This past time I went I was using a Vaneats dining pass that I had purchased (I reviewed the package and loved it so much I bought a second pass).

They have great smoothies at DD Mau to wash down your banh mi. I chose the honeydew smoothie for my drink. This smoothie is light, subtly sweet, and refreshing.

The dining pass comes with half of a roasted pork sub. This sub is my favourite one at DD Mau. The sandwich is topped with a house made aioli, which adds some moisture to the sandwich.

The sub is filled with all of your typical banh mi veggie fillings, but the pork is something special. It has a wonderful flavour from being roasted and the sandwich is topped with cracklin (fried pig skin). The cracklin gives it a perfect crunchy texture and a salty meaty flavour.

The other half of the sub is lemongrass chicken. This has the same fillings as above except it is topped with sweet chili aioli and it has lemongrass chicken thighs inside. If you aren’t into fried pig skin, this is a lighter sandwich option.

The lemongrass chicken is incredibly moist and it has a strong fragrant lemongrass flavour. This chicken is the best chicken I’ve ever had in a Vietnamese sub. This sandwich proves that when done right, chicken is anything but boring.

People complain that the prices here are more than other banh mi places, but the sandwiches are much bigger and filled with more meat than any other banh mi place I’ve been to. Also it is located in Yaletown, so you can’t expect the same prices as hole in the wall places in East Van. If you are a stickler for tradition, you will probably hate this place because they do a modern take on banh mi, but sometimes it is good to break free and try new things.

DD Mau continues to be one of my favourite places to get an amazing flavourful sandwich. The sandwiches are all large and filling and priced between $7-$10, which is a great cheap option considering it is downtown.

Recommendation:

Yes, for great banh mi in Yaletown.

DD Mau is a Vietnamese sub shop located in Yaletown on Pacific Boulevard. They sell many different types of Vietnamese subs that range from traditional, to unique fusion options. The restaurant has a few seats inside, but it’s more of a grab and go kind of place.

The dining pass comes with your choice of an avocado or honeydew smoothie. I’ve been to DD Mau once before and I tried the avocado smoothie (see my review) so I wanted to try the honeydew this time. The smoothies are made with fresh fruit, almond milk, and they are topped with a bit of condensed milk.

The honeydew was subtle and mildly sweet. The condensed milk made the smoothie rich and creamy. The texture of the smoothie was just right, not too thick and not too runny. I rarely see honeydew flavoured items anywhere, and I enjoyed this take on an underutilized fruit. When compared to the avocado smoothie, this one is lighter and more refreshing, but not as rich in flavour.

The dining pass comes with half of a grilled lemongrass chicken sub. This is made with grilled chicken thighs, pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber, cilantro, and sweet-chili aioli jalapenos.

Chicken Vietnamese subs are normally pretty basic, but this sandwich was anything but ordinary. The chicken thighs were super moist and oozing with delicious juices. The lemongrass was fragrant and prominent in every bite. This was some of the most tasty and flavourful chicken I’ve had in a sandwich and I can see why it is so popular.

The French bread was also nice. It was crusty and thick, while being soft on the inside. It also held up well to the saucy overflowing sandwich, and didn’t get soggy at all.

The other half of the sandwich was the Crispy Roasted Pork. This came filled with roasted pork, sautéed scallions, and the same veggies as the chicken one above.

I love anything with pork, and this was no exception. The roasted pork was tender and soaked full of rich meaty flavour. Little pieces of chopped up crispy pork skin are also sprinkled on the sandwich, which add a delightful, fatty, crunch when you get a bite of one. Everything about this sandwich was a win.

This was one of my favourite dining passes that I’ve reviewed from Vaneats (I liked it so much I bought another one). The smoothie and both of the sandwiches tasted amazing and they were a filling and satisfying meal. I liked how you are able to try two different sandwiches and you have a choice of what smoothie you want.

The dining pass is now on sale at Vaneats.ca for $9.50 (including tax), which is a great deal (smoothies are normally $4.50 on their own).

Disclosure: I did not pay for the dining pass.

Recommendation:

Yes, for a killer sandwich.

I went with a special of the day, which was pork belly banh mi ($9). The pork belly was caramelized in coconut water and it was ultra tender and melt in your mouth delicious. The sandwich was impressively large and substantially bigger than most Vietnamese subs I’ve had. The French bread was crusty and fresh tasting.

The sandwich was filled with the typical carrot, cilantro, daikon combination, but there were also bean sprouts inside. I’m not crazy about bean sprouts, but their crunchy texture worked with the rest of the sandwich. I’m not sure if they come on all of the sandwiches or just this special one.

I had heard good things about DD Mau’s avocado smoothie ($4) and I had to try it. Their smoothies are made with fresh fruit and almond milk, which I appreciated because they are an option for people with dietary restrictions.

An avocado smoothie may sound strange, but it totally worked. The smoothie was thick, rich and creamy, and it almost had a milkshake like consistency. The avocado flavour was subtle and it was enjoyable to drink.

DD Mau is a good option to pick up a tasty sandwich. It may be more expensive than a traditional Vietnamese restaurant, however, the sandwiches are large and it’s still affordable relative to other Yaletown restaurants. I like how they are doing something a bit different and I would definitely return to try more of their subs.

Recommendation:

Yes, for a great and unique Vietnamese sub in Yaletown.

On my lunch break I decided to stop by and get some food to go. I went with the shredded pork torta ($6) because I’ve always wanted to try one. A torta is a Mexican style sub sandwich.

