🍜🔥 Off-Radar Eats #4 - Northern Vietnamese night at CHÉN

🍜🔥 Off-Radar Eats #4 - Northern Vietnamese night at CHÉN
Small group restaurant meetup. Everyone pays their own bill.

Short summary
Our little food journey has already taken us through Italian, dumplings, and Persian food.
Now we’re going Vietnamese - but not the “same old pho place” version.
This stop is CHÉN in Burnaby Heights, a newer Northern Vietnamese spot people seem genuinely excited about. The menu looks bigger and more interesting than a casual “grab pho and leave” night: grilled pork vermicelli, crispy crab parcels, fermented shrimp paste platters, spicy noodle soup, chicken pho, egg coffee - the kind of place where the table can actually explore.
That’s what I want from this series:
small group, good food, real conversation, and places that make the city feel a little bigger.

Our food journey so far :

✅Caffè La Tana - Italian night on Commercial Drive
✅Dinesty - dumpling night on Robson
✅Akbarjoojeh - Persian night in North Van

Next stop: CHÉN - Northern Vietnamese food in Burnaby Heights

Why this stop looks promising
The dish I’m most curious about is the Bún Chả-Nem - Hanoi-style vermicelli with grilled pork and crispy crab parcel.
If the table wants something more adventurous, Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm is the move: vermicelli, fried tofu, pork, herbs, and fermented shrimp paste. Not for everyone, which is exactly why it’s interesting.
Safer bets look like Bún Bò Huế, Phở Gà Ta, crab spring rolls, grilled meat rice plates, and egg coffee.

Price vibe
Expect a normal sit-down dinner range - many mains look roughly in the low-to-high $20s depending what you order. This is not “cheap eats” night, but it also doesn’t look like a fancy dinner night.

The vibe
No food-critic cosplay.
No pressure to know Northern Vietnamese food before you show up.
Just come hungry, try something new, and say honestly what you’d order again.

One important note
This series works differently than my other meetups because restaurants need real numbers.
So the 1-strike no-show policy still applies. If you RSVP yes and can’t make it, please update your RSVP as soon as you know. Tiny tables only work if people are considerate.

How the night works
I’ll call ahead and try to arrange a table for 5–7 people under Reza.
Please show up on time - this place seems popular, and small restaurants can get tight fast.
And yes, we’re keeping the tiny tradition:
“If aliens landed in Vancouver tonight, what dish here would you use to explain humanity - and why?”

Note
I’ll need your WhatsApp number to add you to the foodie group and confirm the reservation.

When and where
📅 Saturday, June 20, 2026
🕒 6:00 PM
📍 CHÉN Vietnamese Restaurant - 4280 Hastings St, Burnaby

Cap 7 + waitlist
Small table on purpose.