I had been to Pho Central when it was at the old location. It was filthy and tiny, though their pho were good. I had always walked by it and seen how full it was, so I suspected that their pho must be still good.
I met a with a friend for lunch around 1pm. It wasn’t overly busy, so it was good timing. The interior was quite spacious and nicer than most other whole in the wall pho places. In fact, this must be the best one I’ve been to in Metro Vancouver area. It has a bar on one side with blue LED lighting which gives it a modern, moody look.
I ordered the Beef Ball Noodles Soup $8 (regular). I was surprised by the portion. It must be the biggest one I know. The broth wasn’t overwhelmingly salty, and the noodles and beef tasted great. We kept eating, but it seemed like the amount never shrunk. Each bowl of Pho came with a plate of sprouts, slice of lime, jalapenos and Vietnamese basil. I usually put in all the sprouts, a sprinkle of torn up basil and squeeze the lime. No extra sauces. I know most people use them, but a recent reading has taught me that the use of extra sauces aren’t authentic. I guess it’s like how California rolls aren’t authentic Japanese rolls (in fact none of the fancy rolls are). I often don’t like a lot of sauces on anything since it usually covers up the real flavour.
I love this place! I think it’s the best Pho in town – in terms of quality, quantity, price, atmosphere, location and service. Extra points for serving water in glass, and not plastic. The spoons for the noodle soups are also porcelain and not plastic.
Back for Dinner
This time I returned with Sheepie who isn’t a fan of Pho (what?! lol). Anyways, there were plenty of non-Pho dishes to order and he ended up getting the Chicken Curry. Looked spicy, but it wasn’t too hot. The chicken were super tender and really just melted in your mouth. I again ordered the Beef Ball Pho – sorry, I’m just in love with this bowl!
It was super busy this time with usually 3 groups waiting by the entrance. However there were no compromise with the food quality. Service was a bit slower, but that was expected.
My favourite Pho in Metro Vancouver!
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I ordered the Taqueria Salad $9.25 with chicken, veggies, beans and toppings. The staff fired up the fan to cook some onions and green pepper over the fire, but it was cooked too short as they were pretty raw. I didn’t mind the green peppers, but the thick onions were a bit of an attack on my taste buds so I put them aside.
This time, I would have to say the flavour wasn’t a rich. The ingredients didn’t seem to blend together, and was no match for Chipotle…