Pho Super Bowl

There are definitely some really good spots for Vietnamese in the GVRD and many are still well-priced.  However, it is increasingly clear that the rising prices of raw materials, rent, wages and other operating costs have resulted in noticeable price increases.  As a result, portion size and food quality are important factors when determining whether a restaurant stands out or not.  Of course we can talk about service too, but that is a whole other story altogether.  So when I heard about Pho Super Bowl and their significantly larger portions as well as providing good food, it was a place I needed to try.

So after arriving back from Seattle, we made our way over there for some soupy things.  Before, that I got an order of Salad Rolls to start.  In reality, we really didn't need it because I should've taken the "large portion" thing more seriously.  Whatever the case, the salad rolls were good with a perfectly-textured rice paper on the outside.  It was chewy, yet soft while not dried out.  Inside, there was the typical ingredients such as lettuce, vermicelli and halved shrimp.  Loved how they provided plenty of sauce on the side (I love to saturate my rolls in it!).

For myself, I chose the Pho Dac Biet as usual because I like all the meats including the offal.  At first, I did notice the bowl was bigger (I did get the large).  However, I didn't realize the portion size until I dug into the bowl of noodles.  There was at least 1/2 more noodles than most other bowls of Pho in town (maybe 1/4 more than Viet Noodle Guy).  Those noodles were al dente and not clumpy.  As for the meats, there was a good amount of it and by eye-balling it, there was definitely more than usual.  Meats were tender except for the brisket which was a bit chewy. Due to the large bowl, there was also more broth which was clean and mildly meaty.  With all things considered, it was a good bowl of Pho.

My daughter ended up with a small bowl of Pho Ga Vien, as per usual.  Instead of going for chicken meat, she decided on chicken meatballs instead.  More often than not, the chicken is chewy and dry.  However, we found a few stray pieces of chicken (intentionally in there?) that were actually decently tender.  As for the meatballs, they were the typical bouncy and airy type.  Again, the portion size was generous, even for small, and the noodles were plentiful.  Compared to the beef broth, this was actually more impactful with noticeable sweetness and definite chicken essence.

Viv ordered the Vermicelli Bowl with lemongrass chicken and 2 spring rolls that was, of course, generous in portion size.  Spring rolls were crunchy and the meat was moist while not overly packed.  Would've liked to see rice paper used, but it was still good nonetheless.  Chicken was fairly flavourful with a char.  It was generally tender.  Underneath, there was a good amount of noodles which were still chewy.

Of course my son went for the Lemongrass Chicken with rice and 2 fried eggs.  Although this was the most "normal-sized" dish, it did come with 2 eggs rather than 1.  Chicken was exactly like the previous dish.  So as you can see, the combination of good portions, reasonable-pricing and above-average eats puts Pho Super Bowl at the top of the available Pho spots in the area.  Mind you, there isn't much competition, but that is besides the point.  I'll be back.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Above-average eats
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Maybe the flavours could be even more impactful
- Parking can be an issue at times