Binh Minh Restaurant

Excellent service! Great price! Can't complain about BYO! Thanks so much!

It was the afternoon before Christmas, and all along Victoria Street, all human creatures were stirring, junkies and the shoppers, and those needing a house. One could never claim Victoria Street is pretentious, but it is home to many great people and businesses. Walking past Binh Minh over the years, we had never gone inside. If a restaurant can stay for as long as Binh Minh has, then it must be doing something right. We finally decided to give it a go, as we wanted to go somewhere different. It was late in the afternoon and we were the only people in the restaurant. The dinning area is elevated and gives one a great position for people watching. The decor is casual and the staff were welcoming. As we looked over the menu, a waiter could be heard singing an Elvis song rather loudly. We knew we were in a happy place. We ordered. Two homemade Dim Sims ($1 each), a Mini Seafood Laksa ($5), a mini Tum (sic) Yum Soup ($5), Duck Rice Paper Rolls ($7.90 x 4), Malaysian Fried Rice, and Mongolian Beef. I can't remember the prices of the last two dishes, but we didn't complain about the price. All the food was delivered in a very timely manner. As soon as we finished one dish, the next came out. Synchronicity at it's best. The Dim Sim were flavoursome and spicy. Probably the best Dim Sims that I have ever eaten. They were also incredibly cute. If I could have stuck some bobble eyes on them, they would have looked like they were from a Japanese cartoon. The perfect starter. Next were the Duck Rice Paper Rolls. I adore Rice Paper Rolls, but these didn't have much boast about. On the menu is said that it was served with a nutty sauce, but in reality the sauce came from the plastic bottle at the end of the table. There was no vietnamese mint, and nothing that really gave them a zing. It felt as they had been bland down (probably after some complaint by an equally bland person). Then appeared the soups. The Mini Seafood Laksa was divine. I love that you can get a Mini Laksa. Genius. The seafood was fresh and generously served. The Tum Yum towered over the bowl with beef. My friend loved it. Within seconds of us both finishing, the Malaysian Fried Rice came. Nice big prawns decorated the dish. On the receipt it actually was called Nasi Goreng, which is the same thing. The Mongolian Beef came sizzling it's way to our table. My friend is a beef fan, and claimed this one as one of the best dishes he had tasted on Victoria Street. I was pretty damn good and beautifully presented. Stuffed up to our eyebrows, we were allowed to take the remainders home. When paying the bill, it had not been logged into the computer and a copy was not present. I had to repeat what we had ordered. Only when writing this review I remembered that I forgot the Rice Paper Rolls. They might want to review how they handle tickets so money doesn't head out the door. Noteworthy things include, water is provided without asking. (I never order drinks these days, as I order a soup). There is a large array of alcohol on offer. I think it was also BYO, but don't quote me on that. There is a sign on the door that says if you have any allergies you can let the chef know and they will accommodate. Also a great vantage point for people watching. It was a great experience, and I am adding Binh Minh to one of my regular haunts. Can't wait to go back there again and try some other dishes. The only real negative as that I had waited so long to try Binh Minh's fare.