This is the third (possibly fourth?) iteration of a Vietnamese restaurant in the unit in about the last 5 years. Admittedly, I never got around to visiting the previous iterations, based on a combination of poor reviews and lack of "curb appeal." This time, though, the curb appeal was definitely there, and it was about time I checked it out.
There aren't that many Asian restaurant options in the area that are not more like fast food/quickie bite places. You know, the types that are either fast food chains, or have the ambience set by little rectangular tables and plastic chairs. This is a place suitable for a casual date night. The only ones that I can think of that offer a similar experience are the new Pho Viet Express on Hwy 7 and Marycroft (east side), or the Eastern Sense Chinese restaurant on the other side of Hwy 7 and Marycroft (west side). Both are very nice; however, in my case, the real appeal and advantage for Pho Truc Lam is that it's less than a 10 minute walk from home, and a pleasant one at that, as it's not on Hwy 7 itself. It's tucked in a plaza next to a Coffee Time where the local Burger's Priest is. As such, it has limited parking, but it is always adequate for the amount of traffic that actually comes to this corner.
The decor is fresh, with bamboo lined booths and laminate floors. The place wasn't too busy when we came and the hostess was only momentarily away before she came out and seated us. The place is set up like many other Vietnamese restos, with the menus already on the tables with pens and slips for customers to fill out their order by number, and the typical condiment kits with chops/spoons/soy sauce etc.
We were offered tea or water as we were seated, and were duly replenished in a timely and polite manner throughout. Language was a small but easily navigated obstacle. She confirmed one of our choices, Thai fried rice, by asking whether it was to be chicken, shrimp or beef. I asked for a mix of all 3 and she let us know that it's $3 extra to mix them. Sure, I want to try everything! We also ordered a deep fried cream cheese wonton appetizer; some General Tao chicken; and one order of rare beef/beef ball pho, in Small size.
We got our appetizer first, and it was piping hot and yummy. I'm guessing this is about as authentic as Alfredo sauce is to Italian cuisine, but it was delicious. The dipping sauce is a sweet chili sauce, and the filling is a nicely seasoned mix of cream cheese, chives and (?chili?). I appreciated that when we were provided with napkins, we each were given 2.
Next came the soup, which is what my daughter really wanted, although I had a few tastes of the broth, which was pretty good. She thoroughly enjoyed it. It was also piping hot and the size is quite decent for a small. The basil, lime and sprout fixings were fresh and crispy/juicy as should be. She didn't finish it, leaving a lot of noodle. There was a fair amount of beef balls and strips. I'd have liked them a little more rare if it were me but it was still pretty good.
The rice and chicken came out shortly after, and the server seemed to be a bit confused with the soup in front my daughter and not knowing we meant to share everything. They also brought over sets of napkin wrapped fork and spoon cutlery, and I kinda wondered if they only do this for round eyes LOL. I decided to just use a fork since rice can be trickier with chops anyway and more napkins are always a bonus! Both dishes were plentiful and tasty. The vegetables were fresh and blessedly not at all overcooked, both in the rice and the bit of broccoli with the chicken. The chicken pieces in the rice were a bit on the dry side but the beef pieces were spot on. The shrimp were a bit small and also a bit more cooked than I'd have liked, but still pretty good. I was surprised how much food we had left because I was starving when we came in and was sure we'd have polished everything off, but not even close. I really appreciated how nice and hot our food came to the table. It mostly stayed hot, except for the General Tao sauce, for the course of our meal, which was a bit prolonged due to the rather infrequent check-ins. I'm not sure whether this is due to a calculated wish to allow patrons to really linger as long as they like or not, but it was easy enough to make eye contact with one of the staff when my daughter had had enough lingering.
I asked to have the leftover rice and chicken to take away when the bill came, and we were given 2 boxes and a plastic bag, no charge. I have to admit that this impressed me after my most recent experience elsewhere when I was expected to pay for a takeout box. Not a bad total with taxes and tip (bill photo provided for reference). I love that the walk itself is a nice part of the experience, so I'd look forward to coming back often. Definitely hope this iteration lasts longer than its predecessors! read more