June 7th, 2010 by Casey
It has been through several drafts, gone over tens of times, taken hundreds of decisions, and thousands of keywords, but the list is finally done! I’m talking about the list of Vietnamese dishes and food items translated to English.
While putting together Pho411.ca, we noticed there was something missing in cuisine literature: a comprehensive list of Vietnamese dishes, with English translations. This was not an issue at first but, it stood out more and more as we began to notice discrepancies among the writings of Vietnamese cuisine enthusiasts; they were not using the same English translations for the same Vietnamese dishes.
To keep the long story short, Pho411 has teamed up with Andrea Nguyen of VietWorldKitchen to put together this list of over 200 Vietnamese dishes and food items, and have carefully chosen their most commonly recognized (and used) English translations as the “official” English names. Feel free to suggest changes and additional dishes you’d like to have translated!
Here it is! http://www.pho411.ca/dish-names/
May 25th, 2010 by Janny
Nestled in the heart of the Junction is Pho Huong – one of the newer establishments and only Vietnamese restaurant in the neighbourhood. The Junction enjoys a wealth of various cuisines from Italian to Indian to Thai that there was no doubt that a Vietnamese restaurant was bound to flourish along with the neighbourhood. Pho Huong has become hub for locals to grab a bite and enjoy a hearty bowl of the increasingly popular Pho. What sets Pho Huong apart from many of the local Vietnamese restaurants is the clean interior design – so spotless it practically sparkles. With a large glass window at the front, dark sleek wood accents and a wealth of pot lights in the store, the ambiance is very warm and inviting. Although being the only Vietnamese restaurant on the strip of Dundas, it does not fail to please.
Like any other traditional Vietnamese restaurant, shortly upon arrival we’re greeted with a warm pot of Jasmine tea as we sift through the usual extensive menu. I opt for the Lemongrass Chicken on Rice ($7.50) as well as a Mango Milkshake ($3.50). Curious as to the ubiquitous Passion fruit drink ad in almost every Vietnamese restaurant we visit, my brother decides to try his luck with it. Shortly after we scribble down our orders (which is a common practice in Vietnamese restaurants from verbal orders), our drinks arrive in style.
The passion fruit drink is more transparent than the ad leads to believe but still refreshing and pleasantly sweet and tangy. On my side, the mango milkshake was one of the best and smoothest I’ve had anywhere, it served as a perfect companion to my lunch even on a brisk fall day like today.
Not too long after I’ve indulged in a few sips of the milkshake, my lemongrass chicken and rice arrives, steaming and fresh. The dish arrives stylishly plated with the rice formed in a perfect mound alongside a generous amount of chicken garnished with a few strands of green onion. The chicken was well-seasoned but served to be a little dry where my mango shake came to assistance in between the last few bites. The only improvement I would have made would be an extra side or sauce to add a little contrast and colour to the dish which seemed to be lacking in both areas.
All-in-all a lovely establishment and cute little place definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. Pho Huong is also licensed if you enjoy a refreshing beer with your meal, an addition to the evening/night crowd that the Junction is trying to bring to life after it had been dry for almost a century up until a decade ago – the last area to lift the prohibition. Wonderful service, great food and a welcoming atmosphere, not to mention (again) the great decor!
Pho Huong
394 Pacific Ave.
(647) 430-3909
Delivery Available (min $25)
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February 2nd, 2010 by kateD
For someone who didn’t grow up with Vietnamese food, discovering a cuisine so flavorful and fresh, so exotic yet so accessible, (not to mention so cheap!) is a gift. When you first stumble upon pho, you can be seduced by it’s savory broth, delicious noodles and tasty garnishes, such you are rarely tempted to branch out and order something different, other than maybe a salad roll on the side. Who could blame you? Pho is delicious and as the title of this blog states, ‘broth don’t lie’—a well-made broth is probably the most reliable indicator of the overall quality of a Vietnamese restaurant. But there are 100+ items on every Vietnamese menu in Toronto for a reason—Vietnamese cuisine has much more to offer than just pho.
Bun combo
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Tags: bun, pho, rolls, vermicelli, vermicelli combo
December 15th, 2009 by Jen Martin
It’s a Friday night in Ottawa and I’m excited for my first official Pho experience. My dining partner and I drive casually down Somerset St looking for a restaurant that peaks our interest. Gazing through the window of Pho Bo Ga La, we see that virtually all seats are taken- surely a good sign as the quality of the cuisine- and so find a car park and make our entrance. Perfect timing, a table is just being cleared so we settle ourselves and begin pouring over our respective menus.
Pho Bo Ga La
This post was submitted by Jen Martin.
Tags: bun, Ottawa, sugar cane shrimp, vermicelli
November 26th, 2009 by Casey
Although some restaurant menus boast over 200 different items, most of them are made up of pho, rice, vermicelli noodles, and beverages. The rest range from appetizers to side dishes, and specialty dishes to family courses. But the choices are still vast and can still be very overwhelming for novice fans.
In today’s article I present to you our list of 10 Vietnamese dishes you must try. These are based on our personal favourites and our opinion on their popularity. We decided to leave out appetizers and beverages since we figure you get them regularly. Keep in mind that only few restaurants actually serve all these 10 items, so you might have to do some investigating!
our top 10 must try vietnamese dishes
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Tags: banh cuon, banh xeo, bo luc lac, bun bo hue, bun rieu, canh chua ca kho to, hu tieu, pho, rice, vermicelli
November 20th, 2009 by Bill Killorn
Review Series: Chinatown Challenge
Just around the corner from the Dragon City Mall in the heart of Toronto’s Chinatown is a small Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Pasteur. Despite its size the restaurant is hard to miss; the front of the business is plastered with red, white and blue signs that shout out to any passerby that Pho Pasteur exists, it is a pho restaurant and it is open 24 hours. Out of all of the Vietnamese restaurants I have visited as part of the Chinatown Challenge series I was most excited for this one. Pho Pasteur was highly recommended to me by both the founder of this blog and my Vietnamese girlfriend’s father. Needless to say I was expecting a great bowl of pho as I strolled into the restaurant.
Pho Pasteur as seen on Google
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