It was the first snowfall of the year. I wanted Vietnamese but the place we wanted to go to was randomly closed. We decided to try a spot we haven’t been to yet and settled on Pho Hong Restaurant. They specialize in beef noodle soup. Believe they have a second location (Royal Oak area).
Signs outside.
Even old school neon ones!
Speaking of old school, this menu outside the door is beyond faded.
Cash only sign when you walk in.
Along with their popular combo options.
We dropped in on a Sunday afternoon (around 1:00pm). The inside is huge and has the most random, unexpected decor. Christmas lights with flowers adorn the ceiling. Food comes out fast but service is pretty woeful. They never came back to refill our teas.
The menu is split into beef noodle soup, specialties and beverages.
Click here to see the full menu (1, 2 and 3).
The two combos seem to be most popular items; the noodle soup combo and the vermicelli/rice BBQ meat combos (A to D).
Herbs
Bowls came with lemon, spicy jalapeño peppers, bean sprouts and basil.
Typical stuff.
Pho dac biet (#1) ($10.00 large)
We comboed this to try a spring roll ($1.50 extra). Spring roll was crispy but filling was average. I’d skip it.
The beef broth was fantastic; great depth, complexity and some sweetness came through.
For meat, there was tendon, tripe, beef balls, thin sliced beef and cooked beef. Everything was good except the cooked beef slices became dry.
Bun bo hue (#14) ($10.00)
Cooked beef, Vietnamese ham and chicken balls. Again, the cooked beef slices were a tad dry but the chicken balls (never seen these before) were delicious.
Broth was initially tasty with a good kick but as I ate more, the salt factor kicked in. Noodles were cooked the way I liked them. Better than I expected but there’s better BBH’s in the city.
Solid bowl of beef pho. Cash only.
Pho Hong Restaurant
6348 Fraser Street
Vancouver, BC
(604) 327-6348
CHERRY BOB-OMBS 