Came here for lunch today, arrived at noon.
What a mistake!
The place is tiny. But we were the only 2 customers in the restaurant for a while. It's not exactly a refined look, but not dumpy looking.
The menu is small and limited. For a Vietnamese joint with "Pho" in it's name, one might expect a variety of different versions of this soup, but alas, Pho Yo only offers 2 ( beef or chicken).
We ordered the salad rolls and the grilled shrimp skewers to start, and we each ordered the beef pho (we flipped a coin).
As we waited for our lunch to be prepared we heard a microwave door open, close, and 30 seconds later, we heard the "beeping" sound, and the door open and close. 30 seconds later a guy sporting a tape measure hooked on his belt emerged from the kitchen with our shrimp (I've included a picture for your viewing pleasure).
The shrimp was cold, smelled off (kinda fishy) and was nowhere near a grill of any kind (unless they named their microwave "Grill"). We tasted one, it was not good, and we sent it back and questioned the staff about "Grill". The staff insisted it wasn't microwaved and that the shrimp was definitely "Grilled".
(At this point, my Spidey Senses are are kicking in, "tingling" if you will).
Then came our salad rolls.
In a small bowl beside the salad rolls ( which received equal grilling time as our shrimp) was a glob of Skippy, spooned straight outta the jar.
The salad rolls weren't great, but not bad. They didn't exactly exude "fresh".
Finally our pho arrived. 75% of the bowl was filled with a dense mat of noodles, with some beef and then broth. The broth was mediocre (5/10 would be generous). The beef was tough and chewy and there were enough noodles to gag a hippopotamus. The accompanying sprouts didn't seem fresh and crisp, but rather a wee bit limp and old. I wasn't impressed.
As we were getting up to pay, we noticed a mouse trap directly beside our booth, literally 4' from where our food was on the table. But the staff was thoughtful enough to accompany an air freshener beside the trap so that customers wouldn't be burdened by the smell of decomposing rodents while they dined on microwaved frozen appetizers. (Photo included for your shock and awe). Quite the thoughtful and considerate restaurateurs.
As we were paying, I again challenged the staff about the " Grilled shrimp" and again, they insisted that it wasn't microwaved, but rather it was Grilled. The staff (owners) here are so arrogant, they assume their customers are too stupid and inexperienced to know the difference. They obviously take their customers for fools.
If you love Vietnamese cuisine, like I do, AVOID THIS PLACE!!!
There are other amazing Vietnamese restaurants in Winnipeg that prepare fresh, flavourful food, don't cut corners, respect their customers, and the best part; their Pho broth is intoxicating!
(Pho Hoang, TH Dang, Pho #1).
I won't ever return to this restaurant, and I strongly urge everyone else to do the same. read more