Hohomi Rice and Noodle House

It was 2 but I gave 3 for food service. I had a beef noodle soup. I’m not Vietnamese but I’ve eaten Vietnamese food for many year from home to restaurant cooking. People giving 1 star or five star should understand the difference from North and south Vietnamese tasting. North Vietnam soup are usually less sugar in it. It will give you a more clear taste of the soup. Because normally we have south Vietnamese restaurant so we will find the North is not enough ingredient.
But this restaurant didn’t make a stronger tasting soup. The beef is soI little and the rice noodle also too little for the price. The only thing is the service that I gave a 3 stars.

I was so excited to take my mom to this restaurant after seeing all the photos of food that looked so delicious. I ordered the beef satay and it didn’t even taste like what beef satay should. The only resemblance is the peanuts in the soup. It was bland, tasted like chicken broth with peanuts. My mom ordered this Vietnamese combination 3 beef wrap and when it came, there wasn’t beef wrapped in betel leaf and I asked the waitress why? She said they didn’t have any so substituted it with something else. HELLO? Why wasn’t this informed to us when we were ordering? My mom said her dish was overcooked, the beef were all dry, again bland and not authentic. I will never pay another visit here.

«The one with the hearty meal fit for a king.»
The Good:
Tasty dishes, excellent service, very courteous and friendly staff; mom-​and-​pop restaurant/​environment, ample parking in the plaza
The Bad:
Limited seating for larger groups (i.e. 8 people)
Overview:
After a few years on hiatus, I’m back on Unilocal (woo!) and what better way to return than with a review on a new place that I really enjoy! Hohomi is a Vietnamese restaurant that opened up in September 2013 and is for all intents and purposes, family-​run. The father operates the restaurant and is the head chef there. When I was dining, he was in-​and-​out of the kitchen preparing dishes and conversing with his customers. In fact, at one point I overheard him asking a patron how the Phở was, to which the patron responded that it didn’t quite taste as good as the previous time he was there. The father then proceeded to take his Phở back into the kitchen and came back afterwards with another fresh bowel. This is the kind of restaurant I enjoy and really appreciate… something with more of a mom-​and-​pop shop where the chef really cares about you enjoying your food.
I came with a friend and he suggested that I order their specialty, H02, or the «Bacon-​Wrapped Beef & Shrimp Skewers with Vermicelli». It’s unlike any traditional Vietnamese dish as it incorporates more of the chef’s own style. I rather enjoyed it, as the bacon wasn’t overpowering while the beef was tender and flavorful. The noodles were actually my favorite — they’re thick, chewy and goes very well with the bacon-​wrapped beef. The shrimp was tasty too but the bacon-​wrapped beef was definitely the specialty.
My friend had the Lemongrass Chicken which is also apparently the chef’s speciality. I had a bite and I was surprised at the tenderness of the meat. It went very well with the rice and it wasn’t overly heavy. I would definitely consider getting this next time as my primary dish!
Overall, I was very happy with the food but even more impressed with the personable and family atmosphere. I would definitely recommend Hohomi to individuals who want a more traditional «family-​spin» to Vietnamese food.

