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| - I wish I could give this place 4.5 stars since they have very clean washrooms, pretty good ambiance, yummy Sambal Oelek-type sauce (which I'm fantasizing is homemade). Not to mention: I'm a frequent, happy diner here & I LOVE their Goi Cuon. Nobody does it better & there are FOUR big fat shrimp in each roll, generous amounts of lean pork slices, enough green onions, holy basil, etc.-- PACKED to the nines like an extreme hoarder's luggage case.
Before this wonderful place opened or because of convenience & affordability, I usually go to Pho 88 at Bamburgh Circle or Xe Lua at Spadina, I NEVER order Goi Cuon at these places (anymore) because theirs' is so depressingly flimsy & lifeless-- like a deflated breast implant. Xe Lua's tragically emaciated rolls were accompanied by a side of plain Hoisin sauce instead of the peanutty Do Chua-laced deliciousness Pho Vietnam gladly plies you with. Pho 88 was shredded iceberg lettuce OVERKILL & had idiotic negligible amounts of the other necessary components of a quality Goi Cuon. Much cheaper Goi Cuon at the two crappy places. However (like most things in life), you get what you pay for. I'd rather pay nearly double what those shady Pho places charge for Goi Cuon-- for something as deliciously & properly made as Pho Vietnam's. I find it a bit pricey since I'm quite the cheap-ass but Pho Vietnam charges $5.50 for the small 2 roll platter/$10.50 for the large 4 roll one. Not too bad considering after downing 2-3 rolls, I'm quite full. I must point out (if I haven't gushed about Pho Vietnam's Goi Cuon enough already): They are SUPER worth the money due to the ensuing euphoria/multiple foodgasms.
Anyway, I really want this place to expand to the downtown core or uptown/Mt. Pleasant & Davisville-ish regions (instead of just Scarborough). Pity that good Pho & other Vietnamese goodies have to be super far away from all the other fun places I enjoy going to. Their P18 is very good (based on some chopstickfuls stolen from my mother & sister who ALWAYS order this marvel). There are lots of perfectly-cooked noodles, gelatinous/collagen-rich blocky bits, tripe, brisket, slices of lean beef, etc. It's all very substantial. The broth is super hearty & meatacular. It keeps me light-years away from ever pursuing any level of vegetarianism. Jesus must be fattening me up for his pet tiger or something. Meh, at least I'll die happy.
P.S.: I recently discovered (to my complete & utter horror) that if you refrigerate Goi Cuon for more than 2 hours (?), the rice paper & rice vermicelli within-- will become unpalatably tough & gross. I do not wish this 'phenomenon' on my worst enemies. Yes, it's THAT bad-- to part with yours or someone else's hard-earned money for something that's supposed to be delicious & have it become like stale rice cakes on meth. SO, the hard lesson I learned (that was tougher than the Goi Cuon's extended fridge stay & the ensuing strain on my molars): Do NOT order or make Goi Cuon if you aren't going to consume them immediately. Make sure your fridge isn't super cold & if you're just gonna let them sit on the counter, don't let it be in a disgustingly warm/poorly-insulated environment. Thank you/you're welcome.
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