Target 2.2: Pho Kim Penh Xe Lua
Address: 500 West Broadway (map)
Phone: 604-877-1120
Menu: Page 1; Page 2; Page 3; Page 4
Price: $5.49 small; $6.49 large; $7.49 extra large
Condiments Photo
Fishtank Photo
Hours

Visit date: February 19th, 2008
Visit time: 7:45 PM

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Eat Vancouver has been receiving a wealth of user comments lately, ones that are both useful and very well thought out. In order to highlight these comments, we will be awarding a comment of the week, each week. Since we have a bit of a backlog, this week will feature two comments.

The first is from reader Vangroover on the differences between Northern and Southern Vietnamese pho:

Vancouver is very unique among Vietnamese diaspora in that it is rather geographically mixed and this influences the pho flavors you get here. In America, most pho joints and Vietnamese enclaves will be dominated by Southern Vietnamese refugees. In France and some other European destinations, Northern Vietnamese dominate. Vancouver is a mixed bag.

The difference between the pho made in the North and the South are as different as chicken noodle soup and Tom Yum Goong. I’ve had friends from Hanoi who eat pho in the U.S. and tell me they can’t recognize it as pho. And when I ate pho in Hanoi, I thought to myself, oh my god how bland!

The pho joints I’ve tasted in Vancouver fall along similar lines. What’s tasty and delicious to one faction is heresy to another. Add in the ethnic Chinese/Vietnamese element and you get an absolute cornucopia of pho. Oftentimes, that’s a bad thing.

As a Southern VNese who grew up in America, what I look for in my pho are: 1) complexity of the broth (i.e., Can you detect the hints of anise and bone marrow?), 2) variety of condiments (Northerners don’t put basil, ngo gai herbs, and bean sprouts into their pho, Southerners have to have it), and 3) variety of meats (How do the flank, raw beef, and tripe mingle with the tendon?)

This is not to say Southern pho is better their Northern brethren. I grew to appreciate the subtle simplicity of a bowl of Hanoi pho. But my bet is that most of the winners of your phodown will be from the South. Co Do’s cook, for example, is from Hue, technically a Southern city. The worst pho in Vancouver are those where you can taste the Cantonese influence. Try any pho join near Chinatown and you know what I mean.

And in the second, Robert Csar of JJ Bean - Yaletown, sets us straight on the history and organization of JJ Bean.

Whoa, hold on a second folks! JJ Bean is an independent coffeehouse locally owned by John Neate (JJ). Fresh roasted coffee every day is brought in from the Powell Street roaster and is served up by very talented and skilled baristi.
Comparison to a ‘fast food’ chain is a little harsh! All of the muffins, cookies, pastries, and sandwiches are made fresh every day in each location!

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Target 3: Come Along Seafood Restaurant
Address: 2550 Kingsway (map)
Phone: 604-439-1318
Dim Sum Menu: Page 1; Page 2

Prices:
Small - $2.95
Medium - $3.50
Large - $3.95
Kitchen – $4.95-5.95

Visit date: February 16th, 2008
Visit time: 11:00 AM

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Target 3: Peaceful Restaurant
Address: 532 West Broadway (map)
Phone: 604-879-9878
Menu: Available at their homepage
Price: $5.95 for 8 small baos

Visit date: February 15th, 2008
Visit time: 8:00 PM

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Target 2: The Place
Address: 8028 Granville St (map)
Phone: 604-261-3948
Menu: Page 1
Price: $4.55 for 6 baos

Visit date: February 1st, 2008
Visit time: 7:30 PM

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A bit late, I know, but here’s a delightful Valentine’s Day story called Harlequin Valentine. It also happens to one of my very favorite short stories. And yes, it is food related (somewhat). Oh, how I wish I discovered this was online earlier today.

Neil Gaiman – Harlequin Valentine

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Target 2: Golden Ocean
Address: 2008 W 41st Ave (map)
Phone: 604-263-8886

Prices:
Small - $3.10
Medium - $4.35
Large - $4.95
Kitchen – $6.70

Visit date: February 2nd, 2008
Visit time: 11:00 AM

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Here are your Tuesday links:

Cracked runs down some of the douchiest food in the world.

Rob Feenie is now the “food concept architect” for Cactus Club, whatever that means.

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Target 1: Sun Sui Wah (Main St.)
Address: 3388 Main ST (map)
Phone: 866-872-8822 (toll free)
Homepage

Specials menu: Page 1; Page 2
Small - $3.20
Medium - $3.75
Large - $4.20
Deluxe – $5.95
Kitchen – $6.80
Tea - 80 cents per head we ordered two kinds: Shou Mei and Chrysanthemum. Fairly good quality and well worth the charge)

Visit date: January 27th, 2008
Visit time: 11:00 AM

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The Great Dim Sum Smackdown
a new ‘down

Saturday February 2nd, 2008

By Jason Chin
Eat Vancouver Writer

I know what you are thinking: Another ‘down, has this guy lost it?

But let’s not forget the immortal words of Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood:

I assure you, whatever the others promise to do, when it comes to the showdown, they won’t be there.

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