Kim Po

Kim Po Vietnamese Restaurant (550 Highway 7 East, Richmond Hill, Ontario)

905-763-8338

Hours: 

Mon - Fri: 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Sat - Sun: 10 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

I remember going to this place before the renovations. It looks waaaay better now than it used to. 

Rare beef and beef ball pho (half eaten).

The broth a lot of flavour, and the noodles are cooked just right. 

Jo's order looked really good. That bread-type stuff was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with just a slight bit of chewiness.

Would I return? Yes. The pho prices are more or less standard (around $6-7) and I wouldn't mind trying their other stuff. I enjoy the pho soup.

Pho Hung

Pho Hung (350 Spadina Avenue, Toronto)

416-593-4274

There was a bowl of chilli peppers on the table before we arrived. Of course, such a thing would tempt someone to eat them raw.

#3 small beef brisket and rare beef pho ($6)

The beef was indeed rare, and it was also soft. I liked the strong flavour of the broth, and the noodles were pretty filling. 

Would I return? Sure. The pho is decently priced and has good flavour. Service is efficient, as it is in many Asian places. 

Top Saigon

Top Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant (550 Highway 7 East, Richmond Hill, Ontario)

905-886-3893

I finally found the name of this restaurant. I no longer have to refer to it as the pho place at Times Square Mall.

Some sort of curry seafood noodles in broth.

I almost always get the grilled oysters whenever I go here.

They're pretty big and super garlic-flavoured. 

Would I return? Yep. If for nothing else, I'd go back for the grilled oysters.

Total damage: I can't remember. This was from a long time ago.

Pho Vietnamese Delight

Pho Vietnamese Delight (5533 Yonge Street, North York, Ontario)

416-229-4321

Small rare beef and beef ball pho. 

The first thing I noticed is how fast the pho came out. Simon had to wait a little longer for his curry. As you can see from the picture, the beef in the soup was really rare. But beef cooks quickly and simply dunking it in the soup was enough to finish cooking it. I preferred this to overcooked slices of beef. There were a lot of green onion bits and minimal oil droplets floating at the top of the soup. The broth had a pretty strong taste. I thought there was quite a bit of noodles in my small, but Renée and Simon thought that there are more noodles at Pho 88. Just as well, I was so full after this meal that I couldn't sit up straight anymore. 

Simon had ordered a curry with rice. Renée could smell the coconut coming from the curry. The curry wasn't really spicy at all. The rice looked a bit soggy. Simon noticed that the chicken was cold. When he told the staff, they took both the curry and rice away and brought him a new batch. The new rice was still soggy, but that wasn't his initial complaint anyway - the new chicken curry was steaming. Renée was impressed that they were so compliant to Simon's complaint. She expected them to argue with him. 

Would I return? Maybe. I'd probably stick with the pho though, than order their curry. It's fast and filling. Also, their cartoon cow logo amuses me.

Total damage: $7-something.