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| - I think it's safe to say that I've found, in my opinion, the best place for pho in Montréal. It seems to be a general trend with Asian food that the best places are often not in the downtown area, but in the less-populated and not as touristy districts. With Pho Tay Ho, I finally had a bowl that was not only deeply satisfying, but had a broth that was flavorful all on its own without needing additional seasoning.
Even though I went at an earlier time, the restaurant was already packed with an even distribution of Asians and other people, so I decided that it must be worth the ten minute wait. Once I sat down, I was given a check-off menu which made for extremely efficient service by Montréal standards. I ordered the Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk, a shrimp spring roll, and a medium bowl of pho with beef balls, tripe, and raw and cooked slices of beef. Overall, everything arrived fairly quickly, so I was able to dig in - nothing disappointed me. The iced coffee had a perfect balance between the strong brew and the sweetness of the condensed milk, and the spring roll actually had a decent amount of shrimp and, when paired with the accompanying sauce, made everything combine into an interesting salty/slightly-sweet fusion.
The pho was undoubtedly the star of the meal here, as it should be. The tangy and savory broth, which is crucial to a good pho, was fantastic, as it really made everything better. All of the meats tasted outstanding, and even my usually least-favorite cut, the tripe, was tender and really soaked up all of the delectable broth. I could sink my teeth right into the beef balls, and they do not hold back on the beef flavor here. Also, as a huge fan of the raw beef used in pho, it cooked quite nicely and, once again, took in the flavors of the broth and elevated it to a new level. Of course, the rice noodles had a bounciness to them that made them a delight to chew on, and by the time I was done, I really wished that I had ordered a larger bowl because I didn't want to be done with it.
The next time my friends and I decide to go out for pho, I think I know which new place to bring them to. Pho Tay Ho is as good as it gets and lives up to the hype and so much more.
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