I love phở. A big bowl of phở is my go-​to meal whenever I want something filling, satisfying and cheap. And phở is almost always «good enough» — it’s pretty easy to not screw up beef broth and rice noodles… but Hohomi Rice and Noodle House somehow managed to make the second worst bowl of phở I’ve ever had!
I think it’s important to explain that the absolute worst bowl of phở I’ve ever had the displeasure of paying for was from a restaurant called Perfume River in Hong Kong. It was basically a cereal bowl of lightly flavoured hot water with rice noodles and a few thin slices of Vietnamese sausage. Unfortunately, the House Special from Hohomi wasn’t much better. All of the menu items here sound delicious, but I chose the House Special because when a restaurant declares something to be their house special, it should be good, right? Wrong. The broth didn’t taste «bad», but it had so little flavour that I almost forgot that I was eating phở. I could actually SEE how little flavour there was because the broth was kind of a pale grey colour. The rare beef, which there was not much of, was also really pale in colour and super chewy. I guess this might be a different cut of beef than I’m used to getting in my phở, but I’m not a fan. There were a few beef balls and an adequate amount of tripe. The one thing I liked about the phở was the texture of the noodles. They were firm and somewhat chewy, which is how I like it. Unfortunately, the broth had so little flavour that it basically tasted like I was just eating elongated rice. I should note that I was practically starving when I came to this restaurant, to the point that I’d probably consider eating dog food, and I still thought the phở was awful!
Though the restaurant has a nice interior and the service wasn’t rude, I can’t bring myself to give them two stars right now. The bowl of phở wasn’t too overpriced for its size ($ 7.99, $ 9 after tax), but they even skimped on the side beansprouts (my friend and I got ONE tiny plate of beansprouts and greens!), and on top of that, they didn’t even put all of the ingredients listed on the menu into my friend’s bowl. She had to ask for sausage slices after unsuccessfully searching for them in her bowl for a few minutes. We were the only two people in the restaurant the entire time, so it’s not like the kitchen was frantically making subpar bowls of soup for a full restaurant. We left by 6:30 PM and the restaurant was still dead, even though it was a Saturday evening. I guess we’re the only ones who didn’t know to avoid this place.
Just a warning for those who pay by contactless Visa/​Mastercard: you can’t add tip when tapping to pay. I didn’t know until after the transaction went through, and I didn’t have any change on me, so this awful experience also happens to be one of the very few (though justified) times that I didn’t give tip after eating.

I went back to Hohomi for a dinner recently. While the lunch special seemed just passable in my last visit, the dinner entrees were delicious and unique. We ordered the crab thick noodle and the roasted lemongrass chicken on noodle. Both tasted spectacular. They were generous with expensive ingredients and portion.
This surprised me because most Vietnamese places have better lunch than dinner; phở is best eaten as lunch after all. Maybe Hohomi’s lunch has improved since my last visit, too. I will return to figure it out.

Came here for dinner with my friends after shopping trip after hearing reviews from other Unilocalers. Definitely order the grilled lemongrass chicken with vermicelli. It’s was very good! The flavor and the tenderness of the chicken was just perfect. We also ordered the crabmeat noodle soup and the chicken with glass noodle soups. Both were good but a bit on the salty side. The service was mediocre but still acceptable. Will come again after all the sodium leaves my system.

Came here for late lunch. Food is mediocre. Presentation is great. We ordered thick noodle grab soup and green curry chicken with rice. Noodle soup is similar to bun rieu (Vietnamese dish) but is lacking to be considered the same. I think it’s the noodles that throw it off and subtle flavor. Green curry is aiming to be Thai-​ish but lacks the same aroma and spice. It resembles Chinese curry in flavor. Overall, not bad but would only recommend this place, if you’re close by. Service is excellent. Two lady waitresses are humorous and pleasant. I was going to opt for three stars but brought it down to two because my gf didn’t like her meal and I had to eat it lol

The phở is part decent but all the other dishes is really good. I ordered the crabmeat egg drop glass noodle! It was delicious! I love their service and whenever I come I’m never disappointed. The deep fried chicken wings with potatoes is good. I wouldn’t recommend the phở if you’re a phở lover but the curries and lemon grass chicken is worth it! It’s a perfect relax and quiet environment.

Went with one of the highly recommended items by Cherrie T. (Green Curry with seafood)
For $ 12.95 it was well worth it. The sauce is definitely creamy and had that sweet coconut flavor that I love. There was a lot more seafood than I was expecting. There were several large shrimps, oysters, squid, fish balls and that fake crab meat you get in Chinese groceries. I got roti with mine but the two pieces provided wasn’t enough so for an extra $ 1.50 you can another two pieces.
The crab noodle soup was also a pretty good dish. It did have real pieces of crab meat but I found the flavor of the soup to be a bit bland.
On a funny note, when the crab noodle soup came out, I shouted, «WOW, the portions are huge». The waitress replied, «don’t let the plate fool you»
And boy was she right. The diameter of the dish are huge but the dept of the plate was only in the center of the plate and it was an inch at the most.
Also on a side note, this restaurant is located beside a high school so its packed with noisy little teenagers — not that there’s anything wrong with that :)
3.5 stars

I’ve been here a few times with friends and we’ve ordered most of their appetizers and quiet a few main dishes. Notable items: sugarcane shrimp, Vietnamese rolls, vermicelli noodle bowl, thick crab soup and the green curry. The atmosphere is clean and quiet and the staff are excellent. Service is always quick and the food is delicious!

