Pho Galaxy

There we were, driving home from Kelowna on our last leg of our 3-week road trip.  Amazingly, we weren't that tired nor were we sick on one another.  However, one thing that was for certain - we needed food badly (a la Gauntlet, if you are old enough to know this reference).  Not just any type of food that is, we wanted Asian food, specifically something soupy or noodley (is that a word???).  One quick search for Pho in Chilliwack (as we were driving by) resulted in Pho Galaxy.  I vaguely remembered my cousin raving about the place, so we quickly entered it into the GPS.  Now, I also returned for another visit shortly after with Mijune because she wanted to see for herself if it was as good as people have indicated.

So we essentially had the same dishes that I had the first time including the Phở Dặc Biệt.  As you can see on the side, not only was there the usual sprouts, peppers and lime, we also found saw leaf herb.  This is rare to find and relatively expensive.  Back to the pho, the broth wasn't in-your-face impactful.  Rather, it was subtle and clean.  There were notes of sweetness, meatiness and background star anise at the very end.  Meats were good, however the noodles were a bit overdone.  Now the real star of the meal was the Bún Bò Huế due to the incredible broth.  This one was in-your-face with a balanced spiciness to go with equal amounts of fermented shrimpiness.  So aromatic and full of depth.  I wish they had included pork blood and knuckle to make it completely legit, but this was good nonetheless.  Make sure you ask for the thicker lai fun as they default to regular rice noodles if you don't specify.

Trying to get a few different items from my last meal and to also take their recommendations, we got the Deep Fried Squid as well as the House Special Chow Mein.  I'm going to get right to the point about these 2 dishes - they were okay, but hardly something I would drive out to Chilliwack for.  The batter on the squid was a bit too thick for my liking and it wasn't as crunchy as it appeared.  Furthermore, it wasn't seasoned enough.  Mind you, there was a sweet and sour dip served on the side.  The squid itself was tender with an appealing chew.  Despite what I said, the chow mein was still decent and prepared properly.  Noodles were crunchy and there was no shortage of ingredients on top.  I thought the dish was on the milder side, but that wouldn't stop someone from adding vinegar and/or hot sauce.

We had to get a rice dish to make the meal complete, so we also took their recommendation and got the Lemongrass Chicken and Pork Chop on Rice (we added a fried egg too).  Clearly seen in the picture, the meats were aggressively charred and hence there was a caramelized smokiness to go with the ample brine.  I thought the meats were trending to the drier side, but they were still tender.  Rice was prepared right being fluffy while still chewy and not wet. So after 2 visits to Pho Galaxy, it begs the question, is it worth it to drive all the way out to Chilliwack?  Well, if it is for the Bún Bò Huế, specifically the awesome broth, then yes, I would drive out for it.  However, if that doesn't matter to you much, then no, you can stay in town for equally good Pho (like Pho Tam in Surrey).

The Good:
- That Bún Bò Huế broth
- They go saw leaf herb
- Super nice people

The Bad:
- Pho is good, but not mind-blowing
- It is far for those who do not live in Chilliwack or Abbotsford

Bánh Mì Très Bon

Once again, there is another restaurant that people question me: "you haven't been there yet???"...  Yes, I haven't been to Bánh Mì Très Bon and really, it was on a long list of places that I should try.  But as I've said over and over again, there is only that much time and so many places to eat at!  Actually I almost kinda forgot about the place.  However, when Nora suggested we meet up there with Lesley and Joyce, I figured it was as good as any other time to make it out to Richmond...  in rush hour...  Sigh...

Since we had to order food at the counter, we didn't get our dishes organized properly.  Hence, we ended up double-ordering the Tapioca Dumpings filled with pork and shrimp.  It wasn't a bad thing though as they were on point.  The delicate yet chewy exterior of the dumpling was just the right thickness.  Inside, the filling was a nice balance between tender ground pork and whole shrimp that still exhibited a snap.  We also got an order of their Garlic Chicken Wings that were beautifully fried.  They were lightly crisp on the outside with rendered skin while the meat was succulent and juicy.  There was enough seasoning for impact including a balanced garlickiness.

Onto their Pho Tai Bo Vien, the broth was clean and flavourful.  I actually found the broth rather interesting because it wasn't rich per se, but it was aromatic with a deep sweetness accented by the background licorice-flavour of the star anise.  There was also a certain meatiness that was fairly evident.  If there was ever an example of proper texture, the rice noodles here were perfect.  They were chewy but not hard and not clumpy at all.  In addition to the meatballs, the sliced beef was light and tender.  We also had the Pho Ga which was surprisingly impactful.  There was this natural chicken flavour that was sweet with only a modest amount of salt.  Once again, the noodles were perfectly al dente.  In addition to tender slices of chicken, the chicken meatballs were fluffy and really tasty.

