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
November 11th, 2009 by kateD
Review Series: Best Vermicelli On The West Side
For anyone following this series, I’m sure the obvious question has been, but what does she think of The Golden Turtle? No other Vietnamese restaurant I know of inspires more vehement debate; it is the most hyped and written about Viet resto in Toronto. People Love it or Hate it, but for better or worse Rua Vang (aka the Golden Turtle) is the standard against which all other Vietnamese restos are judged. Knowing this, I’ve held out against writing about it until now, simply because the stakes are so high.
A quiet moment on busy Ossington.
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Tags: bun, golden turtle, noodle, rua vang, vermicelli
October 29th, 2009 by kateD
Review Series: Best Vermicelli On The West Side
The corner of College and Dufferin is an unlikely location for a miniature Viet-town, yet a number of Vietnamese businesses and shops cluster together here in an otherwise distinctly Portuguese neighbourhood. No fewer than 3 Vietnamese restaurants co-exist on a single block. Faced with such an array of options, how is one to decide? On road-trips my dad always picked a roadside diner based on the number of transport trucks parked out front (truckers being the experts on roadside cuisine), so following the same theory, I decide to try the resto with the largest number of Vietnamese customers inside. And the winner is: Pho Linh.
Simple but modern exterior of Pho Linh on College.
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Tags: bun, chicken, lemongrass, vermicelli, vermicelli combo
October 23rd, 2009 by kateD
Review Series: Best Vermicelli On The West Side
After 4 weeks of tasting bun in Toronto’s west-end Vietnamese restaurants, I thought I had hit my stride. Though quality, freshness and style varied to some degree in each place I visited, the formula was basically the same. I knew what to expect. Then I wandered into Canh Buom and got thrown a curve ball.
Outside Canh Buom on College.
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Tags: bun, Bun Cha Hanoi, vermicelli, vermicelli combo
October 15th, 2009 by kateD
Review Series: Best Vermicelli On The West Side
If an award for strangest restaurant décor existed, Kimbo would be firmly in the running. This location clearly didn’t begin its commercial life as a Vietnamese restaurant. The massive dining room is decked out in a faux-Tudor style, with heavy wooden beams framing textured plaster walls, red carpeting, and huge wrought iron chandeliers that look like something Errol Flynn might have swung from while executing a swashbuckling escape. Overall the effect is of a mock-baronial castle, where cabbage rolls would look more at home on the table than salad rolls. Nonetheless, the menu is distinctly Vietnamese, specializing in bo 7 mon, or beef in 7 courses.
Crazy decor at Kimbo
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Tags: bun bo nuong, cha gio, grilled beef, Kimbo, spring roll, vermicelli, vermicelli combo
October 7th, 2009 by kateD
Review Series: Best Vermicelli On The West Side
The strip of Bloor west between Ossington and Lansdowne is undeniably gritty; it is also a surprising and refreshing foodie destination. In a few short blocks you will find a huge variety of cheap and delicious foods from a United Nations of small, unpretentious (read slightly dingy) storefront restaurants: South Indian, Ethiopian, Greek, Persian, Mexican, Caribbean, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. But Pho My Duyen is no shabby storefront. Given the neighborhood, the décor is almost shockingly posh. What HGTV would refer to as ‘high-end finishes’ abound. Yet any concern that style reigns over substance here is dispelled with the first jasmine scented sip of premium tea. Throughout the meal, care and consideration reveals itself in myriad little ways: a paper umbrella in a drink, a spoon with a hooked end so it won’t fall into your soup when you rest it against the side of the bowl.
Surprisingly swanky interior at Pho My Duyen
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Tags: bun, grilled shrimp vermicelli, nuoc cham, shrimp, vermicelli combo
Casey: Thanks! Some of my fave places are in Chinatown. I’m in the area so I really get to know the restaurants...
Tomato Snob: I love Pho too. You pictures are fab! Where is you favorite place in the city? I’m addicted to the...
S Lloyd: Folks, Submitted also: http://www.xanga.com/aromes The more tools/ressources/infos we have, the better that...
Lucy: This is my favourite Vietnamese restaurant in Toronto! The have the best PHO in town.