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Vietnam Noodle Star
Category: Restaurants Vietnamese Vietnamese [Edit]
4188 Finch Ave EToronto, ON M1S 4T6
Neighbourhood: Scarborough
(416) 609-9796
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 12 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for Vietnam Noodle Star
16 reviews in English
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Review from Darren H.
Scarborough, ON
5/25/2012
I'm not a huge fan of pho, so I almost always get the curry here; I always get Malaysian style, beef brisket with rice. It's good stuff! A bit spicy but not so much that it's overpowering. The spring rolls (both fried and fresh varieties) are pretty good too, though I prefer the spring rolls from Pho 88 over on Warden/Bamburgh.
The restaurant is now bigger than it used to be, they expanded it to take over part of the neighboring place last year. Even so, at busy times you may have to wait, but usually not more than a few minutes. There is now a large bar-type area with single seats so if you're a lone diner you can sit there without taking up a whole table. The service is the usual bare-bones service you get any any place like this.
Overall, recommended. -
Review from bold c.
Toronto, ON
Recommendation: Absolutely come back here! Best Pho in Scarborough!
30 Sec Summary
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1. Authentic Pho (Pho Tai!)
2. Fresh ingredients
3. Solid, ripe Chilli
4. Good service
5. Free Parking
6. Wonderful Spring Rolls
7. Open Late
8. Avoid sitting near the door - strong draft from the wind
Recommendation: Strong Buy! -
Review from David D.
Markham, ON
7/24/2011 ROTD 10/4/2011
One word to describe this place - Pho-licious.
I've tried many, I mean, many Vietnamese noodle houses in Toronto. It's the same typical and tiring bowl of beef noodle soup everytime I want to satisfy my pho craving.
As you enter in, you notice that at almost every table, everyone has an order of at least 1 bowl of Vietnamese beef noodle bowl. You can hear slurping; you can see people busy fishing through their almost empty bowl for the last remnants of their meal; you know you came to the right place.
It was packed, even though it was 2:00 in the afternoon. I like how you can pick n' choose the different toppings in your bowl. Or you can opt for their house special, which includes a bit of everything. One of the biggest factors in a good noodle bowl is the broth and the freshness of noodles.
The broth was tasty and enticing, with a distinct anise flavour. The beef slices remain tender and juicy, after being cooked in the soup base. The noodles are fresh!
Note: I dislike the raw taste of the bean sprouts, but the servers are willing to take it back to the kitchen to broil it for you if you request it.Listed in: The Pho Scale
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Review from Karen S.
10/6/2011
For a pho place, it's pretty good. The soup is the right balance of salty goodness and soft, fresh noodles. The portions for other non-pho dishes like the bian hoi is a decent size. I love that unlike other pho places, you can mix and match and choose the exact combination of beef parts and other additions like chicken to go towards making your own personal perfect bowl of pho. Hubby had the XL pho and he was very pleased with the quality of his meat. Maybe they were just really busy when we came because they didn't bother to separate the slices of raw beef. He was pretty annoyed at having to work at separating them so it would cook properly.
It has the same printed menu as Golden Elephant up the street on Steeles, so I wonder if they are owned by the same people? It is so much bigger and brighter now that they have expanded to double their original restaurant size. -
Review from David T.
Scarborough, ON
10/18/2011
It's really baffling how many posters have indicated that this is the best bowl of pho in Toronto. It's only mediocre at best if that, like another poster has indicated regardless of how busy it is. It's not authentic, it's really a chinese version of Vietnamese food. For i.e. the Pho broth has no real flavour and that's the biggest mistake a lot of chinese owned Vietnamese restaurant owners make.
You will also notice that even though it's busy, very few ppl in the Vietnamese community frequent this place because it's not authentic.
If you want to do a comparsion of what a real good bowl of pho should taste like, try Pho Tien Thanh and Pho Dau Bo on Finch Ave West which are the the standard for Pho in Toronto. -
Review from susan c.
10/25/2009
Vietnam Noodle Star, WTF?
Why do you have to be so good and make all the other pho joints in Toronto seem like donkey dick*?
As if you need to have your massive ego inflated even more, lemme tell you why your pho is getting five stars:
- Your broth is pungent with star anise and Uncle Ho's special spices.
- You let your customers pick and choose which meats to add to the pho so I don't end up with undesirable beef balls in a sliced beef and tendon combo like other places serve it.
- Your raw beef slices steep gently in the heady broth and remain juicy and evermore tender.
- Your tendon melts in the mouth, not in the hand.
- Your fresh noodles are insanely smooth and have a high slurpability factor.
- Your bean sprouts and basil look like you just picked them from your imaginary backyard garden.
