When it comes to Pho in the GTA, Pho Dau Bo is the best. When The Fiance worked in Mississauga, his team visited this location every Friday and when my mom told me about a great new pho place she found, it was the Pho Dau Bo on Dundas. Their broth outshines any competition.

The Fiance and I stopped by the Bristol location on the Thanksgiving weekend for a pre-turkey pho lunch (mainly because my fridge was bare and with the prospect of leftovers to come, I didn’t see a need for groceries). At 1pm, we thought the lunch time rush would be done, which was surprisingly not the case. In fact there was a steady stream of customers filing in.

We both opted for the house special pho, mine a small while his was a medium, that comes with a piece of every meat topping. As a side dish, we also added two minced shrimp on sugar canes and hot coffee with condensed milk. The coffee was strong and had a generous serving of condensed milk that easily lasted 2 refills of the coffee press. I liked the flavour of the minced shrimp but they were oily and the sugar cane wasn’t sweet. Their fresh rolls are better.

Service that day was painfully slow. There was a group of 8 who placed their food and drink order before us and the kitchen was backed up. We waited 20 minutes for the pho and there was only one girl making every drink. This meant our coffees didn’t arrive until we were near the bottom of our bowls. Since it was a long weekend, and off peak hours, it’s understandable if the restaurant was understaffed. I was just hungry.

Our bowls of pho arrived full of noodles and topping, there was almost no room to add in more bean sprouts but I tucked them in. The broth was rich and savoury, the best in town and the only pho where I don’t add sriracha or hoisin sauce. Each of the meats were also tender with a good number of pieces. It’s just a perfect bowl, full of flavour and filled to the brim.

I’ve now been to three of Pho Dau Bo’s location (just missing the Scarborough outlet) and each meal has been consistently exceptional. When I crave pho, I’m craving Pho Dau Bo.

Back to checking out restaurants in North York, the Fiance and I stopped by Angus Pho House for lunch one Sunday afternoon. The restaurant opened in January 2014 and offers a menu with Vietnamese and Malaysian dishes including pho, curries, vermicelli bowls and rice dishes. Delivery is available through JustEat.ca and there’s a great lunch menu.

Atmosphere: We were the first diners that day and had our choice of seating. Square black tables and monochromatic leather chairs were well spaced through the dining area. The walls were decorated with lovely hand painted scenes of each season. The use of black and white gives the restaurant a very clean feel.

Service: There was only one server at the time and she was pretty adorable. Both The Fiance and I were a little taken aback at first because she was dressed in a blue maid costume and had cat ears. The service however was way above par. Our server was soft spoken but very friendly and enthusiastic. Once we placed our order, dishes arrived quickly but my milk tea was delayed. She came by to inform us that she was still in training and was learning how to make the milk tea. To apologize for the delay, she brought us a glass of soy milk on the house and gave us a 10% discount, it was a great gesture and completely unnecessary. We just tipped back what she took off the bill. I felt Angus Pho House is working hard to establish themselves in the neighbourhood and I appreciate the dedication to their customers.

Food: Angus Pho House offers a Lunch Special menu with 6 entree choices for $7.95 each. Each entree comes with a drink (choice of soy milk and hot or cold milk tea) and a side dish. Taking advantage of the specials, I ordered a House Special Beef Rice Noodle Soup, which came with a free order of Curry Fish Balls and The Fiance had the BBQ Pork and Spring Roll Vermicelli bowl with a side order of chicken soup.

My special pho had all the usual toppings of beef balls, tripe, tendon and sliced beef. The portions of each topping was generous. I liked the flavour of the broth, it wasn’t too salty and had a rich taste. The noodles were also a good consistency. Overall, it was a satisfying bowl of pho. The side order of curry fish balls were also on point with a good consistency for the curry sauce. Between our two dishes, it was The Fiance’s bowl that wowed. Pretty much every aspect of the vermicelli was great. The BBQ pork was juicy, fatty and delicious. I loved the crispy spring roll, the use of thicker vermicelli noodles and the heavy handed topping of crushed peanuts. The bowl of chicken soup tasted very similar to pho broth and didn’t really add much to the meal.

