Foods from Pho Thi
Comments
2013 Dec 29
I agree that the place could use a good cleaning. The service is not very attentive. It is well located, not sure why they don't put more effort. It used to be one of my favourite Vietnamese spot in Ottawa. Now, it's really only if we are in the are and don't feel like extremely greasy options such as MCDonald's, Denny's or chains like Boston Pizza or Montana's.
Today, I had the pork chop and fried egg on rice with a side of salad. The salad looked withered but was chopped thin and mixed with cucumber. The pork chop was good, it was well grilled. They could have trimmed the 1 inch cube of fat before serving it though.
Others had the chow mein with assorted meats. There was a lot of noodles but the veggies were a weak mix of cabbage, sliced carrots and onions with a couple of broccoli. There were a couple of slices of chicken, beef and pork respectively.
The pho with rare beef and beef brisket came with a lot fatty pieces instead of beef brisket. That is what my husband had which is too bad because I have been pushing for us to come here and check it out again but I might not be able justify a visit in the near future based on today's experience.
Today, I had the pork chop and fried egg on rice with a side of salad. The salad looked withered but was chopped thin and mixed with cucumber. The pork chop was good, it was well grilled. They could have trimmed the 1 inch cube of fat before serving it though.
Others had the chow mein with assorted meats. There was a lot of noodles but the veggies were a weak mix of cabbage, sliced carrots and onions with a couple of broccoli. There were a couple of slices of chicken, beef and pork respectively.
The pho with rare beef and beef brisket came with a lot fatty pieces instead of beef brisket. That is what my husband had which is too bad because I have been pushing for us to come here and check it out again but I might not be able justify a visit in the near future based on today's experience.
2011 May 24
My band mate and I stopped in at Pho Thi before practice this afternoon for a quick bite.
My buddy ordered a chicken ginger stir fry, and I had the vermicelli with shrimp spring rolls.
I'm not going to editorialize too much on these.
My vermicelli was good. Nice mint, fish sauce, sprouts, marinated onions (YESS!), couple of veggies and the spring roll itself was very tasty. Crispy, flavorful and filled with a decent amount of shrimp.
My buddy ordered a chicken ginger stir fry, and I had the vermicelli with shrimp spring rolls.
I'm not going to editorialize too much on these.
My vermicelli was good. Nice mint, fish sauce, sprouts, marinated onions (YESS!), couple of veggies and the spring roll itself was very tasty. Crispy, flavorful and filled with a decent amount of shrimp.
2011 May 24
I tried the stir fry. It was good. Best of all, the service was super fast. Not the friendliest service, but it was fast and the food was pretty good.
My vermicelli was 12.40 after tax. Not a bad price. That being said, this is some of the cheapest food with a high profit margin, so it is still expensive. But so is all prepared food. Moot point, I know.
My vermicelli was 12.40 after tax. Not a bad price. That being said, this is some of the cheapest food with a high profit margin, so it is still expensive. But so is all prepared food. Moot point, I know.
2010 Nov 17
Just a note about one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants...
My husband and I often go to Pho Thi on Merivale Road in Ottawa for a quick and cheap bowl of soup. It is always really tasty, and we usually simply share their largest size bowl of Chicken or Beef Broth, with whatever meat in it. The menu is kind of funny that way, there is every combo you can think of except the obvious ones... So if you want beef in beef broth, you have to ask them for beef in chicken broth, and substitute the chicken broth for beef ha ha, and oddly not the other way around. But whatever. The point is, it's really good, it fills both of us up for a while, and costs 11 bucks. We never get entrees, just the soup. If we're really hungry, have nothing at home, and want to eat really fast, we go there... the soup is on the table within 5 minutes of ordering!
We have noticed some of the same changes that other people posting about the soup... since they changed the pork in the soup as 'happy mouth blog' mentions in his post, we no longer get it. Mostly we order P27, P01, and P01 subbing beef for chicken broth lol... Also, we used to always ask them to add mushrooms to the soup, which they used to do for a dollar, but the last time we did that (a year ago) they told us they wouldn't, and when we "insisted", they charged us an extra $3.50 and only put quite literally 2 mushrooms sliced in the largest size bowl. We were kind of put off and didn't go back for a while, but we've been going back again because the soup is so good and it's so close to us!
