The room is small and the decor simple and clean. There is a bamboo mural on one wall and local artwork on the other that changes fairly regularly (some better, and more suitable for the space, then others) with many paper lanterns lighting up the space.
Nick and I almost always order the same thing: green tea, green onion cakes, the pho real and the lemongrass chicken vermicelli bowl. I really like the green tea they serve - loose leaf and almost has a roasted taste to it! The only annoyance is the tea pots they use have a tendency to spill, and Nick gets really frustrated when he gets too many tea leaves in his cup.The green onion cakes are deep friend and delicious! Light and crispy, with minced chicken and green onions in between the "cake" folds. Served with spiced fish sauce - these are a great, and always go quickly!
Now the dilemma - who gets the pho and who gets the vermicelli bowl!? We've actually had to go to a rotating system (pho one visit, vermicelli the next) so we don't spend forever deciding on which we want. The vermicelli bowls are large and full of Vietnamese goodness. The meat is always juicy and flavourful, and along with the spring rolls, cucumber-carrot-lettuce-cilantro salad, and thin rice noodles, this dish satisfies. Add the fish sauce and crushed peanuts I'm in slurping heaven!
As for the pho - the broth is amazing! Star anise is really the star, along with the ginger flavour. Adding in sriracha and hoisin sauce really makes this broth something that warms the soul. The rare beef on the pho real is sliced very thin and stays tender as it gets cooked the broth. And if I haven't mentioned it before - I love bean sprouts - so these add a great fresh crunch!
I'll be honest in saying that I know very little of authentic Vietnamese cooking, and haven't tried a whole lot of other Vietnamese restaurants in the city, but with the good portion sizes, affordable prices, and always a happy tummy when I leave - I'm perfectly satisfied sticking with Phobulous!
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