Pho Bo, Hamilton - A little taste of Vietnam

Last night we went to a Vietnamese restaurant in Hamilton, called Pho Bo.

Pho Bo, 145 Barton Street East, Hamilton, ON, L8L 8A8.

It was the second time we had dinned at this restaurant and both times have been really great.   

As you can see from the photo it is just like a restaurant you might find in

Vic St, Richmond. I think the tables and chairs are exactly the same as the ones in Thanh Nga Nine (a Vietnamese restaurant in Vic St I used to frequent quite a bit). What you may not find in Vic St is a

 TV showing ice hockey (you can kind of see it in the background). I am sure you are now thinking how very Canadian. The other thing is that it is not busy like it might be in Vic St. Very disappointing as this restaurant is great, the pho and other things we have tried are excellent and remind both Adam and I of Vietnamese food in Melbourne. 

I was impressed with the cleanliness of the place and the condiments on the tables. A minor detail I know but, important.

My thoughts about why the restaurant was not busy is perhaps because people do not go out for dinner that much in Hamilton, and also I think they still might be warming up to Asian cuisine, in Hamilton any way. It was interesting as the owner of the restaurant said to me at the end of our dinner that he knew I had lots of experience eating Vietnamese food as he could see I knew how to use chop sticks. I am left thinking that not a lot of people in Hamilton know how to use chopstick, suggesting that they may not eat a lot of Asian food, or perhaps they simply do not want to learn how to use chopsticks as they can just use a fork. Personally I love using chopsticks, and I think it makes the meal complete. If I was unable to use them I would be trying every time I went for dinner in an Asian restaurant.

I thought it would be interesting to write a few things down that I read on the internet, reviews that other people have made about the same restaurant. This can also give you some insight to the Hamiltonian's eating at these places. One review said that "it was pretty disappointing Thai food"... Um I am pretty sure it is a Vietnamese restaurant. Another said "it was very bad, the waitress did not speak that much English", well dur she is Vietnamese and English is probably her second or maybe even her third or fourth language. Another review said "Not to mention the pile of garnish I got with it (bean sprouts, carrot, etc etc) Should be pickled, but wasn't". Not sure where this reviewer has been for pho before but I am pretty sure the garnish is not supposed to be pickled. I am being a bit harsh I know, but I can't help it sometimes and thankfully it is not all bad there were a few great reviews and loyal customers.

The first time we visited Pho Bo we ate Pho, I had the rare beef Pho, which was really great (do not have a photo as at the time I was not blogging) and Adam had the chicken Pho. One our second visit I decided to try something different, so I went for another soup "Northern Vietnamese style vermicelli with pork and beef". One of the reasons I chose this dish was because in the picture on the menu it looked like it had a lot of chilli in the broth and I love chilli. I also thought that a spicy dish cooked by people who know spice excited me. The other reason is that when I expressed interest in it the owner recommended it, but before doing that he looked me in the eye and asked if I really like chilli? You know what I mean, because they are really thinking this girl is not Asian and I am not sure she can handle real spice even though she says she can. So I said “yes! I love chilli” and off he went to give the order to the chef, who we later found out is his wife and she has been cooking since she was 6 years old.

Within about 10 mins dinner was served. We also ordered a side of spring rolls (really, who can bypass spring rolls). They were huge spring roles and quite nice, they were filled with pork and veg, and double the usual size. Unfortunately did not get a photo of them. 

My soup was tasty it was spicy with the right amount of chilli for me. There were even a few pieces of mystery meat that you also find in pork rolls, the thought of it is scary but the taste is yummy.

The cabbage is the second plate which you add to the soup.
Adam ordered the chicken Pho.

As you can see lots of fresh additions, and lots of chicken both breast and thigh meat.

Our dinner was great and we even had a chance to chat to the owner - Minh. Minh told us that he and his wife were originally from Saigon, but they have lived in Canada pretty much most of their lives. Minh used to work as a bouncer in Hamilton (a scary thought if you have been out and about in Hamilton). Minh explained that his wife encouraged him to stop working as a bouncer and come to the restaurant and work. Fair enough. Minh also gave us a bit of history about the restaurant, saying that it used to be a doughnut shop, and the restaurant was really dirty, and had lots of unsavoury characters around, using the bathrooms for drug use, etc. So when they took the restaurant over they spent a lot of time cleaning it up, and they are really proud of their restaurant now and also the customers they get are really great. Minh gave us some advice and that was to not walk around Hamilton downtown at night after 9pm.... Spoken from a previous bouncer I think we will take his advice! Phew, we have a car!

Overall what a great place for Vietnamese food, we will definitely be back. The large Pho was $7.50 and my soup was $6.50, so a pretty cheap and filling meal.