Pho Phu Thinh

Wanting a snack before dinner since The Keg does not open until 5:00pm (one of those junk food for breakfast and lunch kind of days), my friend and I thought to grab some noodles. It was so hard not ordering wings or a rice dish since we did not want to spoil our appetites. By the way, bun bo hue is my favourite and a must order at any Vietnamese restaurant. Pho Phu Trinh is located in Coquitlam and has comfortable seating arrangements. Also, the restaurant is fairly clean.

BUN BO HUE, THICK VERMICELLI IN SPICY SOUP WITH WELL DONE FLANK, BEEF SHANK, PORK HAM AND CHICKEN BALL, LARGE ($8.80).

The bun bo hue looks so… plain, and I prefer slices of ham than rectangular boxes. The broth has a nice mild settled spiciness but tastes plain, with no hint of lemongrass or flavour. Some onions would have been nice too and pork hock but hey, maybe I should not be greedy. Screw it, I wanted shrimp paste as well. The noodles taste perfectly cooked and has a pleasant chewiness but meh, what is the point if the broth sucks lacks. The slices of meat also tastes overcooked, unfortunately chewy as well as dry.

PHO TAI, NOODLE SOUP WITH SLICED RARE BEEF AND BEEF BALL, LARGE ($7.80). 

The soup base has a light beefy broth taste and is served hot, which I appreciate considering that sometimes it is served warm by the time it comes out from the kitchen. The noodles taste perfectly cooked and have a slight chewiness. However, the meats again, taste chewy and dry.

BEAN SPROUTS, CORIANDER, LIME AND JALAPENO.

POSITIVES

- Perfectly cooked noodles
- Food is served hot

NEGATIVES
- Meats taste chewy
- Bun bo hue is a disappointment

LITTLE THINGS
- Oddly enough once in a blue moon, Pho 99s' bun bo hue (only the Coquitlam location by Chapters) tastes good, but in general it is a lot better than here
- Not much difference in the small or large size. The noodle to meat ratio is the same and the only difference is that the large size has more broth

- Should I be picky? Well… if the staff went to another Vietnamese restaurant and paid for the same tasting meal, what would they think?

Food: 2.5/5

Service: 2.5/5