Thai Son

Tonight was game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals for 2009. What an exciting game! The Pens were leading after 2 periods and Crosby had been knocked out of the game! I can't believe I left to go for dinner rather than catching the 3rd period. Well, actually food takes precedent over everything else... Not wanting eat anything really all that heavy, we ventured to Thai Son in the T & T complex at 1st and Renfrew. This particular location used to be a Pho Hoa; but all of a sudden it became Thai Son, with the same staff. Well, more than one person can tell you that it is a change for the better. No offense to Pho Hoa; but Thai Son is better.

Of course, when I make a statement like that, there must be a reason. Well, I think Thai Son has better portions than Pho Hoa. Is it just me or the portions at Pho Hoa getting smaller every year? Also, I think Thai Son has better consistency and is less expensive. Sometimes it looks like the stuff at Pho Hoa has been just thrown together in haste. With that being said, I still visit Pho Hoa occasionally since it's still decent.

Today we ordered a variety of dishes. First, we got the Grilled Pork Chop, Chicken and Shredded Pork with Fried Egg on Rice. This was an enormous dish with plenty of food for more than one person (unless one was very hungry). Both the pork chop and chicken were very flavourful and cooked perfectly. We also got the Beef Brisket Stew with French bread. The French loaf came out warm and toasted. Perfect for dipping in the rich stew which has the requisite oil slick on the top. Alas, that my friends, is where all the flavour is! The beef, tendon and carrots were tender; yet still all intact.

Naturally, we couldn't visit Thai Son without ordering some Pho! We got the Pho Dac Biet which is essentially "everything but the kitchen sink" Pho. It's got flank, brisket, meatballs, tendon, bible tripe and rare beef. At some of the other Vietnamese restaurants, this is what they would classify as the "Adventurer's Choice". We got the cilantro and onion on the side because my mom doesn't particularly like that stuff. Pho was good as usual, with a decent amount of noodles and meat. Moreover, the soup isn't too salty; yet still rich with beef flavour. This was yet another great meal at Thai Son. Of course there are some smaller Vietnamese restaurants that maybe better; but for a chain restaurant, it's pretty good.

The Good:
- Reasonably priced
- All around good food
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- No ambiance, but hey, that's not what it is all about...

Business Hours:
10:00am - 10:00pm (7 days a week)