Of course we had to order the Banh Mi Trio consisting of meatball, cold cut and chicken.  I found their bread to be a bit different than many of the other ones in the GVRD.  Rather than being crusty with bits shattering all-over-the-place, the bread was firmer and slightly chewier.  However, it worked since it wasn't too dense.  I found the pate to be generously applied, but it was a touch bland.  The meats were on point, especially the meatball since it was moist and nicely spiced.  Our last savoury dish was the Vietnamese Beef Stew served with a baguette.  This was chock full of tender carrots and even more tender beef.  The stewing liquid had a reduced viscosity which meant it wasn't watery.  Flavours were full-bodied with the star anise coming through.  There was also a nice spice level. 

For dessert, we were presented with some complimentary Macarons consisting of raspberry, blueberry, mango and earl grey.  These were no charge since they had lost our original order which meant our food too a bit longer to arrive.  Nice touch on their part to make it up to us!  The macarons were quite good with a crispy exterior giving way to a tender chew.  They were just sweet enough and really did taste like their descriptions.  Overall, I thought the food at Bánh Mì Très Bon was solid and reasonably-priced given the care put into the food.  Nice people too.

The Good:
- Carefully prepared food
- In general, the food tasted great
- Nice people

The Bad:
- When it is busy, tables are hard to come by
- Since it is counter service, this further compounds the problem when it is busy

Vietnamese Tea House

*Restaurant is closed*

I'll be pretty frank here...  When I first drove by Vietnamese Tea House on Hastings, it didn't even register in my subconscious  "I have to eat here" voice.  Similar to bubble tea joints and coffee shops, there seems to be a new or re branded Vietnamese restaurant opening up every now and then.  However, looking over the online reviews, the place seemed to be getting plenty of love.  Then ironically, I was contacted by the owner to try the place out.  So I did, along with Amy, Diana, Elaine, Emily and Karen.

A barrage of appies hit the table including the Bò Tái Chanh (Beef Sashimi on the menu).  This consisted of thinly-sliced rare beef topped with a combination of onions, garlic, fried shallots, cilantro, sugar and lime juice.  The buttery and tender beef was still meaty while the aromatics on top were complimentary.  It was pretty sweet where the amount of lime juice could've been just a tad more aggressive.  Next up the Chả Giò (Pork Spring Rolls) were pretty solid with a crunchy exterior that wasn't oily.  Inside, the somewhat firmly packed filling was tender and well-seasoned.  I would've liked to see rice paper used here, but it wasn't a deal-breaker.

We were also served one each of the Garlic Butter Chicken Wings and Honey Garlic Chicken Wings.  Despite being doused with a bit too much sauce, the wings were still crispy with rendered skin.  Underneath, the meat was fairly succulent.  I personally enjoyed the butter garlic more as it was impactful with aromatics and a touch of spice.  The side of lemon pepper dip was very peppery and added even more flavour.  Piled high, the Green Papaya Salad with beef jerky was texturally on point.  The crunch of the papaya and carrots was appealing while the beef jerky added a robustness.  There was plenty of dressing underneath which was mostly sweet with some saltiness from the fish sauce.  In the background, there was a slow rumble of spice.

The best appie of all was the Stir-Fried Corn and Shrimp.  Apparently, this is served exclusively as a street food in Vietnam (specifically in Saigon).  Well, we are in Vancouver, so served in a restaurant it is!  Beyond the sweet pop of the niblets, there was a buttery garlickiness that was addictive.  Add in the meaty and briny shrimp and there was a certain amount of umaminess that kept us wanting more.  Such a simple item, yet at the same time, appetizing.

Onto the mains, I sampled the Bun Bo Hue first and it featured slippery, yet chewy lai fun noodles.  There was a decent amount of meat that was sliced thin and tender.  I would've liked to see the traditional pork knuckle and pork's blood, but that didn't make or break the dish.  As for the broth, it was mildly spicy with a noted sweetness.  There could've been a touch more lemongrass though.  Of course we couldn't do with the baseline or standard in the Pho Dac Biet.  The broth was clean and clear having an almost healthy quality to it.  It was mild with a balanced amount of sweetness and saltiness.  There was a background meatiness as well.  Even after all of our picture-taking, the noodles were still on point being chewy and not clumpy.  A fantastic value at $8.50 including tax!

Now those 2 bowls of noodles were fine, but the real deal was the Crab Pho with crab protein.  This was intoxicatingly aromatic and briny.  The soup was flavourful without being salty.  Rather, it really tasted like crab and hence seafoody.  The noodles were on point again while the shrimp was meaty.  Loved the clumps of crab protein which was flavourful and fluffy.  Served as a large portion, the Beef and Chicken Vermicelli Bowl was solid.  It featured chewy noodles topped with a considerable amount of meat.  I found the chicken to be nicely charred with rendered skin.  It wasn't juicy, but was tender.  The beef was also caramelized and decently tender.