I’ve been to this place twice just cause it was convenient to go to both of those times, not cause I deliberately wanted to go.
The first time, my table ordered the «special phở house noodle», you know, the one with all the different variety of meat. The beef slices came back SUPER COOKED like. Seriously… SUPER COOKED to the point where it was not chewable. We also got their Vietnamese coffee, which was interesting and really sweet, but I cannot compare that to any other place cause I’ve never ordered that anywhere else before.
The second time I went, my table got the phở house noodle again, the five spice beef noodle, and the OX tail hot pot. … EVERYTHING HAD SO MUCH MSG !!! like SO MUCH IT WAS SO OVERWHELMING!
The owner and waiters there are absolutely not Vietnamese, they are Mandarin/​Cantonese rather.
The prices are approx $ 2 more expensive than other phở places.
Their service was good though, that’s the only reason why I’m giving them 2 stars dispute the gross-​non-​viet-​quality food.
Ps. No I won’t be going back, I’ve given them 2 chances already!

Atmosphere: ²⁄₅
Price: $ 7 – 19
Food:
1. raw beef phở– nothing special, pretty bland
2. Green curry with roti– curry was good, but it came with a TINY piece if roti, my friend ended up eating the curry as soup
3. Hue style soup– bland, felt like they put way too much «shrimp paste» flavouring
4. Honey and chilli beef over vermicelli– didn’t like that noodles were served on a plate, I find it much harder to eat than in a bowl, beef slices were thick, felt like they marinated it with teriyaki sauce (which is not how it’s typically done for this dish)
Overall: 2/​5, one of those places you just try out but probably won’t be back; we did get 10% off for grand opening special…

I came back a few more times with my friends and family, and I’m still very happy with Hohomi’s quality food and services :)!
I tend to order more than I could eat, so coming in as a bigger group has its advantage hehehe… all their dishes are great for sharing. They have also added lunch specials from 9am-​2pm for only $ 6.95 — it comes with a bottle of water or a can of pop! #awesomedeal. I believe there is also student discounts too if you show your student ID (?). Unfortunately, not applicable to me… boooooo :(lol.
More highly recommended items:
1) Grilled Lemongrass Half Chicken with Vermicelli — Thank you, Unilocalers! You guys are super right about this dish… SO WORTH GETTING. Chicken was so fresh and tender, definitely worth the 20 minutes wait. I believe you can change vermicelli to rice option as well :)
2) Green Curry with Seafood — can be paired it with rice noodles, rice or roti :) It was very creamy, you can definitely taste the sweet taste of coconut! It was also not too spicy (rated 2 out of 3 chilies). I couldn’t stop eating lol. I really wish they could give me more roti — as a nice chew XD
3) Fresh Tomato Vermicelli Noodle soup with ground shrimp, ground pork and egg drops — Other than the Thick Crab Noodle Soup, this would be another one of my fave noodle dish! The tomato broth was tasty, the fresh tomatoes really made a difference! Plus, all the ingredients really compliment each other.
4) Pineapple Fried Rice — not served in a traditional way on half of a pineapple, but presentation is still great (and delicious!) Why? because you can tell by the premium ingredients that they use — fresh herbs, jumbo shrimps, and lots of cashews! #lovecashews
Definitely check this place out if you’re in the area! I’m just so happy for this great addition to our neighbourhood. Keep up the great work! #hohomi #thumbsup #supportlocalbusiness

