In the recent past, whenever I wanted a good Vietnamese Pho fix, there were less than a handful of acceptable good ones around my neighborhood to choose from. The most reliable, authentic and prominent ones being Pho Tai Bac, Nam, Little Saigon, Q1 Le Pho, Xe Lua……plus a couple of pseudo-authentic, Chinese run outfits like Green LemonGrass and Saigon Star.
However, during the past year or two, a sudden prolific growth had brought at least half a dozen more commendable new faces to the mix. These include, Dear Saigon, Ngon Corner, Luna Viet, Pho Le, Pho Anh Vu, Pho Vinh, Pho Time….etc. All have high Google review ratings and almost all claim to offer the most authentic and best products. Now, within a short 10 minutes drive from home, I see more Vietnamese/Pho restaurants than Hamburger, Pizzas and Fried Chicken fast food joints combined!! Go figure?!!
Today, upon returning from a heavy bout of West coast / Chinese food in Vancouver, I decided to have something different for dinner and together with my kids, gave this, ANOTHER newly opened Vietnamese eatery a try. At the same time, to see for myself, whether some recently posted rave reviews, claiming this could be the BEST Vietnamese Pho place in Richmond Hill is true or not?!
Well, the credibility and correctness of those reviews were actually not too far off. The dishes we ordered were indeed extremely well done and flavourful. The broth of the Pho, exemplary, the toppings and condiments spot-on. The assorted grilled meats for our Banh Hoi wap platter were well seasoned, smoky, tender and perfectly charred. Spring rolls, using authentic Viet-style wrappers and traditional taro fillings were one of the better ones. The only slight down side was my Bun Rieu Crab soup noodle, a bit under seasoned and lacking complexity,. The one I had at Pho Metro years ago was still the best and my reference yard stick.
For me, amongst the current nearly 20 Vietnamese eateries in and around my neighborhood, I would place Pho Le and now, Nga Son as my top two best and favorites. Sorry, Pho Tai Bac, your previous top spot has been displaced!
