Vietnamese morning eats and a Night Market Caesar at House Special's new brunch

House Special may be known for its stellar Vietnamese market style lunches along with street food-inspired family style dinners, but now the Hamilton Street eatery is offering patrons a brunch like no other.

Let’s start with the drinks – The Night Market Caesar is outrageous…outrageously wonderful, that is.

It’s a combo of lemongrass-infused vodka, housemade Caesar mix and rim, and your choice of garnish. Options for toppings include spring rolls, a satay chicken skewer, tofu, betel beef, or salad rolls with prawns.

Pick a few or get them all for $18, and then you’ve got the perfect brunch appetizer.

Spring Rolls (Hanna McLean/Daily Hive)

Salad Rolls (Hanna McLean/Daily Hive)

If you’re aiming to order a bevy that wont ruin you appetite for the remainder of brunch, opt for the Sinh To Beer – a Steel Toad Kermode IPA mixed with Four Winds Saison combined with orange juice and raspberry puree, or order the Kalamansi Mimosa made with kaffir-infused gin and Kalamansi juice.

Sinh To Beer (Hanna McLean/Daily Hive)

Kalamansi Mimosa (Hanna McLean/Daily Hive)

When it comes to food, House Special’s brunch offerings are plenty, but you wont find any eggs bennies, chicken and waffles, or pancakes available here.

The menu includes traditional baos, rolls, cakes, and dumplings topped with fresh produce and authentic Vietnamese sauces. A ton of these brunch items are vegetarian and mostly all of them are gluten free, which also makes this menu a great pick for groups with various dietary restrictions.

One of the traditional Vietnamese dishes is the Egg-Wrapped Radish Cake, a combo of crispy pan-fried radish cake wrapped in an egg omelette and topped with crispy onions, shredded papaya, carrots, basil, and sweet soya drizzle.

Egg-Wrapped Radish Cake (Hanna McLean/Daily Hive)

Something on the lighter side, the Phnom Penh Roll consists of a combo of egg, jicama, carrot, herbs, lettuce, and Chinese sausage wrapped in a Vietnamese salad roll with peanut sauce for dipping.

Phnom Penh Roll (Hanna McLean/Daily Hive)

The Tomato Braised Meatballs are a dish of dreamy hand-formed pork meatballs that are slow braised in tomato stew, served with toast and cucumbers, and a quail’s egg on top. You can slice the bread and enjoy this dish as a meatball sandwich-type creation if you’d like, too.

Tomato Braised Meatball (Hanna McLean/Daily Hive)

Other outstanding options on the menu include the Sunday Dumplings filled with ground pork, jicama, and shrimp served with served with nuoc cham, coconut milk, and Vietnamese herbs, and the Steamed Pork Bao, a combo of minced pork, Chinese sausage, egg, and mushroom in a soft and fresh steamed bao.

Sunday Dumplings (Hanna McLean/Daily Hive)

Steamed Pork Bao (Hanna McLean/Daily Hive)

If you’re craving something sweet – House Special has you covered there too. Behold, the housemade cinnamon bun. Fresh and perfectly-frosted, this item is not always on the menu, but the kitchen plans to rotate their selection of sweet brunch dishes regularly.

This particularly dreamy creation is topped with shredded coconut flesh, and it’s the perfect marriage of chewy and crispy dough.

Cinnamon Bun (Hanna McLean/Daily Hive)

This brunch is refreshing, if you ask us. It gives patrons the opportunity to try authentic and traditional Vietnamese breakfast food in an approachable way and experience brunch through a different lens, and we love it.

House Special’s brunch menu is serves weekends from 11:30 t0 4 pm. 

House Special

Address: 1269 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Instagram: @housespecial.ca