Author: Jeff_Black

Running some errands in Marpole, and needing a quick bite, I stopped by Cafe Mai Mai. The place was nearly empty but it took the young teen behind the counter a few minutes to acknowledge me. I was seated after about 5 or so minutes....The menu was limited to Pho and a few dishes on vermicelli. I opted for the combination pho, spring rolls and a traditional Vietnamese Iced Tea. I had to wait a good 15 or so.minutes for my pho to arrive. This was followed by the spring rolls and the usual accompaniments of basil and bean sprouts. My pho included medium rare beef on top.the heat from the broth is supposed to "cook" the beef. However my pho was warm, as if it had been sitting on the counter for a bit. The broth was so so. My spring rolls were mediocre and the dipping sauce had a funny taste to it. The real disappointment was the iced tea, which took a good 20 minutes. Instead of traditional Vietnamese Iced tea I got Lipton iced tea from the powdered mix ( I saw some sediment at the bottom of my glass). They charged $3.99 for this! It seems as though the entire place was run by two young teen boys as I didn't see anyone else. It seemed that the microwave behind the counter was the preceded method of cooking. The food was so bad I couldn't finish it. If your in Marpole looking for a place to eat, avoid this place!More