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 13th, 2009 by Bill Killorn
Review Series: Chinatown Challenge
When looking for a place to eat in Toronto’s Chinatown it is easy to become overwhelmed by the options. There are a lot of factors at play when you are deciding on a restaurant. Sure you want delicious food at an affordable price but, you also want a nice environment to sit and enjoy that food in. Restaurant decor and ambiance are essential parts of enjoying your dining experience. Therefore, in the Chinatown Challenge Review Series attention is not only given to the quality of the pho but the atmosphere of the restaurant as well. Decor played a large part in my dining experience this week as I tried the Pho Dac Biet at Pho Ai My.
Pho Ai My - One of the most beautifully decorated restaurants in Chinatown
Tags: pho ai my, pho dac biet, special beef noodle soup
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
October 5th, 2009 by Bill Killorn
Review Series: Chinatown Challenge
Finding pho in Chinatown is not hard, there are many places that serve the delicious combination of beef, broth and noodles. What is difficult though is finding the pho that best suits your tastes, as every restaurant adds their own little spin on the traditional Vietnamese dish to make it their own. Our Chinatown Challenge series is here to help you make sense of your pho options. This week we visit Pho Hung.
The Pho Hung logo has become synonymous with Vietnamese food in Toronto
Tags: pho, pho dac biet, pho hung, special pho noodle soup
October 3rd, 2009 by kateD
Review Series: Best Vermicelli On The West Side
Ossington has exploded in the last year: posh new restaurants and bars open weekly, and half the places you wander into are so fresh that your cocktail comes with a side of drywall dust. Gentrification is in the air, but so far Pho Tien Thanh still looks like the restaurant that time forgot. The lighting is fluorescent, an A/C unit takes pride of place above the door, the bathroom layouts are… unconventional. Luckily, you are here for the food, not the décor. And, as the busy lunchtime crowd attests, the food more than makes up for the lack of ambience. Local business people and office workers drop in for take out, families enjoy lunch together, hipsters take a welcome break from cruising the trendy shops and galleries.
Street view of Tien Thanh on Ossington
Tags: bun nem nuong cha gio, pho tien thanh, vermicelli, vermicelli combo
September 29th, 2009 by Bill Killorn
Review Series: Chinatown Challenge
When walking through Toronto’s Chinatown you have to keep your wits about you. As you weave in and out of sidewalk stalls it is easy for your senses to get overwhelmed by the smells, sounds and sights. One thing you will notice is a dozen or so signs advertising pho. We all know what pho is, but what is the difference between pho at one restaurant in Chinatown and another? This series entitled the Chinatown Challenge is aimed to help you get a sense of the different styles of pho and help you find the pho that is perfect for you. Over the next few weeks I will visit 10 Vietnamese restaurants in Chinatown and sample their Pho Dac Biet (Special Beef Noodle Pho). I will then share with you my findings.
The first restaurant I visited for the Chinatown Challenge was Pho Xe Lua located at 254 Spadina Ave. Situated on the second floor of its busy Chinatown location and walled almost completely by windows on its East and North sides, Pho Xe Lua offers an interesting view of the crowded markets that lay below. The recently renovated and well kept interior provides a modern and comfortable atmosphere for the restaurant’s guests. The open format of the restaurant allows the helpful staff to accommodate larger parties as well as intimate tables for two. One of the most impressive aspects of Pho Xe Lua is the speed of the service. Within seconds of being seated you are provided tea, and within minutes of ordering, a steaming hot bowl of pho will be placed in front of you.
Pho Dac Biet at Pho Xe Lua - Packed with Beef
Tags: pho, pho dac biet, pho xe lua, special beef noodle
Jennifer: What a great list!
Steve: Best pho I have ever had is here, I prefer the one that is pho ye yong or something. It is a special cut of...
bridget sookma.: i love this site of wines and pictures and info on other restaurants
Asha: This place is so tasty, and such great value. The avocado shake is really good but very filling.