This place in East Chinatown is formerly known as Pho 88. I came here with sarah l. during our series of non-sexual dates[1] and I am declaring Pho House my front-runner for Pho-bruary in Toronto.[2]
The Pho-ndamentals
Pho Tai Gan (rare beef and beef tendon); large = $6.50
Broth: so far, my favorite broth in the (416); rich and hearty with fatty pools of delicious oil and nicely spiced
Beef: thicker, more flavorful slices of beef
Tendon: thick slices but they are not as tender as at Pho Pasteur
Noodles: dried, i.e., not fresh noodles but steeped just right in the tasty broth but they did need some swishing around to separate the clumps
Garnishes: the mung bean sprouts and basil were fresh; they did not include saw leaf but brought it out upon request (I think sarah l. diminished my Asian cred!)
Service: Friendly and efficient; the waitresses wear hairnets so no hair in your soup, Neil T! The good-looking dude (probably the owner's son) speaks perfect English and is ever so easy on the eyes...swoon...
Other: They were actually playing decent music on our visit and the fresh iced lemonade ($2.00) was tart and refreshing.
Almost perfect but I'm deducting points for the sub-par tendon and lack of fresh noodles.
4 and 1/4 stars
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[1] Eat your heart out Tara G!
[2] Vietnam Noodle Star in Scarborough is still #1 for the GTA. http://www.yelp.ca/biz/vietnam-noodle-star-scarborough#hrid:wuV_36P87_FzlMQO3wefig
I'm not sure why the address is coming up weird but it's located at 610 Gerrard St. East (just east of Broadview)