Pho-menting desire for Vietnamese cuisine
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAIT CARTER
The classic pho tai at Pho Mi 89 is the big seller- good flavour and big portions are what keep people coming back for more.
Pho Mi 89 is one of those places everyone knows, and for good reason. At the corner of Oakville’s Dundas St. and Prince Michael Dr., it’s got all the qualities of a restaurant that students typically love – it’s close to campus and offers quality food at a cheap price.
One thing that could be daunting is their biggest seller – pho, a Vienamese soup made with beef broth, rice noodles, thinly sliced meat and herbs. Originally a street food, vendors carry mobile kitchens and serve the dish from dawn and dusk to people as they pass.
Pho is now sit-down fare and is served around the world.
Today pho has changed a little bit, however. The distinct broth remains the same – strong flavours of charred onion, ginger, clove and star anise are what really make the dish unique. Pho can be customized with bean sprouts, Thai basil and lime on the side, along with several sauces including hoisin and the ever-classic Sriracha.
The restaurant doesn’t just sell soup. It provides several options based on Vietnamese cuisine, including options like fried rice, congee and even frog.
The place is open and clean – the tables are seat-yourself and menus are waiting at every seat. The names for every dish are written in Vietnamese, but are also given numbers. Descriptions are in English as well so it is easier to understand the menu. Orders are written down on a sheet of paper, identifying the size of the order for soups, and how much the item costs. Servers pick up the paper and from there it’s smooth sailing.
Barbecue pork cold rice rolls are a nice appetizer to start your meal at Pho Mi 89.
The atmosphere at Pho Mi 89 is comfortable – servers are friendly and love to laugh with customers. They make recommendations if they see someone ordering something they might not like, and offer other options, such as the barbecue pork rolls that were suggested instead of Vietnamese pork. They love to poke fun when they have the chance. It’s a personal touch that helps makes the restaurant better.
The pho tai at this place is stunning. A beautiful broth is the star of this dish – there’s no need to add any sauces to create an ideal bowl of soup. The meat is sliced thin, cooked adequately by the hot broth and the sliced onions are a nice addition. Order this. It is mandatory.
Sadly, the problem with Pho Mi 89 is everything else. Having tried other dishes on the menu, nothing else compares to the pho. The cold rice rolls filled with either shrimp or barbecue pork are the only other things that can be consumed happily.
Crab and pork udon soup is on the menu, but doesn’t quite meet the standards of Pho Mi 89’s classic pho tai.
Banh canh cua, gio heo, a crab-and-pork udon soup, is a confusing mix of red broth that seems to signify spice, but doesn’t follow through. No spice was found. The unappetizing dish offers fake crab and pork slices that were more fatty than meaty.
Several strange dishes are on the menu at Pho Mi 89, and out of curiosity the banh out cha lua was ordered – rice cake with Vietnamese sausage. What arrived was hardly expected. The rice cakes were a pile of flat rice noodles topped with lettuce, carrot, Thai basil and dried onion flakes. Vietnamese sausage is more akin to warmed, flavourless bologna. The dish is served with a pleasant vinaigrette, but the sausage tasted weird. The salad was eaten, and the rest left behind.
The serviced is varied. On a slow night, the food is on the table in minutes, but on a busy night it can take 30 minutes or more. Bubble tea can also take a while, but is a satisfying end to the meal.
Get the pho, and that’s about it. It’s worth the $6 for a massive bowl, and the restaurant knows what it’s doing.
