Foods from Bien Pho
Comments
2019 Sep 29
I am new at posting here but my wife and I have been going to Bien Pho for almost ten years. It is still open and thriving and we are glad about that because we enjoy the food.
We have met the main cook and she is Vietnamese, not Chinese. You feel quite safe eating here as forty percent of his customers are armed, as in RCMP.
Our favorite dishes are Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio and Bun Bo Hue. We have tried these at other restaurants and prefer the Bien Pho versions.
The owner has brightened up the place but it is still a hole in the wall in a strip mall so the ambiance is nothing special, but we will keep going back because of the food.
We have met the main cook and she is Vietnamese, not Chinese. You feel quite safe eating here as forty percent of his customers are armed, as in RCMP.
Our favorite dishes are Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio and Bun Bo Hue. We have tried these at other restaurants and prefer the Bien Pho versions.
The owner has brightened up the place but it is still a hole in the wall in a strip mall so the ambiance is nothing special, but we will keep going back because of the food.
2010 Aug 6
This place is disastrous :( The place is owned by Lebanese people and their one cook is Chinese I believe. I am sorry to say this but there is nothing authentic or delicious about their food. Leave the Vietnamese food to the Vietnamese cooks please.
And contrary to what some people have heard, pho truly is originally from Vietnam not China. The rice noodles is theorized to be originated from China is all.
And contrary to what some people have heard, pho truly is originally from Vietnam not China. The rice noodles is theorized to be originated from China is all.
2007 Jul 7
Your comments put a smile on my face....
As you must know, both Lebanon and Vietnam have been French colonies before.... and good French Lebanese food is quite spectacular (Kamal’s in the Glebe was a small cosmos of that…) ... I have lived in Beirut before.... And so is France’s influence on viet food...
Pho is a chinese influenced viet dish and specifically southern chinese. It is basically street food in Vietnam... I have not been so can only comment from the stuff I have eating in Canada and restaurateurs that I have spoken with....
Actually there was an interesting viet restaurant in Ottawa that had non-street dishes for viet food, which ends up being like bland Thai... very good... bland thai because the cantonese like bland foods essentially, just fresh bland food... Anyone know of any place like that? …. not Mee Xim… I have been there….
Anyway... I think it's quite a creative find, this Bien Pho... and one should interrogate the owners a little more... just cause they were arguing is well... nothing to do with the food... Even mauvaise but creative pho might be more interesting that no pho… How was the soup stock?
I have a story about the best soup buns in HongKong where I saw the chef run out at 3am chasing the waiter with a cleaver!!! Hahaha, just like out of a Bruce Lee movie....
As you must know, both Lebanon and Vietnam have been French colonies before.... and good French Lebanese food is quite spectacular (Kamal’s in the Glebe was a small cosmos of that…) ... I have lived in Beirut before.... And so is France’s influence on viet food...
Pho is a chinese influenced viet dish and specifically southern chinese. It is basically street food in Vietnam... I have not been so can only comment from the stuff I have eating in Canada and restaurateurs that I have spoken with....
Actually there was an interesting viet restaurant in Ottawa that had non-street dishes for viet food, which ends up being like bland Thai... very good... bland thai because the cantonese like bland foods essentially, just fresh bland food... Anyone know of any place like that? …. not Mee Xim… I have been there….
Anyway... I think it's quite a creative find, this Bien Pho... and one should interrogate the owners a little more... just cause they were arguing is well... nothing to do with the food... Even mauvaise but creative pho might be more interesting that no pho… How was the soup stock?
I have a story about the best soup buns in HongKong where I saw the chef run out at 3am chasing the waiter with a cleaver!!! Hahaha, just like out of a Bruce Lee movie....
2007 Jul 6
This should be called "Mauvaise Pho". It was a disaster. We were in the area and had a coupon so we thought we would try it. First indication of the lack of authenticity is that the owners are Lebanese not even Asian. They were arguing when we got there and to top it off didn't come to us with a menu for 10 minutes. The food was disappointing to say the least. The chicken was not even grilled, it was greasy Shawarma ... I would bet money on it. NEVER AGAIN! Go at your own risk or if you have a less than distinguishing palette.
2017 Aug 12
I lived in Asia for 12 years and have had excellent Vietnamese food across Canada as well. The food at Bien Pho is definitely not classic Vietnamese -- it's an odd foreigners' version. We had a vermicelli bowl with "grilled pork" that wasn't really grilled and spring rolls that were more Thai style than Vietnamese. It was pretty "meh". I assume it was the Lebanese owner who served us. He was pleasant enough but I had to go to the back to find him and ask for water, additional fish sauce, etc. My friend and I were truly disappointed with the place.
James C.
Yeah.......that....that's not the case for me then.