One of the weaker dishes was the Chicken Curry.  Although the thin curry was to be expected (Vietnamese Style), the flavour was also lacking in impact.  There was not much in the way of discernible flavours or spice.  The chicken was moist though and the potatoes were soft yet not melted.  The Banh Mi with Grilled Beef was decent with crunchy and chewy bread.  Inside, the beef was similar to vermicelli bowl being caramelized and fully seasoned.  It was sweet with a slight saltiness.  As you can see, the food at VTH is pretty solid.  We also tried some of their slushes and they were smooth and tasty.  Prices are currently very reasonable where they include tax.  The place might be rather unassuming, but it is definitely a hidden gem.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Overall solid eats
- Reasonable, bordering on cheap prices
- Super nice people

The Bad:
- A few items could use a bit more refinement, but really, for those prices, complaints are far and few in between

Love for Pho

Sometimes a quick meal doesn't have to involve a drive-thru or a food fair in a mall.  For those who know, grabbing some Pho can be pretty time efficient and easy on the wallet (although the prices are creeping up there).  So with not much time to spare, we were driving up Kingsway in search of Vietnamese.  Well, that is as easy as stumbling on a Trump joke on social media.  However, we were nearing Boundary and the selection gets a bit thin until you reach Metrotown.  But there was a new spot in Love for Pho.

We ended up with our usual Pho Dac Biet and it was full of ingredients including an inordinate amount of tendon (which was soft with still a bite).  The rest of the meats were fairly good where the brisket was fatty and soft.  As for the broth, it was clean with mild flavours including the sweetness of daikon and a faint anise finish.  The noodles were plentiful and still chewy.  My son loves Lemongrass Chicken with rice, so yes that's what he had.  It featured chewy rice with shredded pork and a large piece of deboned leg.  It was succulent and juicy, but lacking in impact.  We thought there a more aggressive marinate was necessary as well as more charring to the fatty skin.

We also got my son's other favourite dish being the Beef Stew with bread.  Hidden underneath the onions were a plethora of super tender melt-in-our-mouths beef shank.  The tendon portion of the meat was partially melted which meant the meat was barely chewy.  In terms of taste, the broth was not overly fatty nor seasoned, but there was a noticeable meatiness combined with 5 spice, anise and the sweetness of carrots.  Sticking with bread, we ordered the Banh Mi Dac Biet, which was quite good.  The crusty bread was not overly dense inside while there was enough ingredients to balance.  Add in the pate and the drops of Maggi and the sandwich was tasty.  Overall, we found the meal good, but the flavours could've been stronger.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Okay portions

The Bad:
- Flavours could be more impactful
- Service is fine, but sparse   

Pho Goodness

There are times when the only person, other than myself, who feels the need to grab some nutrition after hockey is Milhouse.  Ah yes, ever-so-dependable or maybe he is just constantly hungry? Well whatever the case, this was the situation as we had just finished up hockey and no one else wanted food.  Aren't they hungry???  So we decided to hit up The Ramenman, just to find out they were closed for renos (they are open now).  So we did the next best thing and grabbed some Vietnamese at Pho Goodness.

We shared the Grilled Pork Banh Mi to start and even before taking one bite, we knew the bread would be subpar.  It ate every bit as chewy and stiff as it appeared.  In fact, the texture of the bread overshadowed the nicely charred pork.  The fatty slices were well-marinated being sweet with some saltiness.  For his main, Milhouse had the Bo Kho with rice.  Again, the visuals didn't instill a lot of confidence as colour was very light and lacked depth.  Yep, the flavours were indeed weak with only the sweetness of sugar as the dominant seasoning.  The chunks of beef shank ranged from tender to downright chewy.

For myself, I had the Pho Dac Biet which was pretty sweet as well.  In fact, other than a background star anise flavour, the broth was overly flavourful from the sodium.  On a positive note, the meats were plentiful, sliced thin and tender.  Noodles were good too in terms of portion and being chewy and not clumpy.  I also got the Lemongrass Chicken with rice and this dish was the best of the bunch.  It featured 2 large pieces of well-charred dark meat that was super juicy and well-marinated.  The rice was dry and chewy.  From the 4 dishes we tried, it was a bit hit and miss.  Okay considering the location, but then again, there are more and more choices for Vietnamese food in the Downtown core (Pho Central only a few stores down).

The Good:
- Well-priced for Downtown
- Okay eats

The Bad:
- Hit and miss

Pho Triple 8

It was a cold and stormy night...  No, I'm not quoting the often used phrase by English-novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton.  But yes, it was indeed cold (snowing) and we were hungry.  Let me rephrase that, the kids were hungry and not afraid of letting us know about it.  We were on our way home from Cloverdale and driving through Surrey (specifically Guildford) and a hot bowl of Pho seemed like a good plan.  Rather than going to the usual places, we stopped by Pho Triple 8 to give it try.