- A small bowl set me back $7 INCLUDING tax and tip and kept me full for 4-and-a-half hours.
BUT WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO FAR AWAY and be virtually inaccessible by public transportation when I have no car? And why don't you open up a shop downtown?**
Because you're cruel, that's why.
I simultaneously love you and despise you. If you were a real person, we'd have to have hot hate-sex now.
_________________
* Thanks to Yelper Neil T. for the "donkey dick" coinage and the ride up to Scarborough
** Or at least near a subway line, AARRGGHH! -
Review from Angie C.
Toronto, ON
11/3/2010
I can appreciate that many Yelpers love this place, but I am not one of them. I completely agree with Sarah's one-star review on 1/23/2010. Here's why:
1. The food is mediocre at best. It is NOT authentic Vietnamese food. For the Bun dishes, the vermicelli noodles are thick and served warm. The spring rolls are not Vietnamese-style at all, but small with a Chinese-style meat filling. The food is so greasy (and Vietnamese food should not be greasy) that it makes me queasy after. The fish sauce is just salty, without the sweet tang that good fish sauce should have. And the pot of tea we were given must have been watered down several times, because it was just brown warm water. Very nasty.
2. The service is horrible. Prepare to get shouted at and/or ignored.
3. The restaurant is old and dirty. I love Asian fast food diners (being Asian myself), but this place takes the cake. I don't want to be rude but I've seen things that are definitely not hygienic.
Two thumbs down from this Viet food connoisseur. -
Review from Jay G.
Toronto, ON
2/9/2010 ROTD 6/6/2010
Vietnam Noodle Star has ruined Pho for me forever.... but it's in a good way.
I never thought I would need to drive to Scarborough just for Pho. I was skeptic about how good this bowl would be as the drive out made it even more unattractive and I wasn't feelin' the good vibes.
I step inside to a odd looking color scheme. Green chairs, sticky wood tables, and Chinese television blaring. I wasn't expecting much but the atmosphere wasn't exactly leaning to great eats.
The servers weren't rude but they don't speak English so it's straight to business and order up.
I order my Pho and started to regret my decision for driving all the way out here for what seemed would be a typical bowl of Pho.
Pho-uck was I wrong. This Pho is the best bowl of Pho I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. Once I had my fist bit of noodle with flank steak and beef tendon my day brightened and I looked back at my unenthusiastic self from 5mins ago in pity. Sooo tasty. I ordered the extra large and it is pho-ucking huuuge. You can easily feed 3-4 people with this size bowl but it was just so good I finished the entire bowl and craved for more even though I was ridiculously full.
Overall, best bowl of Pho ever. Definitely worth the drive up if you like your Pho and definitely worth the price. The soup is fantastically seasoned without traces of MSG and not overly salty. Noodles are fresh and perfectly tender. The cuts of meat are of great quality and perfectly cooked (or perfectly raw if your ordered it). Make your way out to this joint. Do it! -
Review from Deanna W.
10/25/2009
My search for pho nirvana in the GTA has found a new winner in Vietnam Noodle Star. THIS IS IT! Thanks to Neil and Katrina for introducing this place to me, they really know their stuff. Mind you it's far in the burbs' where all the good ethnic food haunts typically are but it's worth it if you can find transportation. So I was lucky enough to be brought here this past weekend with fellow yelpers Neil and Susan. Our trip was a rewarding experience 'cuz the pho here is sublime! In other words, I could stick my head in a vat of it and inhale happily.
To start with, the broth is gorgeous, enticing and complex. It's so good and it's a main reason why the pho here is outstanding. Slightly salty too but the strong tones of star anise balance it out. The noodles are fresh and they give you a healthy portion in every serving for your slurping pleasure. There is also a lot of meat in each bowl as well and it's thinly sliced and does not shrivel up into curly bits unlike other pho joints. It was the also the first time I tried tendon in pho, a tasty addition with it's gooey, jello like texture! The herb plate had the standard bean sprouts, basil and lime, no saw but when you have a pho this good, I can do without.
This place meets the holy trinity of requirements on my list for a phenomenal bowl of pho: fresh noodles, thinly sliced beef and richly flavoured stock. If only they could expand downtown damnit! Until then, I'm left pestering friends with cars for trips out here.Listed in: Fie Fi Pho Fum!
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Review from Neil T.
Toronto, ON
7/13/2009
It's worth the drive to the 'Bro. Simply put, this is the best place in the GTA for pho. They use fresh noodles (not dry) and their broth is more flavorful and fresh compared with many others -- it has that certain touch of sweetness to it (maybe it's the extra star anise, I dunno).
The pho is custom ordered -- you pic the size, the number and types of meat, and away you go. I like the raw beef, brisket, and tendon combo. When tendon is cooked properly, it literally melts in your mouth, which this does. Oh so good.
