Review: Pho Anh Vu

Now, I really wanted my first actual article to be about dumplings, but I had a delectable meal over the weekend and thought that it would only be fitting to share and review it. On Friday, October 20th, some buddies and I ventured over to Pho Anh Vu to get some, well, you guessed it. Pho! Pho, pronounced like “fuck” when you see a teacher walk by (because you know, you stop halfway), and not pronounced like “fo” in “fo sho.” As 4 people, we ordered and split 3 dishes: Grilled Chicken & Spring Rolls w/ Vermicelli Noodles, Pho, and Fried Chicken.

That was the Pho, which, if you didn’t know, is a Vietnamese noodle dish containing a broth typically prepared with beef bones, noodles, a protein, and toppings. Our dish came with rare beef and a load of green onions. The broth was light and flavourful, without tasting watered down. However, my only comment is that it was too sweet for my liking, and I feel like the beef flavour could’ve been accentuated more. Next, the beef itself, which came to our table thinly sliced and rare, ready to finish in the broth. It was tender and complimented the noodles' soft texture to create a texture combination pleasing to the mouth. In total, this bowl gets a FREATS rating of 8.2/10.

Those were the Fish Sauce Fried Chicken Wings, which tasted extremely similar to Korean Fried Chicken. Like Korean Fried Chicken, the breading of this dish was light and crispy; however, it still contained that distinct crunch. While the chicken's flesh was tender and juicy, the sauce elevated its taste to primarily be sweet. Although I don’t know the exact ingredients, I assume the sauce was some mixture between fish sauce, hoisin sauce, and maybe soy sauce. These wings get a FREATS rating of 8/10.

We last ordered the Grilled Chicken & Spring Rolls with Vermicelli Noodles, which came with a heap of vegetables. It also came with a sauce we had no knowledge about but tried anyway. Google said it’s typically a mixture of fish sauce, lime, garlic, and sugar. The chicken was well cooked and had a good flavour, while the noodles and sauce worked well to cut at the richness of the chicken. Combined with the vegetables, it created a nice and refreshing element to the meal. The FREATS rating for this dish is 7.8/10.

These dishes were good; however, they didn’t have anything distinct or unique to separate them from the rest of the pack. Additionally, don’t forget that 10/10 is perfect and would represent perfection on a platter. Usually, I would rate the restaurant's ambiance and washrooms as well; however, I completely forgot to take photos on the day ( my bad :( ). So, for this post, I won’t rate either of them. Altogether, Pho Anh Vu gets an 8/10, which is a very good score, and if you're in the area, I'd recommend you check them out. We went to the location at 420 Highway 7 in Richmond Hill, but they have various other ones listed on their website.

Before we end, I want to thank Harry for providing changes to the “Posts” page. <3. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next article about bubble tea awarded stars by the Michelin International Taste Institution.