Pho Metro
Pho Metro is a reliable spot for deals on Vietnamese pho, vermicelli, and steamed rice meals.
The space adjoins Banh Mi Metro, run by the same family, where diners often grab snacks and steamed buns to go after dining in on soup.
This means the spot is roughly bisected, with tables for seating for both spots lined up throughout both spaces and a wall with pillars in the centre.
Complimentary metal pots of hot tea poured into tiny white cups start the traditional process of warming up your stomach.
Vermicelli with grilled chicken and a spring roll ($10.45) consists of a gleaming white bowl of very thin, round, white rice noodles topped with the meat and bean sprouts, herbs, julienned carrot and cucumber and of course that crispy spring roll.
The noodles are sticky until doused with a bit of acidic side sauce which the spring roll can also be dipped into.
It’s pre-sliced with two cuts, the interior filled with starchy noodles and velvety, dense minced meat, the exterior golden, bubbly and crunchy.
Rice with grilled chicken, beef and fried egg ($12) comes with a scoop of rice and carrot, cucumber and tomato that freshen up the rich plate.
The edges of the fried egg are crispy and bubbly, the yolk a little hard, the meats pounded out flat and heavily seasoned.
House special noodle soup, like all pho, ranges from a reasonable $8.45 for a small bowl to $11.45 for a giant extra large bowl.
With flat white rice noodles and rare beef, brisket, beef balls and frilly tripe, it’s served with the typical accompaniments of bean sprouts, basil, and lime, green onion already scattered on top.
Add provided hot sauce and hoisin to taste for the traditional modulation of spice and richness. Pho is all about creating your own personal comforting bowl of goodness, the hard work of boiling broth taken care of while you get the fun, aromatic job of tearing herbs and scattering crunchy sprouts.
The soup has a fragrant warmth to it, with slight sweetness and fattiness that all great pho broths tend to have, warming to the core. The beef balls are pretty small, but there’s a good amount of meat overall, the brisket and rare beef thinly sliced and tender.
There are about half a dozen options for lunch specials with great value available daily, and you get 10 per cent off when you pay cash.
Hector Vasquez