My husband and I often go to Pho Thi on Merivale Road in Ottawa for a quick and cheap bowl of soup. It is always really tasty, and we usually simply share their largest size bowl of Chicken or Beef Broth, with whatever meat in it. The menu is kind of funny that way, there is every combo you can think of except the obvious ones... So if you want beef in beef broth, you have to ask them for beef in chicken broth, and substitute the chicken broth for beef ha ha, and oddly not the other way around. But whatever. The point is, it's really good, it fills both of us up for a while, and costs 11 bucks. We never get entrees, just the soup. If we're really hungry, have nothing at home, and want to eat really fast, we go there... the soup is on the table within 5 minutes of ordering!
We have noticed some of the same changes that other people posting about the soup... since they changed the pork in the soup as 'happy mouth blog' mentions in his post, we no longer get it. Mostly we order P27, P01, and P01 subbing beef for chicken broth lol... Also, we used to always ask them to add mushrooms to the soup, which they used to do for a dollar, but the last time we did that (a year ago) they told us they wouldn't, and when we "insisted", they charged us an extra $3.50 and only put quite literally 2 mushrooms sliced in the largest size bowl. We were kind of put off and didn't go back for a while, but we've been going back again because the soup is so good and it's so close to us!
2010 Oct 23
Happy Mouth Blog, I visited today and came away with the same view that something has changed here. The service staff seem to have changed completely from those who were here for the past several years. Maybe the owners are focused on opening new places (e.g. la Cuisine Pacific Rim
) and are neglecting this place because it's still packed at lunch time?
Our pho-accompaniment plate came with blackish, wilted basil and cilantro leaves. When we pointed this out to our server, she explained that it happened because they were washed in very cold water and all of the customers were getting them like that. Not really a valid explanation, and it was clear that we couldn't trade them in for an improvement.
The Gỏi Cuốn (Summer Roll) was tiny, bland, expensive, and contained some cabbage that had turned brown -- maybe they washed that in cold water too? ;-) Not recommended at all.
The Spring Rolls were good, with the nice shrimp flavour I mentioned before.
The Phở was still quite good, but my wife commented that it just doesn't compare to what one gets somewhere like Pho Bo Ga 1.
All in all, this is a good choice if you find yourself wanting soup on Merivale, but no longer worth driving across Nepean for.
Our pho-accompaniment plate came with blackish, wilted basil and cilantro leaves. When we pointed this out to our server, she explained that it happened because they were washed in very cold water and all of the customers were getting them like that. Not really a valid explanation, and it was clear that we couldn't trade them in for an improvement.
The Gỏi Cuốn (Summer Roll) was tiny, bland, expensive, and contained some cabbage that had turned brown -- maybe they washed that in cold water too? ;-) Not recommended at all.
The Spring Rolls were good, with the nice shrimp flavour I mentioned before.
The Phở was still quite good, but my wife commented that it just doesn't compare to what one gets somewhere like Pho Bo Ga 1.
All in all, this is a good choice if you find yourself wanting soup on Merivale, but no longer worth driving across Nepean for.
2010 Sep 28
I eat here once a month and have for over two years. I order the same thing every time...pork and shrimp rice wraps A05 and Hu Tien with shrimp and bbq pork and rice noodle small H07.
This used to be my favorite pho joint. I Think they have changed hands or something in the last six to eight months. They have started to cut back on little things, but in pho, that means a lot. The bbq pork is now sliced paper thin. It loses it's taste and texture. They used to have fat slices. The wraps now come with a thick gloppy peanut sauce, very commercial. Used to be thin which I preferred for dipping. the wraps are also presented different than in other pho places. They are cut in two so you have four pieces and topped with napa cabbage that has a vinegar sugar dressing and then beautiful pink pickled onions are put on top. They still present this way but there is far less topping. They have also cut back on the plate of fixin's that come with a bowl of pho. These are just little things I guess, but the pho is no longer my fav in the city. I'm not sure why they would do this as the place is always full.
