Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Would come back? Yes
This restaurant is owned by a Vietnamese family serving northern-style (Hanoi) pho. Its menu emphasizes the health benefits of pho and uses no MSG, organic broth.
What I ordered:
1. Pho Vistro (Chicken & Beef Pho) (4.5/5) - a hearty, light broth full of flavour but not too salty. The noodles are thicker than the typical pho noodles you would see at most restaurants - this is unique to Hanoi pho. I would recommend getting this and if it's too mild for you, you could always add hoisin/sriracha. It's around $10 per bowl, so on the pricier end for pho, but well worth it for the higher quality ingredients. I finished the entire bowl including the broth - and it didn't leave me dehydrated and wanting to drink water for the next 5 hours!
2. Chicken Fried Spring Rolls (4/5) - the spring rolls were crispy and tasted authentic. The flavour is on the milder side - you could tell they didn't add too much salt. My only wish is that they had pork spring rolls!
3. Vietnamese-Style Ribs (4.5/5) - extremely tender and flavourful braised beef, comes with a side of rice and salad. Loved the tangy coleslaw-style salad on the side!
4. Vietnamese-Style Chicken Wings (4/5) - came with 5 wings, these were pretty standard chicken wings. Flavour was just right.
At the end of my meal, they gave me a loyalty card. I'd definitely come back again for the healthy pho and an even larger side of Salad Vistro!