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July 2023 by Liberata D.
I had high expectations but a few disappointments turned out instead from my dining experience this morning with out of town guests. The spring roll is the biggest putdown ,too tiny (a small finger and a half size )so not even an inch wide with the inner wrapper soft and seemingly untouched by hot oil meaning they fried it too fast and oil too hot ,comprised mostly of julienned carrots (cheapest of ingredient), This is not befitting an esteemed Vietnamese restaurant like theirs. The broth is the saving grace ,obviously from slowly simmered bones and carcasses but, a big but since soup is the main draw of this place ,it gets cold easily. They are not aware how to keep soups hot after being served on the table? Keep it boiling at low heat ,this procedure will keep the soups hot at the table for longer than an hour or more. Who wants to slurp on soup that has turned cold while your are still at it?
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January 2023 by Thuy B.
Restaurant located in a nice business section. Food was great and fresh. Many choices are available. The Pho soup was very good. Good service
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September 2022 by Jonny M.
I've known about Pho Lien's high praise and accolades for years. Unfortunately for them, I've been spoiled with amazing Vietnamese food in Vancouver. They're located next to B12 Burger CDN, Mr. Puffs and La Republika.We dropped in on a busy Saturday for lunch (around 12:15pm) but snagged a table on the terrasse. There's partial umbrella shading (our table wasn't fully covered). Service was weak; it was like pulling teeth to get extra bowls. We grabbed our own spoons because they never brought any. They also never came by to refill waters.The menu consists of pho, appetizers, vermicelli, rice and combos. There's a couple weekday lunch specials (11:00am to 3:00pm). Note: prices already include all taxes.- Goi cuon tom thit (#18) ($6.00) - not worth it; you get two pieces but it's really only one roll cut in half. Nothing unique about them.- Goi du du tom thit ($9.00) - menu says shrimp but there wasn't any on the plate. Beef jerky was decent but the papaya salad was standard fare. Wouldn't get this again.- Herbs - bean sprouts, basil and lime wedges.- Bun bo hue ($18.50 XL) - only available on weekends. I love BBH and their version was okay. Broth was light on the lemongrass. No pork blood or pork hock but all the meats were tender.- Bun bo xao xa (#25) ($17.00) - flavours were more prominent and satisfying in this bowl than in the rice dish. Beef was surprisingly tender but still retained a bite.- Com ga xao xa (#28) ($17.00) - lemongrass flavour was subtle, chicken pieces were okay. Fairy standard rice dish.Cash only. PL isn't offering any unique Vietnamese dishes but seems to excel in the standards. 3.5 stars.
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May 2022 by Tiffany W.
Came here for lunch and ordered a imperial roll, well done beef/flank/tendon pho, and a grilled pork vermicelli dish. We sat in the patio given the nice weather and were served pretty quickly. Not the friendliest service but efficient.The portion sizes were average but it was a bit pricier than what I'm used to in the GTA. The spring rolls were only warm and not very crispy in the middle, and the filling wasn't seasoned much and had too much carrots imo. The pho was pretty good and hot, the broth was a bit ginger forward. For some reason they didn't have any basil to serve with the bean sprouts for the pho which was too bad. The vermicelli bowl was fresh but the pork could use more lemongrass flavour.Note that this is a cash only spot. There is an ATM beside the cashier.
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April 2022 by Rabih C.
5 stars for food quality. To be fair. I was warned that this is not a place to "go out to". It is an authentic food joint that offers "food". If this is the experience you seek, this is it. If you are after nice views and lovely tables, then pass to another.
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March 2022 by Cindy L.
Lack of options. My friends and I came in and they said we only have this left. In terms of cleanliness and hygiene there are none. I don't even see them wash the cups properly. The employees are not wearing masks. Stay away from this restaurant. I will never return.
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March 2021 by Olivier R.
After getting many recommendations from friends and reading the reviews I was happy to get this place a try.Unfortunately I've been extremely disappointed. From getting in the restaurant service was less than average, being told that they don't take payment by cards. Then after assembling the soup with very sad amount of toppings, realized that 70% of the "beef" was actually FAT. On top of all the broth was tasteless water with half a hint of salt.+ TIPS; The L size is almost the same as XLNow that you know, maybe stick to your favourite Phó place there are some many great one in Montreal !