Restaurants
Xe Lua Vietnamese Cuisine
I think that pho may be the world's most perfect food .Warming on cold days, hydrating on warm ones and always delicious, pho is the ideal antidote to whatever pains Ma Nature or my last night of drinking hardcore yoga are slinging. I like giving toxins the boot with replenishing liquid, burning chilis, and nourishing beef, veg and herbs.
My love for pho is not just a matter of health and taste, however. Like all great loves, mine is also etymological. Close on the sound-scale to "for" and "ful", Vietnam's finest export instantly reduces me to that most reviled comic genius: the punster. Delight-pho mouth-phos of broth and hand-phos of basil have me pho-getting myself faster than I can say wonder-pho!
Seriously: this dish is such ripe inspiration for punny hilarity that I was surprised when all my friends were too busy to join me for an un-pho-gettable lunch at Xe Lua.
Well, those pun-haters missed out, 'cause I've been dining at Xe Lua long enough to know what to order, and it isn't the pho! Xe Lua's version is pretty good, but in a city blessed with many superior phos, I go to one of these places when I want Vietnamese soup.
On this visit to Pho Train (like many of this city's fine citizens, I don't know how to pronounce Xe Lua, and often call it Pho Train, or The Train Restaurant), I ordered the BBQ Chicken Vermicelli. Salty, liberally oiled chicken chunks topped a bowl of finely shredded cabbage, mint, carrots, and rice noodles. I dumped the entire side of tangy fish sauce - the same kind that comes with spring rolls--over my bowl, creating a delightful melange of salt, sweet, grease and vegetable crisp.
The BBQ Chicken Vermicelli was tasty, but a little greasier than I'd have liked. Next time I go to Xe Lua, I'll follow the advice I give to friends: this restaurant's best options are always pictured on the menu.
My top choices: Beef Stew with Rice Noodle Soup, a hearty beef soup that tastes like my British dad's crock-pot roast went to Vietnam and rolled in basil for a week; Three Beef Vermicelli Combo, a great sharing plate filled with beef rolls (beef and greens with more beef inside), pickled radish and carrots, lettuce, sprouts and fine rice papers for wrapping; Shrimp Cracker Pork with Rice Noodle and Yellow Noodle Soup, a tangy broth topped with a crunchy pink cracker; and Vegetarian Spring Rolls, crisp and served classically with a side of fish sauce.
I also get excited about Xe Lua's wide selection of drinks, ranging from regular treats like Vietnamese drip coffee and fresh squeezed orange-juice to my favourite: Red Bean and Grass Jelly with Coconut Milk. This whimsical multi-layered concoction comes with a spoon and has the power to transport me out of adulthood and back into my fantasy childhood, where all drinks came layered in sundae glasses and were so reasonably priced that Mum would have to let me order them with dinner.
My biggest beefs with Xe Lua are that their gloppy, glutinous Satay bowls are still on the re-vamped menu and that their floors are perma-slicked with pho-juice and other greases. That's why I've vowed to lay off on the punning for now, because I need all the friends I can get to help me cross those slippery tiles, and finish those jumbo Beef Vermicelli combos.
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Any noticeable menu, pricing, or food quality changes since the reno?
1. The broth for the Pho lacks flavour and the temperature of the broth is always cold.
2. Service is like none other. Unattentive, uninviting and they wonder why no one tips. Well, at least I don't.
3. I'm Vietnamese, so who do you think knows Vietnamese cuisine better than anyone else on the block? This place will be an everlasting joke to my friends and I.
4. Only people of non-Vietnamese decent will consider dining here. Viets simply don't dine here. If they do, good luck to their taste buds if they have any.
5. We have tons of hidden gems hidden throughout Toronto, serving up piping hot Vietnamese cuisine with superior flavour. This establishment only thrives of it's super convinent location, late hours of operation and tons of intoxicated clubbers dining @ 2am on the weekends.
Other than that, I don't twice at this place. Even if they did move upstairs and re-did the decor a bit. Same food, same service and same ol' bullshit.
TYPO CORRECTION FOR ABOVE.
Brandon T: Any places in particular you can recommend?
I'd have to say Pho Asia 21 has to be one of the better pho spots west of Yonge street in the downtown core.
Pho is delicious.
I like this place - I go there pretty regularly. Favorites are the chicken/beef/port skewers, spring rolls, curry & of course Rare Beef Pho.
What is with people liking Pho Hung so much? Pho Xe Lua is way better! Every time I've been to Pho Hung, the beef in the pho has been sub-par and the portion sizes small and expensive. They always bring out nasty rotten sprouts too... how long have those been sitting out?!
Brandon T: my vietnamese friend introduced me to this place, so I think you're an idiot! Also, what the heck is with people thinking they magically know better because of their ethnicity... we all have taste buds people! You might as well say you know more about basketball because you're black!
Pho Xe Lua on the other hand has the same soup taste, with larger portions and fresh food. The only thing I would agree on would be the service. I new servers are quick but can be quite grumpy some times.
If any of you guys like either Pho Hung or Pho Xe Lua, I would recommend going to their other locations. For Pho Hung, the Bloor/Avenue Rd. location has larger portions and better service. For Pho Xe Lua, the Yonge/Steeles location is roomy with large portions and UNBELIEVABLE service (seriously, they seem to have eyes on the back of their heads).
Otherwise, the best pho places are either on Ossington Ave. or around the mid-suburb areas.
Ordered the usual bowl of noodles and beef. Received the typical plate of lime, sprouts and mint leaves (or whatever they are) with it.
The mint leaves had a caterpillar on them. The caterpillar had eaten too evidently as there was holes in the leaves by it's head.
We complained, lady serving us offered discount.
Then as we ate our noodles, we noticed a fly in our bowl. Small fruit fly, but still disheartening to see a second member of the insect world in our food.
We complained, asked for manager. He apparently refused to speak with us, because "he's very busy". The restaurant wasn't even half full and that's a ridiculous statement regardless.
They comped one bowl off the bill and that's it. I manage a restaurant myself and I likely would get fired if I refused to speak to a customer complaint, especially on a matter like this.
My recommendation is to stay away from this place and try something else.
They service quality is based on where you are, c'mon where are you?
CHINATOWN.
You think people tip a lot there?
Pho Xe Lua, Pho Ai My, Pho 88, Pho Pasteur, Com Tam Dao Vien and Pho Hung all fucking suck. If you want real authentic pho when your in CT, go to Saigon Palace at College and Spadina. This is the closest thing to how pho tastes back in Vietnam.
If you want really really tasty pho, go to Mimi's in East Chinatown or Pho Linh at College and Dufferin.
so stfy
Avoid this restaurant.