I will definitely be back to Angus Pho House in the future and they are a welcome addition to the Yonge/Finch area.

Of all the restaurants on Spring Garden Ave, Pho Spring Garden has the most eclectic selection. Their sign advertises Korean and Thai cuisine but I usually get Pho, the menu has no thai curries, there is aa decent selection of Korean entrees but no rice cake dishes.

The Fiance and I stopped by on Sunday to grab a quick lunch before watching the new Captain America movie. We both ordered bowls of pho, a small bowl for me and medium one for him, and a Korean seafood pancake. There was only one server working the entire floor and he was busy. Half of the tables in the restaurant were filled and between greeting customers, taking orders, serving dishes, getting bills and clearing tables, I was impressed with how efficient and friendly he was.

Our pho arrived hot, quickly after the order was placed. One thing I do like is that their small size is reasonable, a good portion and well priced at $5. I did miss chopped cilantro, which was not included. The meat portion was standard, the broth was tasty but a little weak in richness and the noodles were good. Every time our server walked by with a plate I looked for our pancake, which I had expected as an appetizer. The plate didn’t arrive until we had reached the bottom of our pho bowls. Our server apologized for the delay and explained the dish takes longer to prepare. I do wish they had tried to time that better, it was pretty clear they hadn’t. By this point our bowls were cleared and we weren’t given any other small plates to eat over. The pancake itself was great, crispy and full of seafood, peppers and green onion. Generally, if you’re in the neighbourhood craving pho, it’s a solid option. If you’re trying to decide between pho or Korean, Pho Spring Garden can satisfy both cravings.

Located on the first floor of an industrial like building in Richmond Hill, Green Lemon Grass is one of those restaurants that you’ll only find by word of mouth. The building has sign naming it “Richlane Mall” and the first floor is occupied with restaurants that are a step above food court with private dining areas and store fronts.

This was my second visit to Lemon Grass and the food is consistent. The BF and I split a small House Special Pho and a Curry Goat Brisket Roti. While ordering the pho the server asked if we’d like our bean sprouts cooked or raw, which was nice to have a choice. The pho arrived piping hot with the rare beef still pink and fresh. A minute in the broth and the beef was perfect. Toppings also included tripe, beef balls and tendon. The broth itself was tasty but not as savoury and a bit flat compared to Pho Dau Bo’s. I was still pretty full from a late lunch that day so only had a few bites of the curry. What I did taste was rich with just a touch of spice. The curry also wasn’t overly salty and the roti held up to generous scoops of sauce. The goat brisket was lean and tender. There is a reason we keep ordering this dish. I might be in the minority but I loved that they had potatoes in the curry. My taste buds enjoy a good piece of curried potato or carrot as much as any protein. I was expecting to be thirsty after the meal and was pleasantly surprised.

Service was minimal since we knew what we wanted to order. Our food arrived hot from the kitchen, pho first, followed with the bowl of curry and plate of roti. Utensils, sauces and small rice bowls are set up on each table so you’re pretty self-sufficient once the food arrives. I asked for an empty bigger bowl to split the pho and that was provided. Note that there is an additional charge of $0.50 per take out container.

I like my pho with everything, especially tripe and tendon. The broth needs to be scalding hot to cook the rare beef slices and flavourful without adding any of the condiments (hoisin sauce, hot sauce, lime, basil, etc). My order at Pho 88 is always the special combination bowl that comes with a little bit of every meat option. On a normal night, the small size is perfect for me and I drink most of the salty soup, I can still comfortably finish a medium but will leave a lot of soup. The noodles at Pho 88 are not overcooked and the temperature of the soup is hot enough to cook all the ingredients. Portions of beef are generous and the basil and bean sprouts are fresh. Service is quick and friendly and while the restaurant is always busy, I’ve never had an issue getting a table on weeknights.

At every Vietnamese place, I always try the cold shrimp roll and coffee with condensed milk. Both were ok, as expected. The prices for appetizers are a bit higher than places downtown or in Markham but still reasonable. Pho 88 is easily one of my go-to places for dinner and will continue to be so.