Posted by Second verse…
Boy does Nanaimo have plenty of Vietnamese restaurants to choose from. We’ve reviewed a few now and are starting to feel like they are all a bit… samey. Suddenly pops up Truong Thanh 2, promising “authentic and exquisite Vietnamese cuisine” so off we went again to see if we had a hidden gem on our hands.
Truong Thanh 2 (which we think means “great wall”) is so named because it is the owners’ second location – something we didn’t realize until we were reading the menu. Their other location is in Vancouver. This was a good sign. If a restaurant was opening its second shop, it implies their first was successful. If their first was successful, it’s fair to assume it’s because the food is good. Having learned this, we were excited to dig in.
Our visit this time was for dinner with friends. It was a hot night and the restaurant was reasonably busy. Like other Vietnamese restaurants in town, Truong Thanh 2 is not a particularly upscale restaurant. The building is old with poor climate control (it was sweaty in there), and the tables and seating were modest and dated. There were corners of the dining room that were simply unused or unfurnished, and the lighting was a bit dim. That said, it felt clean and welcoming so aside from having sweaty armpits, we were content to eat there.
We were promptly welcomed in and seated, and were refreshed with cool unsweetened green tea rather than water. That’s a bit unusual for Nanaimo, but we quite liked it. Presumably, this would have been hot tea on a colder day. Since there were four of us we ordered appies and mains to share as a group.
Truong Thanh’s menu is extensive with all the usual things you’d expect: pho, rice and vermicelli combos, plenty of chicken, pork, and shrimp dishes, and of course, bahn mi (subs). We wanted to cover the gamut for you, dear readers, so we ordered a couple of spring/salad roll combos, a shrimp chow mein dish, a pork chop and rice plate, a couple of banh mi, and a couple of iced Vietnamese coffees. It was a hot day! The restaurant did not yet have a liquor license, so there were no fun adult beverages to try on this visit.
Importantly, the cold drinks came out first, but our food soon followed.
The roll combos were great and for our money nothing beats a crispy spring roll dipped in fish sauce – whooeee that’s our jam!
The mains were great too, with tender pork chops (pictured above) and nice crispy vegetables in the chow mein (pictured below).
The bahn mi were a tad on the skimpy side but this was probably fair for the price of them – $9 each.
And this is the point where this review gets hard. You see, all of this food was good, but thinking just about taste on its own we really couldn’t say that Truong Thanh did anything differently than any other similar Vietnamese restaurant in town. We’ll be the first to admit that perhaps our tastes just aren’t refined enough to appreciate any differentiating nuances. We suspect that most of our readers would reach a similar conclusion as us though – it’s basically the same stuff as elsewhere.
This is not a knock on the restaurant. The food was good, it’s just that “exquisite” is probably a stretch.
What was exquisite though was the service we received. This is were Truong Thanh really does differentiate itself from its competition. Service-forward eateries are not common in Nanaimo. Our server was prompt, helpful, friendly, and attentive. There were also no issues with English as there can sometimes be in small ethnic places.
Price was a bit tricky to report on as we were being treated (#heartemoji). As best we can estimate the total for the two appies, two mains, two subs, and two coffees (before tax and tip) was approximately $90-100, which we think is a good deal.
Conclusion
We liked Truong Thanh 2. The menu is largely what you’d expect from a neighbourhood Vietnamese restaurant, and the food was well-made and tasted good. It’s not a fabulous dining room (time for some A/C!), but the service is excellent and the prices are good. While we likely wouldn’t cross town to visit, as there are similar options available in most areas, if you are central and want a great meal you could do far worse. Check them out!
