Pho Thai Hoa (Kingsway), revisited – Good All-Around Vietnamese

1625 Kingsway, Vancouver

Food: 3.5
Service: 2.5
Price: Cheap

Previous Review: http://dishingonthe604.blogspot.com/2011/05/pho-thai-hoa-not-bad-but-inconsistent.html

It’s only been a month since my last write-up on Pho Thai Hoa (on Kingsway), but my Asian soul wasn’t complete without a fix of pho on subsequent weekends. As I frequented this place more and ate a bit of everything else I honestly believe that I owe it to people who read the last write-up a revised review. By no means was I untruthful last time around, but there are some minor points I should backtrack on.

Taco Luis (Oakridge Mall) -- Tex-Mex has Invaded South Vancouver!

F4 - 650 West 41st Avenue, Oakridge Centre Food Court, Vancouver

Food: 3

Service: 3.5

Price: Cheap

I don’t know a fast food stall much like Taco Luis in town. It’s been a favourite Tex-Mex stop amongst the public at Landsdowne Mall for years. There’s nothing particularly special about its food per se, but with a staff that sings you through your selections and a boss that treats customers like VIPs, it’s been able to garner more attention for food court
Mexican than your average Taco Time. I, myself, have been trekking all the way down to Richmond for my Taco Luis experience for the last few years, but now with its brand new location in Vancouver at Oakridge Mall, I can very well (but will halt myself from) have(-ing) it everyday J

Kawawa Japanese Ramen – High Quantity, but Low Quality Ramen

E15-4700 Kingsway, Metropolis at Metrotown, Burnaby

Food: 2.5

Service: 3

Price: Cheap

As I mentioned in my most recent post, Japanese ramen shops are just popping up everywhere in town. I was alluding to just Vancouver, but really, they’re plotting themselves outside the city too. I was convinced of this on a Thursday night at Metrotown Mall, where my friend L and I were on the run, and I had 4 criteria for dinner: something cheap,

Motomachi Shokudo -- Unique Gem in the Ramen Shop Rough



The Fresh Blossom was so Pretty!

740 Denman Street, Vancouver

Food: 4
Service: 3
Price: Cheap to Moderate

I like ramen A LOT. And if I were to pick between it and pho, I would swing my vote to ramen. There’s more of a variety of soups to choose from and the ingredients you can combine with these noodles are much more diverse than your average pho bowl—Sorry pho lovers! So to my delight, there’s been a proliferation of ramen shops around Vancouver of late, but with all the ramen shops around town that serve the same miso/shoyu/shio-chasu-noodle combinations, something has to make each one stand-out. Kintaro has the line-ups, Benkei has the stamp cards, and Motomachi, as I just found out, has the nicest presentation and the unique-est ingredients.