The torta came filled with a pile of flavourful shredded pork that was oozing with spicy juices. It was also filled with tomatoes, avocados, lettuce, onions, beans, mayo, and they gave me a small bowl of jalapeños on the side. I love refried beans and I liked how they put them on the sandwich as it made it more filling. The bun was crunchy and slightly warm and held up to the dripping juices from the pork.

The pork torta is a solid sandwich and I was left feeling full and satisfied. For $6 you can’t go wrong. I think this is a great option in Yaletown if you are looking for an affordable lunch since most restaurants in the area tend to be pricy.

Recommendation:

Yes, for a cheap Mexican lunch.

I was having a hard time deciding between the short rib sandwich and the duck confit pizza, but I finally chose the pizza ($15) because it sounded more interesting. The pizza is topped with duck confit leg, toasted walnuts, roquefort blue cheese, dried cranberries and fresh arugula. All of the flavors combined tasted great and worked well together. There was lots of duck on the pizza and it was moist with a rich flavour. The blue cheese was creamy and I was glad that there wasn’t too much of it because it didn’t overwhelm the other flavors. The walnuts added a nice crunchy texture and the cranberries added a little sweetness to contrast the strong cheese flavour. The arugula on top kept falling off but I liked how it freshened up the pizza. The pizza itself was thin and crispy, which is my ideal type of crust.

Overall I enjoyed the food at Yaletown Brewing Company. I thought they had a wide selection of items on their menu and some more unique things that aren’t available at every other restaurant. The atmosphere was good and I would definitely return here for lunch again.

Recommendation:

Yes, for a great lunch in Yaletown.

It was a warm day and I was in need of something refreshing. I got the honey ginger iced tea. I love the flavor of honey in tea so I really liked this. The size of the drink was good and they definitely didn’t skimp on the tea bag. The iced tea had the right amount of sweetness for me and wasn’t too bitter.

O-Cha is pretty tiny inside so it’s more of a grab and go place. They make way better tea drinks than most cafes which tend to overlook tea in favor of coffee and its nice to see some variety outside of a London fog. The prices are reasonable and are on par with most other cafes in the city.

Recommendation:

Yes, for any tea lover.

The Hub is  a burger bar and sports lounge that serves “upscale comfort food,” primarily burgers, in a relaxed and casual but still classy atmosphere. It combines the traditional Yaletown feel of exposed wood beams and brick walls with the modern-day excitement of several large-screen televisions. And in a rare mastery of floor plan design, every seat in the house is ideal for game watching.

I’ve been to The Hub three times, ordering three different burgers—the Yankee, the Wicked Chicken, and the Black & Blue (not to be confused with Glowbal’s latest joint, Black and Blue). The Yankee ($14.50) is a classic bacon and cheddar burger that’s a surefire way to satisfy your primal beef cravings. Wicked Chicken, with boasts cheddar and bacon on top of a cajun breast, is a fantastic deal for the price ($12). Cajun chicken burgers only occasionally include bacon or cheese by default, so to have both—and for considerably less than the beef burgers—makes The Hub an ideal target for cajun chicken hunters in Vancouver.

But my favourite item on the menu is absolutely the Black & Blue burger ($14.50). I ordered mine with bacon, which made for a steep-priced meal, but the taste justified my wallet’s wound. This burger features a blackened beef patty that’s thick, well-textured, and rich with juicy flavour. That’s the black part. The blue part comes from the burger’s creamy blue cheese, which perfectly complements the subtly unique taste of the patty. On the side, The Hub’s fries are decently crispy and flavourful but not quite up to par considering the meal’s price point.

The Hub isn’t very cheap, especially for a casual joint slash sports bar. But the food is solid, the service is relaxed yet responsive, and the booths are spacious and comfy.

RECOMMENDATION

If you like burgers and sports, this one’s a no-brainer. But even if you don’t care for watching the games, and even if you don’t eat beef, there’s still plenty of reasons to give The Hub on Mainland Street a try.

The pop they sell here comes in old school glass bottles which is an expensive but cool touch. Since they were pricy Burger Knight and I shared a Coke.

On their menu they have some classic style cheesesteaks and some more unique flavours. I opted for one of the special ones and got the regular sized Cowboy ($10) which comes with shaved prime rib, crispy fried onions, homemade spicy bbq sauce, bacon mayo and aged white cheddar. This sandwich was amazing. The shaved prime rib is piled on and is super tender and juicy. The sandwich is smothered in gooey cheese and I liked the bit of crunch that the crispy onions added. I only thought the BBQ sauce was okay and the flavour was a little too overwhelming for my taste. The bun was soft but it didn’t get soggy and every bite seemed to simply melt in my mouth. Even though this was only the regular size it the bun was packed full of toppings and it was very filling.

Burger Knight ordered the large philly ($10) with American cheese. This sandwich was massive and truly a meat lovers dream topped only with shaved prime rib and cheese. I was surprised at how good the American cheese was because when I hear American cheese I just think of McDonald’s but this cheese was way better. It was a bit stronger than I expected (in a good way) and it didn’t have the super yellow colour that some of them have. Burger Knight has a pretty big appetite and he was stuffed by the time he was done. The regular size is probably good enough to fill you up for lunch.

Fries don’t come with the sandwiches so Burger Knight and I shared a large side of fries. The large side was quite big and the perfect amount for two people. The fries were double fried (my favourite type) and they were crispy and hot. We both really enjoyed the fries and were glad that we ordered them. Although you could easily be filled up from a sandwich the fries are so yummy that I recommend sharing some.

Overall the American Cheesesteak Co exceeded our expectations. The sandwiches were simple but delicious and hearty and everything came out fresh and hot. I would come back here in a second to try some more sandwiches.

Recommendation:

Yes, for any meat lover who appreciates a good sandwich.