To officially kick off Pho-bruary, we visited the much talked about Pho Tien Thanh on Ossington. Yelp Elites Dale M. and Bijan V. were joined by Yelp newbie Jan A., whose dedication to the craft of pho is noteworthy (she just visited this place a few days ago).
+++The Good+++
1) Broth, though a bit cloudier than I like, was nice --not fantastic, but well above average. Not too sweet or salty, but flavorful
2) Raw beef comes out blood red, not yet fully submerged/cooked in broth
3) Melt in your mouth tendon -- FINALLY!
4) The fried spring rolls are authentic (small with a different casing and a peppery filling)
5) Cheap! $11 a pop with tip for a bowl of pho and shared apps
6) Free parking on side streets. Wicked!
---THE BAD---
1) The pork skin rolls were neither here nor there (note: this does add a little something something when accidentally dropped in your tea)
2) They use dry noodles, not fresh
Overall, a lot better than Golden Turtle up the street and perhaps one of the nicer bowls of pho south west of Vic Park and Eglinton. The rest of Pho-bruary will dictate its overall ranking.