foodie bytes: Pho Le @ 633 Main Street (Chinatown)

Last Friday, a colleague of mine, Miss K, suggested that we go to this place to have 'pho' for lunch. As it was a spontaneous invitation, I did not have my camera with me and so, no photos! The restaurant is located on the second floor of a two-storey shop and looks quite clean and spacious. Do not expect any fancy decor - there is none of it here, unless gadget geeks consider the big plasma/LCD TV at one end of the restaurant an adornment.

After we were seated, we were served a teapot of Chinese tea (I didn't check the bill but I think this was complementary) and given the menu. Being unfamiliar with Vietnamese cuisine (I have only ever tried 'pho'), Miss K suggested that we order a shrimp and pork roll to share so that I can try that. "Sure!" I said. It is always nice to dine with someone who knows what to order. I ordered a small bowl of 'cooked beef slices, tendon and tripe in rice noodles' and Miss K ordered a similar bowl but with rare beef. As there were not many customers around, our food came pretty quickly - all our orders arrived at the same time.

The shrimp and pork roll came with some kind of thick, dark, slightly sweet sauce sprinkled with crushed peanuts for dipping. I didn't enjoy the roll as I thought the pork slices were a bit dry and the sauce did not complement the dish well. Miss K commented that fish sauce is usually served with the rolls and wondered why they chose to use peanut sauce here.

The beef noodles were served with a plate of raw bean sprouts and basil leaves. I opted out of the basil leaves (not a huge fan of basil). The soup/broth of the beef noodles was not overly salty and has a pleasant sweetness to it, thanks to the use of daikon (found some pieces of it in my bowl). The quality and portions of the beef slices, tendon and tripe, however, was a disappointment. The slices of beef were thin and partially shredded. The tripe was also shredded into small strips. For $6.00 a [small] bowl, I was expecting the beef-to-noodles ratio to be more appealing.

After paying our bill (this restaurant is cash-only), we made our way back to our downtown office and checked our time - we made it in an hour! Not too bad for going outside of the downtown core for lunch. But I don't think I will be returning to this place anytime soon.