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| - Yes, it's pricey compared to other local favourites for Vietnamese cuisine, but fairly so, and worth it. The signage says "Fine Vietnamese Cuisine", so one should not expect to compare it too closely with a typical place. People who are complaining about the price are missing the details:
1. The condiments/herbs dish that came with the Pho is more premium than most places. The thai basil were clean! Did not have a single dark spot on them. The dish came with the Ngo Gai herb (Culantro) which most places don't offer because it's pricier, and a little red chili pepper which some places keep in a little container on the side of the table.
2. The tables are clean and clutter free. You will not find that typical tray holding all the chopsticks, spoons, condiments, etc.. Even the hoisin sauce and chill sauce squeeze bottles are clean and better quality than the typical ketchup squeeze bottle. The server brings you your utensils and condiments when you order, as with any other western restaurant. I don't really care for the ramen style soup spoon, but it's nice to have. Each diner receives a small dish with condiment spoon, which is a clever touch.
3. Like others have mentioned, this would be a great place to take a first-timer who has never tried Vietnamese cuisine. You don't have to worry about freaking out your non-asian friends at a typical Vietnamese restaurant. Likewise, this place would be good for dates.
4. The washrooms are VERY clean and does not smell of urine or bleach. Enough said. Also, they are wheelchair accessible with handicap open-door buttons. Well done.
5. The Pho broth was excellent, full flavoured, not too salty, does not make me thirsty after my meal, has a slight different taste than most other places and I can't quite put my finger on it. I enjoyed it very much and was compelled to let my server know that I was pleased. He seemed happy to hear it, but at the same time his expression seemed to say "Yeah, I'm aware we have good broth" hahaha. The meat tastes great, had real beef flavour, and noodles were perfect, not too soft, did not fall apart in my bowl, just perfect.
6. Speaking of the server, he made sure I was aware that the broth contained onions and cilantro, apparently some people are allergic to that stuff? So it was nice that he double checked.
7. My wife wanted a rice dish but had difficulty deciding what to order, the server recommended the chicken and ribs meal and MAN we were glad he did. The chicken was an actual piece of chicken breast, not your typical sliced and flat pounded piece that you normally would get at any other place. The ribs were super tender and the flavour reminded me of Shanghai style soup dumplings (xiao long bao), The rice was served with a sauce (not fish sauce) and the tomatoes were actually red, very good ingredients. Oh, and the rice came with a side bowl of soup, which was much appreciated because only a few places in the GTA actually do this for rice orders!
8. The seafood spring rolls were delicious, and came with a dish of mango and red bell pepper chutney in fish sauce. Very nice touch with the angled cut on the rolls.
9. The people who dine here are well-mannered and well-dressed (from what we saw on a saturday night). Again, this is not your typical loud Pho place. They play a nice mix of adult contemporary and jazz for ambiance. The furniture is nice, with real hardwood tables (I was surprised).
10. The mango smoothie was great! Actual mango flavour! The Vietnamese drip coffee with condensed milk was not overly sweet which is a nice change from other places. Well done.
The bad:
Yes, there are some bad things that prevented me from giving it a perfect score:
1. My tea cup was dirty. This is unacceptable. I hope the staff diligently clean and check their dishes.
2. The menu was just printed on regular printer paper and slipped into plastic sleeves, not very impressive for a "Fine dining" experience.
3. The seafood spring rolls, while tasty, were very oily. It did not come with any pickled carrots/radish, or vermicelli noodles. Overall I felt this could have been cheaper.
4. The little black book that the bill came in had clear scotch tape all along the edge, which makes it look very old and cheap. This should really be replaced.
Overall, a good place to eat, it's pricier yes, but rightfully so. We would come back and invite our friends and family to try it at least once. Yes, I know if I just wanted a quick fix for Pho there are a handful of wickedly good places in North York, I know, but here it's a different experience and good for first-timers. It's just like dim sum places, you have grungy places and upscale places that charge a premium price, same thing. People shouldn't judge this place so harshly.
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