Pho Vinh is beside my friend’s new favorite Japanese restaurant in Surrey called Maguro. So I’ve seen it a bunch of times recently, but haven’t gone in. I decided to give it a try. Sadly, the place was empty at 6 PM when we went it. They had people by the cash register prepping ingredients like garlic, but I actually see this at other Vietnamese restaurants too. This place seemed a lot less dingy and dirty than other Vietnamese restaurants that I go to.
We sat down, and looked at the menu. They had your normal Vietnamese fare, a bunch of pho’s, vermicelli dishes, riche dishes, spring rolls, salad rolls, skewers, and coffees. We both decided on getting what we always order, a Large Pho with Brisket and rate Steak – #11 this time. One thing that caught my eye on this menu is that different pho’s cost different amounts. They also charged you more for take out. That’s a bit strange.
We got our food a few minutes later and it came with the standard bean sprouts, jalepenos, lime, and herbs, and they also gave you the special sauce, without asking! That made me happy.
I had my first sip of the broth, and sad to say it but it was not as good as Pho Tau Bay‘s. One I tried that, I knew it was the best broth that I’ve ever tried. This didn’t hit me like that. It was good, but not the best. One thing that I liked about this place was that it gave a lot of noodles and meat. It was a perfect match. By the end of my bowl I didn’t have extra of any. The noodles seemed to be a little hard, but that was just because it was all tangled up tightly. It was cooked properly, but it was difficult to get at my first bite of noodles. The brisket was cooked well, and the steak was very raw by the time it got to me, but of course cooked when dunked under the pho broth for a little bit.
In the end, I don’t think I’d stray away from Pho Tau Bay. It was good, but not the best. I may come back to Pho Vinh if I wanted to try another dish. The rice dish that I had at Pho Tau Bay wasn’t that good. This place is also was cleaner. They also take debit and cash, but not credit cards.
Pho Vinh
10090 152nd Street
Surrey, BC
(604) 957-2669
