The Lunch Lady

A Ho Chi Minh street vendor made famous by the late Anthony Bourdain is the inspiration — and a distant partner — for this slick family-restaurant retrofit in Vancouver. Its daily rotation of noodle soups made with recipes from Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh (aka The Lunch Lady) is pretty awesome. Noodles and broth come separately, packaged in takeout bowls for reheating at home. Don’t overlook the cleanly clarified classic pho bo (beef noodle soup). It’s even better with a side of nuoc beo (seasoned beef tallow scooped from the stock) and a café negroni, filtered tableside over a Vietnamese phin.
—Alexandra Gill

Photo Credit: Suelee Wright