Pho Hoa

<2010-10-25 Mon>

No. 131

Located in the most competitive area in Victoria (Fort St, between Douglas and Blanshard), Pho Hoa is a chain Vietnamese restaurant. It is exactly across from Pho Vy, a local favorite when it comes to Pho.

It is a medium sized place, and has a look and feel very different from Pho Vy (its tables are nicely spaced and its the menu screams chain restaurant).

I ordered a #44: Pho Chin, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach: Brisket, Flank, Tendon, Tripe & fatty flank. What a mouthful. I was slightly disappointed. The meat was dried out, and overall, felt average.

The natural comparison for this restaurant are its two Vietnamese neighbours: Pho Vy, or around the corner, Saigon Harbour. In my opinion, both places offer a better product. In terms of price, there is not much variance between the three.

There is, however, one saving point for Pho Hoa. It is a place that stays open later than the others. They close at 10:00 PM, if I remember correctly, which is why I sometimes end eating there.

Verdict: there are better places around.

Paid: 8.95

For more information, including address, please visit:

Kim's Vietnamese Restaurant

<2010-10-06 Wed>

No. 124

There is something about soups and stews that makes us feel comforted. It might have to do with the belief that, when we are sick, a soup will cure us.

Seafood soups are some of my favourites, in part because they bring me back memories of my childhood. This, in my opinion, is the power of food: to take us back to places and times long gone. Our palate send a signal to our brain that reacts in an amazing way. Think about it. There have to be dishes that do that for you.

At Kim's I tend to order their "Seafood bouillabaisse" (a loose translation of a seafood soup). It is an amazing dish, full of flavours. This is a list (which is surely partial) of what I could recognize: lemongrass, pineapple, tomatoes, celery, sprouts, basil, scallops, squid, shrimp, fish, mussels, ginger, some type of chili pepper, and I think thai basil. It is very tasty, and has to be one of my favourite "soups" at lunch time. The small version is large enough for me. It comes with noodles that you poor in.




Kim is a small-to-medium restaurant, that sits around 30-40 people, located in Johnson, between Blanshard and Pandora. Some dishes are better than others. I have been disappointed in the past.

Verdict: I'll keep coming back for their seafood bouillabaisse.

Paid: 12.95 + tip

For more information, including address, please visit:

Saigon Harbour

No. 120

<2010-10-01 Fri>

Saigon Night is located in the most competitive block of town (Fort/Douglas/Blandshard/Broughton). It is within few meters from some of my favourites: Devour, the Pink Bicycle, and Pho Vy. It is no surprise I haven't visited it in a very long time.

It was 1:22 and it was full! I was in a hurry, and this took me by surprise. This is a place where I have eaten in the past and it was never this full. Finding a full restaurant is always a pleasant surprise.

It is medium sized place, with a dark decor. I perused the menu. I ordered the "Pho dac biet". I got the largest supply of sprouts of all the pho restaurants I have visited. They were very fresh too! The meat was good, and the broth decent. I enjoyed it.



I guess the question that I should answer is: how does its pho compare to Pho Vy's? Saigon Harbour has less pho options, its meat and broth feel a notch below Pho Vy, but its vegetables (sprouts and herbs) were more abundant and fresher.

Saigon Harbour is very similar to Saigon Night in terms of options. Saigon's pho included pinker meat, but it might have been the particular type of pho that I ordered (I am not expert in this type of food, after all).

On the other hand, it is no competition versus Devour or the Pink Bicycle.

Verdict: Decent Vietnamese food, but with very tough competition.

Paid: 10.25 + tip

For more information, including address, please visit:

Saigon Night

<2010-09-22 Wed>

No. 112

Update. In an early version of this posting I made a mistake. I confused Saigon Night with Saigon Harbour. What follows is the correct review.

Saigon Night is located in Fort St just east of Quadra. It is a medium place with a dark decor. The restaurant was relatively empty, considering the size. Some customers were clearly regulars.

Saigon Night has the typical fare: rice and noodles dishes and pho. Unlike Pho Vy, they have few pho specials. I ordered the one with meat.



It was very good in all aspects: the meat was tender, the broth flavourful, the sides were fresh, and the plate was huge.

I certainly enjoyed it.

Many would ask: how does it compare to Pho Vy. There are not many pho options at this restaurant, but what I received is comparable to Pho Vy. One of my complaints about Pho Vy is that it is sometimes inconsistent. Is Saigon Night inconsistent? I don't know. I would have to visit again. On the other hand, its was more expensive.

Paid: 13.44 + tip


For more information, including address, please visit:

Green Leaf Vietnamese Bistro

<2010-06-26 Sat> I visited again, with friends, and my view hasn't
changed. Good and tasty pho makes it the best Vietnamese of the area. It was our
final destination because they stay open the entire day (a big plus!)

Also, I'd rather go here than the Thai next door.

Verdict: A solid contender for best Vietnamese in town, and a good
choice in an area full of restaurants.

Cost: This visit was not representative.

For more information, including address, visit:

Green Leaf Vietnamese Bistro

<2010-05-30 Sun> How to put a Vietnamese restaurant within the context
of other similar restaurants in Victoria? Because I usually order pho
in the other I decided to do the same. I wasn't disappointed. In fact,
the pho was better than Pho Vuong and perhaps even better than Pho Vy
(although one think I really like about Pho Vy is that they have a
'spicy sauce' option). Would I come back to it? Definitely. The prices
are very good, they open 7 days a week from 11:30 to 10 PM (I
think). As I was leaving the table next had ordered quail and it
looked very good. I'll have to try them next time.

Verdict: As good as the best Vietnamese in town. Recommended in you are in the area.

For more information, including address, visit: