West Lake Vietnamese Kitchen in Richmond

4800 No 3 Rd
Richmond, BC V6X 1E4
(604) 276-2921

West Lake has recently relocated from their previous spot in the Empire Centre.  West Lake is now located on No. 3 Road, across the road from The Superstore.  This visit was during their grand opening week and the place was packed during our lunchtime visit.

I like the ambiance of this new location.  This spot was originally the Roosters Quarters....a Montreal style roast chicken restaurant.  In recent years, Celsius and others have occupied this place.

Jimmy, the owner, stopped to chat with us and was saying that his previous location was just too big and the rent and overhead was getting out of hand.  Good luck to Jimmy in this new location.

This location is bright and clean and the decor is simple and fresh.

Their lunch combo is pretty good value.  The combo is either a bowl of Pho or a Rice Dish with an appy and a drink for $9.00

We all opted for the Pho option since it was a chilly day.

The bowl was a fairly decent size and the beef arrived nice and rare.  It was sliced very thin, so cooked quickly in the steamy hot broth.

The broth had a nice depth of flavor.  The usual hint of star anise and sweet onion flavor.  We asked for our bean sprouts slightly blanched and they were perfect...nice and fresh.  In fact, they were just being delivered when we arrived!

We chose 3 different appies so that we could sample a few items.

Vietnamese Spring Roll

Tasty filling and not greasy.  I was a little disappointed in the texture though.  It was a bit chewy, I would have preferred it a bit crispier.

Shrimp Salad Roll

Fresh and crisp.  The combinations of fresh herbs was refreshing.  Came with a dipping sauce, but I didn't sample it.

Deep Fried chicken Wings

Nicely marinated.  Garlic and Ginger flavors.  Nicely cooked.  Crisp, light batter.

Vietnamese Coffee

In additon to the combos, West Lake has quite an extensive menu as well.  They also offer a dinner combo for $12.00

If you are looking for a nice bowl of Pho, I would recommend West Lake.  The room is nice and clean and the service is quick and efficient.