Last time I was in...last week....it was a bit dirty. Lots of flies.
Does anyone know what happened here?
This used to be my favorite pho joint. I Think they have changed hands or something in the last six to eight months. They have started to cut back on little things, but in pho, that means a lot. The bbq pork is now sliced paper thin. It loses it's taste and texture. They used to have fat slices. The wraps now come with a thick gloppy peanut sauce, very commercial. Used to be thin which I preferred for dipping. the wraps are also presented different than in other pho places. They are cut in two so you have four pieces and topped with napa cabbage that has a vinegar sugar dressing and then beautiful pink pickled onions are put on top. They still present this way but there is far less topping. They have also cut back on the plate of fixin's that come with a bowl of pho. These are just little things I guess, but the pho is no longer my fav in the city. I'm not sure why they would do this as the place is always full.
Last time I was in...last week....it was a bit dirty. Lots of flies.
Does anyone know what happened here?
2010 Apr 4
-Good pho & spring rolls, minimal MSG used in cooking
-I wish they had the special scotch bonnet peppers marinated in vinegar that they have at some Pho restaurants.
-Expensive, but I guess it is typical pricing for Ottawa standards. Pho ranges from $4-5 for a small in Toronto. Here it is more.
-I wish they had the special scotch bonnet peppers marinated in vinegar that they have at some Pho restaurants.
-Expensive, but I guess it is typical pricing for Ottawa standards. Pho ranges from $4-5 for a small in Toronto. Here it is more.
Older
2010 May 8
There weren’t really ever (and still aren’t) many good places to eat in the West End of Ottawa. The good restaurants seem to be concentrated everywhere else…
…Except for this little find (as well as a shortlist of a few other spots). It’s a fairly new place on Merivale that stands out in the likes of my taste buds. In my opinion this place actually competes in flavor, portion sizes and …pause…service, of course! LOL
Contrary to the name, this spot doesn’t just serve Pho…which I can really respect! There’s nothing worse than going somewhere where you only have one choice.
This place serves rice dishes, main entrees (stir fry), vermicelli, pho, interesting appetizers, bubble tea and dessert. Overall, the ingredients are fresh and flavorful, the service is PHENOMENALLY fast and the price is really close to Chinatown prices.
Honestly, one of my favorite things about this place (aside from the great food) was the fact that I felt more trust for it than I do for most of the spots I’ve been to in Chinatown. (eeek, sorry if that offends some people, but it’s just how I feel).
Bonne Appétit!
Pho Thi gets my thumbs up and two lip smacks! Go try it!
…Except for this little find (as well as a shortlist of a few other spots). It’s a fairly new place on Merivale that stands out in the likes of my taste buds. In my opinion this place actually competes in flavor, portion sizes and …pause…service, of course! LOL
Contrary to the name, this spot doesn’t just serve Pho…which I can really respect! There’s nothing worse than going somewhere where you only have one choice.
This place serves rice dishes, main entrees (stir fry), vermicelli, pho, interesting appetizers, bubble tea and dessert. Overall, the ingredients are fresh and flavorful, the service is PHENOMENALLY fast and the price is really close to Chinatown prices.
Honestly, one of my favorite things about this place (aside from the great food) was the fact that I felt more trust for it than I do for most of the spots I’ve been to in Chinatown. (eeek, sorry if that offends some people, but it’s just how I feel).
Bonne Appétit!
Pho Thi gets my thumbs up and two lip smacks! Go try it!
2007 Jan 19
I tried the spring rolls once here but didn't like them much and never ordered them again. But... on my most recent visit I ordered the shrimp spring rolls and was pleased! Sure, they're greasy, but the flavour was nice (mildly shrimpy) and they did a wonderful job of appeasing my growling and ornery stomach as it impatiently awaited baptism by soup.
RiceLover