Joyeaux owner Annie Dien knows the name shouldn’t have an ‘a’ but she isn’t going to change it. She considers it lucky
Mia Stainsby
Sun
Customers line up for Joyeaux Restaurant and Cafe’s all-day breakfasts and Vietnamese food while owner Annie Dien shows off her delicious — and reasonable — plates. Photograph by: Bill Keay, Vancouver Sun
JOYEAUX RESTAURANT AND CAFE
551 Howe St., Vancouver
604-681-9168
www.joyeaux-cafe-restaurant.com
Open for breakfast, lunch and early dinner, Monday to Friday; to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone.
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I’ve walked by here many times en route to work in the morning. I thought it was a struggling enterprise, but it appears the action ignites when I’m already at work.
Another thing I didn’t know is that at the heart of Joyeaux is Vietnamese food — all I saw were tables with full-on breakfasts. Downtown tourists who did their homework go to Joyeaux for breakfast for the duration of their stays at nearby hotels.
Then at lunch, office workers flood into the place for Vietnamese food, or all-day breakfasts. Owner Annie Dien is the embodiment of the name of her restaurant. (She knows, she knows. It should be spelled “Joyeux.”)
“My friend told me I spelled it wrong,” says Dien. “But I think it’s lucky, so I leave it.” Now that’s an optimist for you. Dien likes to be out front; her sister Ha Duong works in the kitchen and daughter Virginia helps out once or twice a week.
I walked past one day during lunch service and the place was packed with a lineup to the order counter. Many mouths were connected to large bowls by ribbons of pho noodles; others focused on lemongrass chicken, spicy chicken wings or brochettes.
That weekend, my partner and I went to the the Rijksmuseum Museum exhibit at VAG and although I’m a huge fan of the VAG cafe terrace in the summer, I was jonesing for Joyeaux, which was just a couple blocks away.
We tried “special noodle, sliced meat noodle soup,” which is served wet or dry. “Wet” is like pho and “dry” comes with a soy sipping sauce on the side. Yummy.
The Vietnamese crepe is a large, healthy lunch; it’s delicately crunchy outside and filled with bean sprouts, and shrimp, pork, squid and onions. On the side, a sweet dip. (I was surprised to learn that the crepe is made with only flour, water and spices. Eggs are not involved.)
The Vietnamese coffee, brewed by a slow drip method, is so good I picked one up en route to work the next week.
“Very strong,” Annie called out as I walked away. It’s intense, but smooth and you can have it neat or with evaporated milk.
I wanted one of their fruit drinks but without evaporated milk; the guy at the counter suggested a drink made with regular milk. Sure, I said. A beverage with emerald worm-shaped things, red beans, and milk arrived with a scoop of ice cream on top.
The green bits, I believe, are a tapioca product. It tasted fine but to someone outside the culture, it it’s like the happy-go-lucky buffoon of beverages.
I later tried a Vietnamese chicken sub (banh mi), which I liked, especially for the price of $4.25. Vietnamese carrot salad and lettuce added fresh sparkle. Pan-fried rice cakes are glutinous squares with a dark, tangy sauce.
Of course, part of the allure are the prices. Breakfasts are about $5; appetizers are on average, $5 to $7; soups are $7.50; and entrees are $8 to $12. (For the totally unadventurous palate, there’s fish and chips.)
And when it comes to luck, Annie Dien doesn’t wait for it. She makes it happen, just like she turned a spelling mistake into a bonus.
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