Pho and Bun Bo Hue

[skunkbunny]

I'm doing a little self-indulgent research project on Viet soups and am loooking for peoples recommendations? Any favourites?

[gus_tatory]

i always go to Pho bac--on St-Laurent _just_ below de la Gauchetiere, left side if you're looking North.

skunkbunny: what's bun bo hue?

[Big Grga]

Pho Lien (5703 Côte-des-Neiges) is a favorite of many Montrealers.

I had a very good pho at Asie Moderne (1676 Poirier) in Ville St-Laurent. In general, I would avoid Vietnamese restaurants around Duluth, Prince Arthur and other touristy neighborhoods, as they often specialize in "brochettes". You know, the places where suburbians go when they want to eat "exotic" food.

Chinatown and Côte-des-Neiges would be the best areas to go to for pho.

I mean: "suburbanites", of course. He he.

Edited June 18, 2004 by Big Grga (log)

[carswell]

Not that I'm an expert, but Phô Bac and Phô Lien are my standbys too.

In March I had a great bowl of really spicy pho at Phô 198, a new place on Côte-des-Neiges between Queen Mary and Jean-Brillant in the premises formerly known as Aux Deux Gauloises. Unfortunately, the plastic decor, orange-tinted windows and deafening technopop soundtrack have discouraged me from investigating further.

Would also be interested in hearing people's anti-recommendations, the places to avoid. Faux phô, anyone?

[carswell]

what's bun bo hue? 

See Bun Bo Hue. Or, sticking closer to home, recipeGullet No. 295. Guess it's what I had at Phô 198...

[skunkbunny]

lol... Pho bac is a current fave, like for the past 4 years lol, I love their beef stew as well, nice and fatty.

Had very good Pho on St Denis just south of Jean Talon, it was sweeter than I'm used to, but very good. Has anyone had Pho at cyclo on du parc?

I will try the other sugestions, thanks

[MaeveH]

What are your opinions on Pho Bang New York?

[riboflavinjoe]

The line up at Pho Bang New York was quite extensive yesterday. So I decided to pass on Pho Bac 97, which has disappointed me several times, so sister and I went to Cristal #1. Bad choice. the soup was small and the broth tasted somewhat musty, and the imperial rolls were greasy, gummy, and the dipping sauce was of the hoisin variety rather than nuoc mam. my favorite pho in montreal is at cote des neiges and cote st catherine, pho lien, i think its called. also, pho chieu tien on (st zotique or belanger, near chateaubriand?) was great when i was frequenting the place a few years back.

[riboflavinjoe]

oh yeah, skunkbunny, which pho bac are you talking about. there is pho bac 97 in china town, but there is also pho bac on jean talon near christophe colomb. my fave of these two is definitely the latter. the service there has a genuine warmth to it, too. and the food is great.

[skunkbunny]

-as to pho bang new york... I have eaten there once so cannot really judge the place... I know everyone raves about it..but my one pho there was immensly clove heavy. For me I like cloves to be a secondary or complimentary flavour to the other spices... or if cloves are predominant to at least have a good meaty flavour to go along with them. Pho bang new york was like eating one of those oranges covered in cloves that granny keeps in her linen drawer.

Hyperbole.

-Is pho bang your fave Maeve? Now I'm thinking I should go and try them again, maybe I just had a bad pho day.

-I never liked cristal #1, although my ex roomate looooved it. I found it to be more cantonese style.. egg noodles with bbq pork soup etc.. than viet.

-I frequent the Pho Bac in chinatown but will give the other a try :).

- as a note: the beef stew ( bo kho...) at Pho Nam Do (7166 St Denis @ j talon); had yesterday for lunch and was exremely good.. I love vietnemese beef stew as well.

Edited June 23, 2004 by skunkbunny (log)

[MaeveH]

Not sure I'd say Pho New York is my fave, except by default (I haven't tried many places and when I'm in the area I usually eat Chinese). But I do like the anise in the beef soup, and that you can sometimes get quite a bit of tendon.

I plan on checking out the Vietnamese joints around Jean Talon sometime soon (including Pho Nam Do, thanks Skunkbunny). I also remember a place on St Catherine having a good 7 course beef meal -- perhaps their soup's good, too?

[skunkbunny]

the vietnamese resto next to foufounes on Ste Cath used to have the 7 course beef meal , this was like 3 years ago..careful of the ground beef wrapped in caul fat..yeesh.. there might be some good places for 7 course beef in CDN.. maybe someone else knows

:)