Left to my own devices for dinner tonight, I went in search of Pho, and found Pho Marble…read more
This lovely little family noodle joint in the Millbourne Market Mall is a hidden gem.
I am quite surprised that I am the first to review it, as it appears they have been around a while.
Nice little unassuming neighbourhood place, doing what looks to be pretty good takeout business. There were just a couple of us eating in.
A very nice server seated me and set me up with menu and green tea, and I looked over the menu in some detail, as it covers a lot of bases.
As I understand it, the the couple who own this restaurant are Vietnamese and Chinese, respectively, and both cuisines are well represented.
I had Pho on the brain, so I ordered the "Special Beef Pho" which looked like a pretty complete package, from the photo.
When the friendly server took my order, she said, "Oh... can you eat everything in there?"
When I asked what was in it, She replied, "Beef balls, steak, brisket, flank, tendon and tripe."
This brought a smile to my face, because I had been disappointed to not see tendon and tripe listed on the menu.
I smiled and said, Oh, yes please."
Many Vietnamese restaurants do not offer these ingredients, because they are challenging to western palates and tastes, but to me they a whole new sensation, being much more about texture than taste.
It took me a lot of years to finally try them in my Pho, and my biggest disappointment was that I had denied myself for too long.
I had ordered a small, as I was still a bit full from an epic lunch, but Marble's small resembles everyone else's large. The steaming bowl arrived with a plate of fresh mint, bean sprouts and a lemon wedge. The table also had a condiment cruet of Sriracha, Hoisin, Soy Sauce and two chili pastes.
As is my habit, I tasted the broth before adding any extras, as the broth is the heart of the dish.
This one is delicious. Subtle, almost light, but with a beautiful flavour that stays with you.
The meats were also excellent, and abundant.
When I get tendon and tripe, they are usually under represented, with just a couple of bits.
In this bowl they were the official opposition... small delicate fans of tripe, and some seriously generous portions of tendon.
Eating the tendon is like eating the succulent cartilage from a chicken wing, or drumstick.
It is a similar texture.
If you are a person who only eats the meat on a chicken wing, tendon may not be fore you.
If you are a person who leaves nothing but bone, dig in...
But I digress...
Restaurant - 4 Cozy and warm. Worn, but clean and well looked after. Easy to get to, and more than ample parking. Very nice music selection,and Gordon Ramsey on the telly behind the counter. (Muted, with subtitles.)
Service - 4 Friendly and efficient.
Food - 4 Large portions, reasonable prices. Not the best Pho I have eaten, but definitely up there. The fact that this bowl was more full of good things than many noodle shops makes a difference.
This is a lovely little family run restaurant, staffed by nice people and serving good food.
If you're in Millwoods in search of noodles, you want to eat here.
I will be back to sample more of their impressive menu.