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
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 27th, 2009 by Bill Killorn
Review Series: Chinatown Challenge
When I started investigating the various Pho restaurants in Chinatown for this review series I was worried about how I was going to be able to keep every post unique and interesting, it seemed challenging to me to write about the same dish without repeating myself. However, now that we are at the halfway point of this series I have learned that every restaurant, no matter how similar they may appear, offers something that is uniquely their own. Whether it be the size of the noodles, the decor of the dining room or the quality of service, each restaurant shines in its own way. This week I visited Pho 88 located at 270 Spadina and had a dining experience unlike any other I have had in this series.
The windows of Pho 88 are always filled with happy customers
Tags: Chinatown Challenge, pho, pho 88, special beef noodle soup
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
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.