Yes, this place is run by Chinese BUT they serve their food more authentic than other Chinese run Viet joints (see my review on Vic Hong). Whether it's the noodles, rice dishes, or various apps, you can't go wrong with this place. And yes, it is worth the drive to the 'Bro. All this place needs is a downtown location and we're good to go. -
Review from Katrina L.
Richmond Hill, ON
7/7/2009
This place is run by Chinese people but honestly, their Vietnamese noodle is top notch. The soup base that they use has NO MSG but is so flavourful and just makes the noodles that much better.
I've tried many other places and I still find myself coming back here. The noodles are perfectly cooked and not gummy as I've found with other places. The price is ridiculously cheap and their snacks are decent. But if you come here, you better be ordering the noodles because there is no other reason to come here.
As is customary in Chinese/Asian restaurants, this place is cash only.Listed in: Asian Sensation
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Review from WaYnE c.
Maple, ON
4/1/2010
When I had night class during the summer, I would go back to Scarborough feeling a bit hungry. What's there to eat at 11:00 pm for an individual that didn't want to cook at home after a long day?
Vietnamese Pho of course because this place closes late and they always welcome single diners plus there was a LCD on FairchildTV. Even during late-night period at least half the tables are still full, and I'm NOT the last one to go in and I see more and more people coming through the door be it individuals, couples, families, co-workers.
Compared to my usual spot in Vaughan, this place doesn't have as much value or selection but at 11:00 pm all you really want is a filling healthy bowl of Pho and QUICK. I say healthy because my other option I take sometimes is POPEYES, as it was a Tuesday night class.Listed in: Va Va Viet, Pull My Noodles - Southeast…
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Review from Sarah L.
North York, ON
1/23/2010
This place was gross. it was clearly Cantonese style Vietnamese food. There was nothing authentic about it and I was so excited to try it out based on the good reviews. For starters, the Pho broth was oily and unflavourful. There was no semblance of lemongrass or any of the other flavour for the matter that one would expect in the soup. The noodles were falling apart and the restaurant was skimpy on the lime wedges.
Sadly, it was not only the pho that was a dissapoinment. The pad thai was Cantonese style fried noodles with tiny shrimp thrown into the mix (hardly even close to a pad thai) and the spicy chicken looked like it was from KFC. The only redeeming item that we tried was the pickeled veggies, which I don't believe are vietnamese. Don't waste your time trecking to this place. -
Review from Jonathan W.
Calgary, AB
10/19/2009
Ok - just so you know, I came here at 3PM on a Sunday afternoon and probably at the worst time when the kitchen staff were sitting down for their own lunch but nonetheless I was sorely disappointed.
Went with the pho because that's just a no-brainer. The noodles were fresh but the broth was lacking....perhaps they ran out of the good stuff?? The beef tendon was melty but the brisket was tough and the raw beef was flavorless. The tea was off somehow (maybe they accidentally dropped in some soap?)
Overall, I left very unimpressed. The crowds were there. Maybe the timing was bad. I'll give it one more chance but expectations certainly are lower. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
Updated - 2/3/2010 6 photos
I am here again to write another review for Vietnam Noodle Star because of Pho-bruary!
Today I am having a late lunch around 2:30 pm and the restaurant still half full... That is really a good sign for somewhere that does not have lunch special/afternoon tea special or whatever specials!
I order the small pho with raw beef as my last visit. Today I notice the noodle is the fresh one, Amen! The broth is still tasty and still has that anise taste in it which is unique compare to other places.
I have to minus a star today because of the bean sprout they provided. They looks like days old, greyish colour.. and the basil leaves looks like something they get from the bottom of the barrel....
If you notice, everyone else are ordering the Pho but nothing else.. I will definitely suggest people to stay away from other dishes! especially anything that is deep fried!
Nothing beat a hot bowel of Pho on a cold winter day! :)Listed in: Vietnamese Food in the GTA!, Pho-Bruary My Version!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/12/2009
Vietnam Noodle Star does serve good tasting Pho at a great price.
The small Pho I ordered with raw… Read more »
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Review from Tina N.
Toronto, ON
11/14/2010
What really blew me away about this restaurant was their FRESH noodles - it was very soft and easy to chew. Very different from the typical Vietnamese restaurants. The broth was pretty tasty as well as it came out hot and had a good beefy flavour to it. They also have a very unique ordering system when eating Pho. You get to choose your own toppings and can put up to 3 choices such as the regular beef ball, rare beef or fish balls? It's a Chinese run restaurant BTW so you'll see some Chinese-Viet fusion dishes. Regardless, it's not a bad place to stop by for some Pho with fast service and a friendly wait staff.
