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Pho Canh Buom
Category: Restaurants Vietnamese Vietnamese [Edit]
1144 College StToronto, ON M6H 1B6
Neighbourhood: Brockton Village
(416) 538-4287
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 11 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
9 reviews for Pho Canh Buom
9 reviews in English
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Review from Yochi J.
Toronto, ON
8/19/2011
I've become a big fan.
It's farther away from my local Viet joints (Golden Turtle & the other one south of that), but the food quality, selection, and service are superior across the board.
They are one of the few Viet restaurants I've seen to offer hot pot (cook-it-yourself) dishes. Haven't tried them yet, but will follow up when I do.
The Nem Nuong (grilled pork "kebab?" with pickled veges, noodles, etc., and DIY burrito-folded in rice paper then dipped in sauce -- as seen in one of the photos here) is delicious. They have another version with beef as well, it's more expensive, but I will try it next time.
A side note: the thai curry dishes on the menu are delicious (and I usually don't like when ethnic restaurants add another nationality's food to their menu.)
To top if off, there's an interior decor sailing motif with glitter booths.
The staff are really friendly and accommodating, too. Nothing bad to say about this place, obviously! -
Review from Jane T.
Toronto, ON
2/24/2012
I've lived in the area my whole life and been around town during Pho Linh's days of glory. I believe the original chef has moved on and his successor just didn't cut it for me. For the past five years, phoenix has been a go to place offering mediocre pho but at least there was comfortable seating. (Pho linh is super tight and crowded)
There aren't many places that offer Bun Rieu on their menu and if they do...it sucks! This place rocks the socks out of Bun Rieu and it's hard to eat without choking because you're trying to get it in your belly as fast as you can. (Because it's just not as great when cooled)
I tried the beef pho noodle once and it's pretty good. The beef stood out from other places but a lot of the broth flavouring seem to come from fish sauce. It's been a long time 'since I had really good pho broth but I know it's out there.
The service is really friendly and the woman has recognized me from the first visit weeks before. I think the reason why I avoided this place was because of the extreme tackiness this place wreaks of. However tacky this place is, there is some sort of charm to it if you look hard enough. It's more funny than anything.
Worth giving a shot if you're cruising in the area. -
Review from Helen Y.
Vancouver, BC
2/4/2012
First time trying Vietnamese for my BF, and I am no stranger to Viet cuisine.
HE ordered skewered chicken with rice(safe choice) and i as per usual ordered rare beef and beef ball pho..
He liked his first experience and of course I loved my pho.. broth was great..
def a repeat place for me.!! -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
Pho Canh Buom is really different from the other Vietnamese places I been to... Just the deco stands out from the rest of them. And wait staffs trying to tell me I don't need my fresh chili peppers?! Just give it to me!!
#39 nem nuong cuon, I finally got to try it, thanks to Lauren M!
Yes it is as good as promised... love all the veggies that came with the order. I was a little unfortunate as I got a few of those dried and hardened rice paper. So it was not that I don't know how to wrap my food!
Durian Milkshake according to Eric L tasted like smelly socks.. now that makes this milkshake awesome, the smellier the better!Listed in: Vietnamese Food in the GTA!
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Review from Eric L.
9/18/2011 4 photos
This place is just down the street from me and I'm glad it is. It looks like a 1950's diner inside, but as soon as the server comes, you get a family owned feel to it.
The pork is always done just right, and they server it with thick and juicy vermicelli noodles.
You always have a good time laughing at the interior, but when the food gets to your table, it's nothing but business! -
Review from Lauren M.
This place is quickly becoming a fav, I've been back quite a few times over the past month.
Last night's experience was over the top fun-fun-fun. When we arrived, a drunk spinster Vietnamese lady greeted us loudly as she swigged her beer rockstar style from the back of the restaurant. (We later found out she was sister to the owner)
She rushed over to sit with us and help with our meal selection. She insisted we try #39 (see photo), a specialty, "nem nuong cuon". I have had this dish before elsewhere but I agreed to try it out, along with #14, my previous favourite.
Our food came out quickly and the nem nuong cuon at this place was un-fucking-real! With this dish, self-assembly is required using rice paper rolls, grilled vietnamese sausage, thick vermicelli noodles, cucumber, carrots, beansprouts and various herbs and greens. It came with sliced mango (never had it served like that before) and also some small tubes of deep-fried crunchy spring-roll wrapper that get put alongside the meat before wrapping.
The rice paper here was jumbo sized and resulted in epically HUGE rolls! The last one I rolled must have been the size of my arm (and I got nice pipes, baby).
The rolls were also served with some giant bowl of peanutty delicious sauce for dipping, pretty standard but this sauce had a more homemade look to what I've had elsewhere.
During our meal, the drunk lady returned, sat down with me and proceeded to tell me how the "rau ram" (Vietnamese coriander) should not be eaten because it represses sexual urges. (I laughed hysterically at this, but wiki'd it this morning - it's true!)
The manager even offered to comp our meal, thinking that we were bothered by her sister's antics. But paired with the awesome food, it truly it was a most enjoyable dining experience.
I'm beginning to smell a UYE!!Listed in: My fav cheap eats
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/24/2010
This place is fantastic! The decor is hilarious - whoever thought of doing a Vietnamese place up… Read more »
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Review from Neil T.
Toronto, ON
8/24/2010
The pho gets a healthy 3.5, but this place is 4 stars all the way! Random notes, you say?
1. Hilarious diner style booths and chairs...with a nautical theme. Amazing.
2. Pho is good. The broth isn't as bland as the Ossington joints BUT the tendon was chewy. This gets an unprecedented 14 thumbs down.
3. Menu is pretty extensive with a lot of items not found anywhere else E.g. banh canh cua (a thick tapioca noodle soup). I am totally getting this next visit.
4. Despite it not being very busy, the place is LOUD! It's like going to a Vietnamese family's place for dinner. You walk in wondering how such a small number of people could generate so much noise. Awesome.
5. Re: 4 -- they blast Vietnamese theatre on the tele (see Paris by Night). I don't know what the plot was, but it involved hot Vietnamese women prancing around in short shorts. Me rikey.
6. Free parking in the evenings on the street - bonus!
7. They deliver with a minimum $25 order! A Viet places that delivers? Insanity!
I can't wait to come back. This place has almost 5-star potential!Listed in: My Vietnamese Food Rankings
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Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
11/23/2009 1 photo
After only two visits, this place has already become one of my favourite places to hang for Vietnamese chow. Or hang, period.
Though the vermicelli bowl is pretty dang good (I had the one dressed with grilled pork + ground beef wrapped in herbs), it's the cheeky nautical decor, sparkly space-age booths, a peaceful water fountain and an overly enthusiastic, adorable owner that pull me in and leave me there eating and chatting my fish-sauced face off for hours.
I wanted to keep this to myself, but I was told that if I loved something, I had to set it free.
Go, Canh Buom! Fly like the wind!Listed in: Toronto: Meals under $10! (And…
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Review from David C.
Toronto, ON
4/12/2010
Yes, the decor is maybe a little cheesy, and the restaurant isn't as bright as the two other Vietnamese restaurants in the same block, but the food and service are great.
I think their pho is quite good (very flavourful broths, especially compared to, say, bland Golden Turtle). Some of their Thai dishes are also well worth it: especially recommended are the thai mango salad--amazingly good and fresh--and the fried eggplant.