Steaming hot, Viv's Pho Dac Biet was decent on the noodle content, but it was light on the meat.  In terms of execution, the noodles were appealingly chewy despite being clumpy to start.  The modest amount of sliced meats were not particularly tender nor moist.  As for the broth, it was fairly light and clean, but noticeably sweet with a star anise finish.  For my Bun Bo Hue, it almost seemed like they ran out of lai fun noodles as I needed to call for search and rescue because they were so hard to find.  The same could be said about the meats as well, but I did appreciate the pieces of pig feet.  I did enjoy the broth though as it was seafoody with a light spice while completely aromatic.

For the kiddies, they shared the Lemongrass Chicken with Rice where I added an extra fried egg for good measure.  Unfortunately, they completely obliterated the eggs where they were completely cooked including the yolks.  The 2 large pieces of lemongrass chicken were nicely marinated where the meat was succulent and flavourful from the brine.  The skin could've used more charring and rendering though. Although the food was pretty average overall, the fact we warmed up and the kids got their fill, it was a decent experience.  But for others, I can see the lack of substance as a major problem.

The Good:
- Food is okay in taste and appearance
- Friendly enough people

The Bad:
- Lacking in noodles and meat
- A minor detail, but the egg was cooked completely wrong

Thai Hang 2

Due to the diagonal path of Kingsway, it makes for some interesting buildings lining the street from start to finish.  One particular location is the building that houses the second location of Thai Hang Vietnamese.  Essentially 2 storefronts combined into one, the odd triangular shape makes for a strange dining space.  This was especially true for its past tenants such as Red Fort and Khyber Pass.  Trying to get the attention of the wait staff was nearly impossible as they were in a separate room.

Well, we weren't too concerned with service or the odd shape of the restaurant when we stopped in for a quick bite.  In fact, I don't recall ever being that picky with any Vietnamese restaurant since they often take over other restaurants.  We started off with the Butter Garlic Wings that sported a thin almost tempura-like batter.  Hence, the exterior was lightly crisp while the skin was not rendered at all.  The good news was the juicy and well-seasoned meat underneath, but the rest of the wings were not very flavourful.  For my main, I tried the Luc Lac Beef which was pretty bland.  There was very little impact and flavour while the chunks of beef were rather chewy.  The version at Phnom Penh kicks this one in every way.

The kiddies shared the Lemongrass Chicken with Rice (where we added 2 fried eggs).  This was a pretty good dish consisting of sweet charred chicken that was sufficiently moist.  On the other hand, the lemongrass was definitely overwhelmed by the amount of sugar used in the marinade.  Of course we also got an order of Pho which featured a very mild broth that was lightly sweet.  It could've used more meatiness and maybe more star anise.  Meats were okay though.  I guess that pretty much sums up the food here as the real draw is their Bo 7 Mon.  That will be another day and I'm sure will be more exciting than the meal we had this time.

The Good:
- "Okay" eats
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Not particularly memorable
- Flavours could've been more impactful 

Lotus, The Place for Pho Lovers

Originally, Vandelay and I were hoping to check out Daddy's Delight Pizza for some eats.  No, we didn't drive all the way to Richmond for some slice pizza.  We are nuts, but not completely out of our minds.  If there was the case, we would've rode up in a scooter (a la Dumb & Dumber) right in the middle of Richmond rush hour.  Despite the descriptive name, the place actually serves up Persian food, in particular, kebabs.  Well, it was a fail as the place was not open yet.  So as a consolation, we went across the street to Lotus for some Pho.

From the menu, the Butter Garlic Fried Chicken Wings sounded appetizing, so we gave it a go.  Unfortunately, the wings were lacking impact and overall flavour where all I could taste was a fading background garlickiness.   There needed to be more salt and yes, more garlic for these wings to taste good.  However, the wings themselves were fried crunchy with a relatively moist interior.  As for the Pho, it was a hearty portion, but the meats were somewhat meager, albeit tender.  The noodles were toothsome and plentiful, so it would be assumed the whole thing was good right?  Not really because the soup was far too sweet in our opinion.  Although clean-tasting, it wasn't balanced.

Lastly, we had the Bo Kho with a banh mi.  Although the broth was thin and trending towards the sweeter side, it did exhibit body and impact.  The chunks of brisket were on point being fatty, buttery and melt-in-our-mouths tender.  The baguette was nicely toasted being crusty outside and airy inside. This was the best dish of the 3 we tried.  Despite this, the other 2 were "alright" but, didn't encourage us to come back and try more dishes.  On the other hand, the stuff was decent enough for someone looking for a quick meal.

The Good:
- Decent service
- Okay eats

The Bad:
- A touch pricey
- Flavours could be more balanced