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Target 6: Pho Thai Luong
Address: 1365 Kingsway St (map)
Phone: 604-879-2829
Menu: Page 1
Price: $6.50 small; $7.50 large
Condiments Photo

Visit date: January 9th, 2007
Visit time: 8:30 PM

–ratings–

Jason’s ratings (#2 rare beef) –

Broth: 7/10
Beef: 7.5/10
Noodle: 9/10
Condiments: 8/10
Other factors (service, atmosphere, etc): 6.5/10

Jason’s total: 7.6/10

Dan’s ratings (#5 rare beef and well-done fank) –

Broth: 8/10
Beef: 7.5/10
Noodle: 7/10
Condiments: 6/10
Other factors: 6/10

Dan’s total: 6.9/10

Total Score (averaged across both raters, all variables) = 7.25/10
Quality per dollar (based on large pho) = .97/$
—

Description from Jason:

Before I start this write-up, I have something to confess: I’m really not that familiar with Northern Vietnamese food. It’s not intentional on my part – for a variety of reasons, many of them political, restaurants serving Southern Vietnamese food are simply easier to come by. It’s for this very reason that one should give Pho Thai Luong a shot – it’s different than most of the pho places out there. That and it’s pretty damn good.

Pho Thai Luong’s interior is a little weird, containing an optical illusion that makes the room appear twice as small as it really is. The Fishman and I were absolutely certain we were sitting next to a mirror when in fact there are actually two identical dining rooms divided by an opening that mimics a mirror. The uneasiness this caused us was easily assuaged by the friendly and informative server who kindly went over the differences between North and South Vietnamese cuisine with us. We both ordered pho, of course, and the show began.

The first thing to note about Northern Vietnamese pho is that it doesn’t come with the condiments most expect. In fact, it only comes with lime and spicy pickled onion. Clearly there’s not much to report, but for what it’s worth, the lime was fresh and the onions were pleasantly sour and spicy, two flavors I certainly don’t mind mingling with my pho. The pho broth was very good with that deep meatiness you just can’t fake, but not much with the typical pho aroma. I’d reckon a different set of spices than I’m used to were used, but I’m just not good enough to identify them. The noodles were excellent, full of bite and not all clumpy. I wasn’t as huge of a fan of the meat, fresh and raw when added to the pho but simply was just very little of it. Maybe I’m spoiled by other pho restaurants, but I just can’t help but feel a little bamboozled when I’m paying $7.50 for a large pho and there are only 4-5 slices of beef in it.

My take home message with Pho Thai Long is it serves a decent bowl of pho in a style that is fairly unique among the usual pho haunts. I recommend giving it a try for the unique condiments alone. But at $7.50 a bowl, the value is somewhat lacking.