When craving for pho I find that everyone has their favourite go-to spot, this happens to be my guest’s. This is where he bee-lines it to when he is craving a warm bowl of noodle soup.
Located in East Vancouver, in a highly dense residential area, your need to know to know where to go. If you are like me, you wouldn’t take a second look, unless (as in this case) depending on the referral of another. The interior is much like the exterior: simple and to the point, you have what you need; and everything is well maintained, given the age of the place.
I appreciated that each table was set with its own caddy of matching soup spoons and chopsticks. And a modest selection of sauces made available for self seasoning.
The English menu read a little vague. The House Special rice noodle soup is basically your beef broth pho with slices of rare beef and beef balls. It is a hearty serving that tastes clean, yet is still a rich and full bodied soup. The meat was tender and plentiful, much like the onions, green onions, and self add on beansprouts and basil on the side. A good assembly of toppings so that you are not just munching on noodles.
The Special spicy beef and rice noodle in soup is your spicy and slightly sour bun bo hue. My guests prefers his version with vermicelli noodles, instead of the rice ones it normally comes with, like above. As a whole the dish was tangy with a more mild warming spice. If you want the sensation of beef pho, but feels it needs more of a kick; more than just using the brown sauce, this needs to be your go-to. This too had rare beef, but also included Vietnamese style ham, and even pork hoc. I was especially impressed by the latter, I have never had or seen it elsewhere.
I only just discovered bun bo hue recently, and I have made it my new favourite. But it is best when you dine with one other, and can have both this and the classic beef pho (above).
When at a Vietnamese restaurant I often find myself going back and forth on soup noodles or the rice plates. So today we ordered both, with the anticipation of packing this and whatever was unfinished, to go as leftovers.
This was their Grilled pork chop combo with, shredded pork and glass noodles, raw vegetables and pickled ones over steamed broken rice; finished off with a fried egg. This is my definition of comfort food. Simple and homestyle it covers a variety of tastes and textures, and gave me the opportunity to curate by own bite. The meat was tender with plenty of char, everything was well seasoned, but if it wasn’t there was plenty of fish sauce to moisten and add that distinctive Vietnamese fishy flavour to the mix.
I am not a fan of Chinese style spring rolls, but do like the Vietnamese ones with its crispy, extra course shell. Unfortunately this was the former. Deep fried spring rolls with ground pork, glass noodles, and assorted vegetables. The filing was like the Vietnamese style spring rolls I know and was hoping for. However I did not like the extra layer of shell each had and found it too hard.
And if you are having Vietnamese food, you have to get an Iced Vietnamese coffee with condense milk. There is no other coffee like it. Slow dripped strong, stirred up with a little cream sweetness, and always complimentary to the meal at hand.
I was curious over their pandan coconut dessert listed as “special colourful dessert” on the menu, so got one of those too. This is the to-go version, which is actually a smaller serving size than the dine in one. Similar to other Asian shaved ice drinks/desserts. This one contains jello, red bean, grass jelly, pandan jelly, and plenty of coconut milk. Best eaten like a sundae with a spoon.
In closing a hidden gem, great food, decent pricing, plenty of free parking, and because no one knows about them never a wait.
Phở Nhuận
2989 Rupert St, Vancouver, BC V5M 3T8
(604) 434-8681
