Pedro D.
Yelp
I MADE A MISTAKE IN ADDING THIS RESTAURANT BY THE NAME. THE REAL NAME IS "I AM PHO", BUT BY LOOKING AT THEIR BUSINESS CARD, YOU CAN SEE WHY IT'S EASY TO MISS THE REAL NAME.
Wow, what a great find. I flew into Montreal, just for one night. I only really had time to venture for a quick lunch, right after checking into the Best Western Ville Marie. My cellphone was having trouble connecting to the data celular line while I walked and so my trusty Yelp app was rendered unusable. I proceeded to walk aimlessly, trying to follow the bands of students who seemed to come and go though different halls of Magill university. I asked around without sounding like a homeless person, mostly where the good Asian restaurants where in the area. I had a lust for psome good Thai or Vietnamese, which is always a good bet in Montreal. My previous culinary experiences included "au pied de cochon" and various Thai and Middle Eastern joints, but this would only make my third visit to Montreal. Looking for something apparently Vietnamese that a young man pointed towards, I stumbled upon this place. It's a small unassuming room on the second floor of a small building. The menu on a blackboard on the wall but also mini blackboards with specials of the day. I had the cold rolls for an appetizer which were very fresh and generous. The sauce was very appetizing. I then had the grilled pork chop pho, a regular menu item on the board. The pork was cooked really well and it had great color as well as taste. The rice vermicelli was delightful and so were the ingredients that completed this simple and effective dish. The lady that attended me was courteous but unusually honest and suggested what would be the proper amount of food for me to order. Therefore, she adviced against ordering both the "three color coconut" and the Vietnamese coffee. "too much sweet", she said. Although I have been to Hanoi and had plenty of such coffee at the hotel, she brought a small metal percolator that sat on top of the coffee cup and also a big mug full of ice. After I got over my embarrassment of not understanding what's going on, I asked for help. She told me that I had to wait until all of the coffee had drained to the bottom, then stir the condensed milk at the bottom vigorously. Only after that, I should really pour over the hot coffee into the iced mug. I vacilated, somehow I wanted my coffee hot, but once again and very frankly, she indicated that it'd be best to water down a little because it's otherwise too sweet. And she was right! It was both coffee and dessert. I spoke to the owner briefly, mostly because I tried to talk him out of playing the "Asian pop massage new age never-ending" never resolving music. I said : "play the music of your grandparents" the beautiful folk music of monochord and drums, etc. He shrugged my comments and we spoke about new york, Queens, the best Vietnamese restaurants there and, why so many of the ones in the west side closed. He told me that this restaurant is relatively new. I would definitely come back soon if I knew when I will be back. The prices are reasonable and I don't think they will have a problem drawing large crowds.