I’ve made it a point to endorse good mom&pop establishments, and I’m very happy to say that Hohomi fits the bill!
I actually decided to come here after passing it by during my lazy weekend drives and subsequently looking it up on Unilocal.Needless to say I just HAD to try that thick crab soup udon after reading everyone raving about it. So on a cold Sunday night, I took my entire family there to try out their offerings.
The place was very quiet, which led to some apprehensive remarks from my parents. I told them not to worry because Unilocal said it was good (so it HAD to be right? RIGHT?). There was nobody else when we came in, but the restaurant didn’t feel forbidding or anything like that. It was spacious, clean, and quite modern without being overwhelming.
We ordered the thick crab soup udon, the lemongrass chicken, some satay beef noodle soup and the interestingly-​named seafood pasta. This last order drew confused looks from everyone else at my table but #YOLO so #whatever as #hatersgonnahate. I just lost you there didn’t I.
The food came pretty quickly and I’m very happy to report that the thick crab soup was indeed delicious. I’m not normally a fan of udon in general (still am not) but I can appreciate the fresh chewy texture of the noodle, along with a rich and almost creamy soup that is somehow delicate-​tasting, with a pronounced crab taste that didn’t feel overpowering. It’s a great choice as we go into the cooler months. Same can be said for the satay beef which, while not anything ground-​breaking to write home about, is much tastier than most of its counterparts that I’ve tasted at other restaurants.
The lemongrass chicken DESERVES its own paragraph. It was a huge (really, MASSIVE) portion that can easily feed two people, and contained huge pieces of freshly made chicken. The meat was extremely tender, clearly cooked properly and taken off the grill right when it was done. No stringy and dry texture that you often see in improperly prepared chicken. The flavours were also pronounced, though I would’ve preferred eating this with rice rather than vermicelli. I wonder if I can change that next time.
The seafood pasta turned out to be a slightly al dente chow mein, but I loved it just the same. They achieved what I have almost never tasted outside of Indonesia: getting rich flavours to penetrated into the noodles themselves. Usually, most Asian noodles here are bland, with the flavours of the sauce on top enhancing the dish but still distinctly separate from the noodles. But not this one. The spicy seasoning is delicious and penetrates the whole dish, making slurping the «pasta» to be a delightful experience in and of itself. That’s not even mentioning the large quantities of fresh ingredients, like green beans and shrimp. This is a must try and I urge every Unilocaler to go there.
The only downside is, oddly enough, the service. Our server was extremely friendly and amiable, but seeing that we were all Asians persisted on speaking to us in Cantonese, despite our attempts to converse with him in English. It got a bit easier when we eventually switched to Mandarin, but really I think that if the customer wants to speak to you in English (this IS Canada, after all), then you should either accomodate them or find someone who is conversant in English. Keep in mind that the service was extremely pleasant, it was just odd and I felt a little off at feeling forced to speak a language that I am barely knowledgeable in. The owner of the place (well co-​owner, at least) is a lovely lady who speaks perfect English so perhaps he should’ve grabbed her. Anyway, that was the only thing that bothered me.
Go here and order their lunch specials too. At $ 6.95 it’s pretty hard to beat. Next time, I gotta try their durian dessert because #YOL-​alright I wont go down that route again.

Lemon Grass Chicken — juicy! Me like!
Phở was ok!

Went for a quick dinner at 6 and just ordered the house special phở which was average. Also had the pineapple fried rice but was really oily.
Might have been better if we ordered what others recommended.

Decided to try Hohomi yesterday after it popped up on Unilocal.
After reading reviews about the lemongrass chicken I had to get it. To in delight it was moist and delicious we mentioned from previous reviewers.
The appetizer was good and the bacon wrapped beef was grilled and gave a nice smokey taste. The shrimp in sugar cane was one of the best I have ever had. The coleslaw was flavorful but extremely salty.
Their phở was mediocre, didn’t have the phở taste it. Probably will not order again.
Crab soup with udon was very good. Something different for once but super MSGy.
My wife and in-​laws found this place to be overly salty which 6 cups of tea still didn’t quench the thirst but overall I thought it was something a bit different yet sticking to its Vietnamese roots.

3.5 Star (definitely some hit and miss items but is promising!)
Back again and tried out other items on the menu:
Hohomi Chicken Wings & Potatoes ($ 5.95) though crispy but tasted bland. I doubt I would order that again. The potatoes was meh too.
Hohomi Baked Chicken ($ 12.95) was not as tasty as the Roasted Lemongrass Chicken. The fermented soybean sauce was just overwhelming sweet and heavy.
Durian Sticky Rice ($ 6.95) was a little disappointing as the taste and smell of the durian was drowned in the coconut cream. This taste more like a meal than a dessert. I just want more durian!
Vietnamese Thick Crab Noodle Soup — Bánh Canh Cua ($ 9.95) is a nice fusion version. Love all those real crab meat inside the broth and my Unilocal friend just finished everything. I enjoy the chewiness of the udon like noodle!
I will be back and try out other items in the menu and of course their lunch special at $ 6.95!