food – and I was sure to proclaim my enjoyment.
Upon opening the menu, I found there to be a wide selection of appetizers, pho dishes (both chicken and beef noodle soups), wonton soups, seafood noodles, rice dishes, vermicelli bowls, specialties, as well as a selection of Vi-La combinations, vegetarian dishes and “a little bit” of Chinese cuisine, if Vietnam wasn’t enough of a culinary experience. It could have been easy to be overwhelmed, but as a newbie to this particular kind of food, I decided to play it safe with an appetizer of spring rolls and the traditional house special beef pho.
Aside from the basic slip-ups of experiencing a new kind of cuisine (bean sprouts for nibbling?), the entire experience was one worth repeating. The pho was an array of tastes that I had never before experienced. Sure I had eaten beef, and I’ve experienced it alongside onion – but the full savouriness of that fifth flavour definitely stood on its own. I had only ordered the small size, but that bowl could have lasted me from lunch until dinner with ease.
The spring roll, though, was the icing on the cake. Not literally, since it contained a bit more umami than cake icing would, but it rounded out the meal just the same. With just the right amount of crunchy pastry to balance out the tasty filling, this was definitely something I would swing by to pick up on my way to or from class.
Vi-La, as mentioned, is a great place to eat-in for a party of one, two, or as many as you can fit. They also do take-out for the travelling student and delivery for the lazy student (provided the order is a minimum of $30 and within five kilometres). A family owned business since 1997, Vi-La Palace is there to offer a friendly atmosphere and flavourful dishes within a collegiate kid’s budget.
