From 'sublime' chicken pho to fresh noodles, this Vietnamese spot serves a 'constellation' of dishes

Metro Morning's food guide Suresh Doss joins the program every week to discuss one of the many great GTA eateries he's discovered.

This week, he brings us to The Pho Restaurant in Markham.

Below is a lightly edited transcript of Doss's conversation with guest host Farrah Merali.

Farrah Merali: Soup in the summertime?

Suresh Doss: I know we are in peak summer mode right now, but I want to take our listeners out for some noodle soup.

Merali: I have to admit when I think of summer weather, my mind doesn't immediately go to hot noodle soup. But I'm prepared to be convinced! Where are we headed? 

Doss: So I'm taking you to Markham, arguably one of the biggest and best food strips in the GTA — along Highway 7, filled with dozens of plazas and food courts. We're heading to a plaza that isn't known for food, it's tucked away slightly east of Woodbine Road, on the north side of Highway 7. The Pho Restaurant is a few years old and it's become somewhat of a regular spot for me.

Merali: What makes it so special? 

Doss: We have no shortage of Vietnamese restaurants in the GTA and certainly no shortage of Pho restaurants. I can also confidently say that we've become such a food-obsessed city that most people that like to eat out probably have their favourite pho place.

But I think what makes The Pho Restaurant so special is the combination of things that they're doing. The menu has a constellation of popular Vietnamese dishes and really puts care into the ingredients used. Every dish has its own vibrancy. The broth, in particular, here is just wonderful and has an incredible amount of depth. 

Merali: Is there a specific noodle soup you recommend?

Doss: Now, the litmus test for a pho restaurant is the pho tai nam — it's the basic pho. You can get it with rare beef, or beef tendon or tripe. But that soup will really allow you to discover the depth of flavour used here. So if you're going there for the first time and you need convincing then just get the basic pho and you'll be really happy.

Merali: What if you're in the mood for something else?

Doss: So if you don't like beef or pork, this is one of the rare places that makes its own chicken pho. Most times when you go to a Vietnamese restaurant and there's a chicken pho, they'll use a beef stock. But here they make a separate chicken stock, which is really wonderful because they have a really sublime chicken stock with the essence of chicken accented by bamboo shoots, which are punched up by an assortment of Vietnamese herbs.

If you want something heartier, I would get the bò kho. This is almost a curry-like beef stew that has a slight sweetness from these whole chunks of carrots that are cooked in the soup. The highlight in this soup is really the ginger, star anise and cinnamon. Any of these soups are great options, and I would highly recommend you ask for the homemade noodle.

Merali:  What's so special about that?

Doss: Unlike most pho restaurants, they make their own noodles. And this is another reason why I think this place really stands out. There's a satisfying chew to these house-made noodles. You have to ask for it though and on the menu you might see two options, but I would specify it just in case.

Merali: What else would you order here if you were with a group?

Doss: Get the Hainanese chicken rice. Now this is not typically a Vietnamese dish but it uses the whole chicken, which is poached gently, so don't be afraid if its slightly pink. It's totally fine. It's then sliced and served alongside rice that has been cooked in the chicken stock, so its wonderfully aromatic and has that chicken essence to it. It's also served with a bowl of the chicken broth, which again is really wonderful.

There's also the bo la lop, which is wonderfully aromatic beef that has been cooked with lemon grass and is then wrapped in betel leaves. And it comes with a great dipping sauce.

And recently, I tried the banh dap with a group of friends and they really enjoyed it. Picture these disc shaped vermicelli noodles that are slightly fried so they are crispy but still have a nice chew to them. They're topped with grilled pork. I suggest you squeeze some lime on top  and maybe add a dash of the house chili oil. I have to say, it was an instant hit at the table.