Diem Café

It's been a while since I've done a post on my Friday lunches out, but I actually haven't been going to work for the last couple of Fridays since I have so many days of vacation left to take.  This Friday is another one of my "off" days, so I thought I post today's lunch.

A friend called and asked what I was doing for lunch.  The call was a good thing too because I honestly had no idea what I was going to eat.  It was definitely getting late!  Why it was already after two.  Diem Café was suggested for its close proximity to both our offices, and because my friend wanted to eat Vietnamese food.

Inside the shop, you order from a small window right inside the doorway.

You pay for your food, help yourself to drinks from the self service machine (if you bought any) and have a seat in the small dining are.  The food is normally ready within 3-5 minutes, unless of course you come during the lunch rush (the wait time during the lunch rush is normally doubled). 

Today, I ordered the special stuffed eggplant combination plate (US$5.50), but instead of the chicken salad that's normally served with it, I decided to have the golden rolls.

The first thing I bit into was one of the golden rolls.  These crispy deep-fried spring rolls were nice and crunchy.  Stuffed full with rice vermicelli, pork, shrimp and a few other ingredients, they came served with some fish sauce on the side for dipping.  And while a little oily, what would you expect for something deep-fried, these were quite tasty.

The stuffed eggplant was next.  It was stuffed with ground pork, shrimp, black fungus, and rice vermicelli, among other things.  It arrived at the table steaming hot.  The eggplant was still nice and firm, and the stuffing was quite flavorful.  Eaten with chilli, this was great.  I think I made a good choice today....especially as I haven't eaten this here before.

It's been a while since I've been to Diem Café, but many of the dishes that I've tried here are good for a quick lunch.  The food is tasty, and the service is quick and efficient.  And...although this is not the best Vietnamese food that I've had, the price makes this a great value.  Recommended.

Diem Café
Queen's Plaza
801 Alakea Street Suite 114
Telephone:  808.521.2221

Comments

[umami]

Hi Reid, the stuffed eggplant reminds me of our yong-tau-foo. And I cannot resist spring rolls. Sea spring roll, eat spring roll.

[julia]

Me too, I can't resist spring rolls when I see them. The healthier version is popiah, but I always give in to temptation whenever I see deep-fried, crispy spring rolls.

[Dennis]

The Vietnamese usualy eat the deep-fried spring rolls on a bowl of vermicelli noodles, mixed with lettuce and various mint leaves, and flavored with some diluted fish sauce.

[Dennis]

Here's an example:

http://www.mikedust.com/luncharchive/2002/011602.jpg

[AugustusGloop]

Oh yes you can't beat munching on slices of spring rolls with vermicelli, crunchy salad and nuoc cham! Here's the latest one I've eaten: http://grabyourfork.blogspot.com/2004/10/pasteur-bankstown.html

I like the self-service PAYE (Pay as you eat) counter though. Reminds me of the vending machine soba stands outside the train stations in Japan:
http://grabyourfork.blogspot.com/2004/09/welcome-to-tokyo.html

[Reid]

Hi Umami,

I heard about yong tau foo and how good it was. I'm looking forward to trying it. I can't resist spring rolls either, especially ones that are nice and crispy like these were. =)

Hi Julia,

I love crispy, deep-fried spring rolls too much to give them up. I've never tried popiah, but I've heard that they are good. Did you know that Thais call their spring rolls poh piah also?

Hi Dennis,

Nice to see you again. Normally, I don't eat spring rolls this way, I normally like them served with cold rice vermicelli, veggies and some grilled beef or chicken. Here's a couple of previous posts:

http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/ono_kine_grindz/2004/08/annam_hale.html

http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/ono_kine_grindz/2004/05/pho_saigon.html

Hi AugustusGloop,

Nice to see you again as well. That looks delicious. Is that grilled pork in the bowl as well? Mmmm..

I've heard about the Japanese vending machines from a friend who just got back from Tokyo. Seems like all of the writing is in Japanese, and if you can't remember what you wanted, you may pick the wrong item.

[MrsTweety]

Hey.. Reid.. :)
I love the picture.. :) and especially the description of the stuff egg plant.. i think i would love.. :) I love spring rolls too.. but prefer the popiah.. because it isn't fried.. coz' i seems to have a problem... with fried stuff.. i get bad sore throats.. ! i had it so bad once.. i couldn't talk.. !! And yer know wat a chatterbox i am.. !! it was hell..fer me..!!

[Reid]

Hi MrsTweety,

The eggplant was actually very good! I've never had that here. Most of the time I choose the tofu curry or shrimp papaya salad, which are both good as well. Everyone keeps telling me that I need to eat popiah when I go to Singapore because it's so much better than the spring rolls we get here.

Is it much different than Thai summer rolls which are also not fried?

BTW...sorry you can't eat too much fried food! =( But then again, healthier eating is much better. I myself eat way too much fried food, and at my age, that means either a) put on weight, or b) more time in the gym... =)