SEN Asian Cuisine

I’m disappointed that it took me so long to try Sen, seeing as I live all of five minutes away.
I decided to give it a try during Asianfest at Lansdowne, as the mini menu looked awesome. So we walked over to the restaurant and asked the waiter for some help ordering (since everything sounded delicious).
We decided on the spring rolls to start, my husband got the crispy noodles with beef and I got the bánh xèo.
The spring rolls have the most amazing texture and flavour — not the average spring roll for sure! The mains were both delicious. I definitely stole some of the hubby’s beef and noodles.
I may have gone back tonight to try the crispy noodles with shrimp so good!

Went here a couple weeks ago and ordered the spring rolls, Pad Thai and the General Tao chicken. Compared to what I’m used to in Phở restaurants back home in Toronto, the spring rolls were tiny. Itty bitty for its whopping price, so it was kind of a rip off. The Pad Thai tasted O.K., and the portion for the General Tao chicken was outrageously small. So was the plain steamed rice that came with it. To finish off the mediocre food, we decided to order the Vietnamese coffee. The male server (super friendly by the way) gave us the slow filter contraption, and explained to us to let the first round of hot water filter through, and we would need to pour another round of hot water once the first round was complete. But the issue was with the coffee filter. It took nearly 15 – 20 minutes for the coffee to go through. When I explained to the waitress that it was taking outrageously long, she condescendingly explained that «filtered coffee takes a long time.» Well maybe it’s time to either get a new filter contraption or to actually clean out the filter to make sure there’s no old coffee grounds stuck in there to actually let the water get through. I gave the restaurant 2 stars for the friendly male server and for the atmosphere, but that’s it. This restaurant wouldn’t have a fighting chance in Toronto.

I’ve been a patron of the owners’ restaurants since their Pholicious days and was thrilled to hear they were continuing business at Lansdowne.
Their spring rolls are the best I’ve ever had. Being fried with rice paper makes a large difference because it offers an extra chewy texture to a typically just-​crispy spring roll. I cannot rave enough about this. It is a must try! The owners recommend wrapping the spring rolls with the fresh lettuce that is included so to cut some of the greasiness to the dish. Either way, it is absolutely delicious.
Last night, I ordered the Ginger Chicken instead of my usual bowl of phở. I didn’t find it too extraordinary but perhaps that is because I was expecting something else. For the price, I’m not sure I would order it again but would definitely want to try the Cha Ca La Vong, which looks amazing.
The service and ambience was excellent. Friendly waiters, prompt service, and a classy environment — everything you would expect for an upscale Lansdowne business.
I would highly recommend trying SEN out, if not for the fact that they have overall delicious food and is one of the only family-​run businesses at Lansdowne, then at least for the spring rolls!

Dined here with high expectations due to the good reviews. Experience wasn’t bad but not too memorable.
Décor/​ambiance: ⁴⁄₅
Had the «high end» /​modern Vietnamese restaurant vibe. Nice renos to match the lansdowne complex
Service: ³⁄₅
Decent service but not too attentive although the restaurant was pretty empty
Food: ³⁄₅
Pricey
Fresh rolls were average at best… Rice paper was kind of thick. Flavors were bland
Pork Vermicelli was pretty good. Huge portion but keeping in mind it was 16 $. The pork was flavorful and nicely grilled.

Great hosts and great place. Even if they are busy, while dropping by without a reservation, they make you feel welcome and try their best to accommodate you. Well done. Looking forward to coming back.

Food was reasonable for Ottawa, but service was typical of Ottawa — poor.

Was very happy with the food service and location!

We enjoyed and shared appetizers and mains… all fresh, tasty, light and flavourful. Spring rolls, dumplings, talapia rolls and homemade meatballs. all were excellent. Mains included beef carpaccio, peanut chicken, pad thai, and sizzling shrimp. Portions were generous, reasonably priced and great friendly service.. very fresh and tasty. would. recommend anyone who enjoys a great meal… menu is evolving and the team is experimenting with new menu items that maybe offered in future… we heard about a possible authentic Vietmanese lobster dish that sounds very unique and tasty. go give Sen a try!

SEN is authentic Vietnamese food at its finest. I was a regular at Phở’Licious, a local favourite in Chinatown that sold traditional phở noodle with a hearty broth that had regulars coming back for more. It is family owned and ran and they have now expanded with a focus on Vietnamese, Thai and Japanese cuisine.
The dishes are 100% authentic and have a nice blend of Asian flavors. Plus, they still offer my favourite phở dishes with incredibly flavored broth and delicately cooked meat.
I was a fan of Phở’licious, and I’m a fan of SEN with a cool casual/​trendy style with delicious food and large portions. What I love is that it is not greasy. They are incredibly light and healthy with bright flavors. The flavors come from natural ingredients — everything is homemade including the sauces. There is a lot of labor and love that go into the food prepared, and that’s what makes SEN stand out from other Asian restaurants.
Ditch the standard pub fare at Lansdowne and go for something extremely authentic, hearty, and flavorful. Not to mention the great service. Everyone who works there is family and they treat all their customers as such.
My suggestions:
Appetizer
1. Spring roll — this is not your average bean sprout spring roll. This is fried to perfection with a crispy punch… you will thank me later
2. Dumplings — similar to Japanese gyoza, these dumplings are lightly pan fried and are very light and tasty
Mains
1. Teriyaki on a sizzling plate — I love my meat sizzling on a bed of rice and vegetables with a nice teriyaki sauce over it
2. Pad Thai — large portions, extremely flavorful and less greasy than the average pad thai
3. Beef Carpaccio — Vietnamese style, you will find a lot of bright acidic flavors that make the beef delicious, plus there’s some heat from the chilis
SEN may be hard to find at Lansdowne, but you will be happy to have ever stumbled across this Ottawa hidden gem.