I’m not going to mention The Lunch Lady of Saigon’s
affiliation with a chef turned TV travel host in this post. Instead, I’ll focus
on Chef Nguyen Thi Thanh, the lunch lady who attracted diners to Saigon for her
daily noodle soups. Sadly, she passed away earlier in May 2025 before the
opening of her Toronto restaurant, so its kitchen is comprised of a brigade of
men instead of a lady.
Normally, a bowl of pho is a single person affair but
at The Lunch Lady their wagyu noodle soup ($36) warrants sharing unless it’s
the only dish you’re eating. A large stone bowl of rice noodle, fresh herbs,
and a slow poached egg arrives with thick slices of tender beef cheek, a couple
hunks of ox tail, and a bone marrow protruding that we’re told to scrape into
the dish and mix before eating. As if that’s not enough, a plate of thinly
sliced raw wagyu accompanies that’s added tableside to make a carnivore’s heart
sing.
Since so many items are added to the broth, it really needs
to be hotter, ideally sizzling in the bowl is first presented. Maybe the
restaurant is worried about liability issues with the tiny tables, not wanting
to burn customers, but the soup is barely hot after everything’s put in.
At least the broth is tasty. The first spoon revealed a decent
soup that morphs into something even better by the end as the rich oils from
the bone marrow & wagyu and herbs permeate the broth. Make sure you have
multiple bowls throughout the meal.
What a brilliant idea to separate the shrimp from its shell
in the crispy prawns ($24) prior to deep frying. As both cook separately,
the shrimp finishes quicker, and the shell becomes brittle enough to eat.
Served six to an order there’s plenty to go around and are
fried to perfection so it’s crispy but still juicy. The enlarged surface area
does make it a bit difficult to dip into the chili lime sauce, you’ll need to
angle and squish to reach the bright condiment.
To counteract the shrimp’s heaviness, the beef carpaccio
($24) was a great companion dish. The plethora of basil, mint, perilla,
crispy shallots, and crushed peanuts seemed overwhelming at first sight, but
somehow the beef filet held up against the garnishes. Topped with a lime vinaigrette,
it does make for a flavourful bite that cuts the greasiness of the oilier fried
shrimp.
The Lunch Lady don’t skimp on crustacean in the crab
fried rice ($36). A small palm full arrives on top as proof of the
abundance and we’re told to mix it in before eating. To ensure the pungent XO
sauce doesn’t overpower the crab, only a bit is added to the dish, while more
is mixed into a soy sauce that can be used to taste.
Textures are abound in their fried rice as some grains are
deep fried along with crunchy fish roe. As a person who doesn’t love having
things stick to my teeth, these crispy bits were a tad annoying but the dish delicious
enough that I wasn’t annoyed for long. Surprisingly, the fried rice was even
better reheated the next day as the flavours meld together and the crispy bits
soften.
Since the tables are small, getting the timing of serving
right is so important. We visited on the third week of The Lunch Lady’s opening,
and they still need to work on pacing. While a complaint during the first two
weeks was the meal moved too slowly, the brigade (seriously there were almost
twenty people in the kitchen) over corrected with dishes flying out at breakneck
speed.
Luckily, our server provided time warnings with military
precision. As the pho was presented, she noted the fried rice would arrive
shortly, so we slid all the accompaniments into the bowl to clear the plates and
make room for the second main.
If you’re there for a leisurely meal, it’s not the greatest.
Personally, I’d recommend visiting as a table of three, you’ll get a larger
table so you may not need to rush finishing dishes. Or perhaps wait before
visiting The Lunch Lady as they get their timing better.
Visiting with three people will also allow you to try more
as the portions are sizeable and I couldn’t even think of dessert. At least the
cà phê martini ($18) worked as a dessert, an espresso
martini made with aromatic Vietnamese coffee and very boozy thanks to vodka, Licor
43, and Bolivar coffee liqueur.
Toto looks like we’re not in Ho Chi Minh City anymore. And through her partners, the Tran family, may the Lunch Lady’s recipes and legacy continue forever. RIP Chef Nguyen Thi Thanh.
In a nutshell...
- Must order: wagyu noodle soup
- Just skip: nothing
Address: 93 Ossington Avenue
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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