I'm from California, but was in Canada for a wedding. Over the course of of a couple days, I got to try a couple of restaurants including Pho 88. Of course, I did not come in with high expectations because I have been severely disappointed by XL pho back home.
HOWEVER, my experience at Pho 88 was competly different. The XL special combination pho was truly heavenly! The bowl was huge with generous amounts of beef, tendons, and noodles. The soup was not loaded with msg and tasted genuine.
There are a couple of cons: no jalepenos, no sauce dish, crowded and one rude server.
BUT DON'T LET THAT DISCOURAGE YOU. I swear, if I had the money, I would fly to Canada just to eat that bowl fo XL pho. :)