About a decade ago, a fancy French chef with a restaurant in Yorkville offered his own take on the Vietnamese pho for about $20. This at a time when a bowl was still about $6-7. It seemed tone-deaf then and even more so now when people acknowledge cultural appropriation and ethnic food ghettos. However, with a typical bowl now costs around $12, and the influx of higher-priced but excellent Japanese ramen, I have been waiting for an authentic Vietnamese place to take a stab at a quality offering.
I've been hearing things about Cà Phê Rang. There are non-Vietnamese help in the kitchen, but the main cook was an old-school Vietnamese chef with "bona fides". So I felt good about checking this place at Queen and Richmond on a blustery Sunday morning.
The outside with its bamboo slats hinted at a trendy pan-Asian look. But the inside with its cheerful sign and (fake) tropical windows evoked a street-side stall somewhere out by the beach. The music was a eclectic mix of J-Pop, K-Pop, and V-Pop. I opted for a bowl of Pho Tai Nam for an eye-popping $17.
This was a heavenly soup, easily the best pho I've had in a long time. The broth was dark, fragrant, and rich. The better beef selection made each bite a delicious treat. The tai ("raw") beef was tender and fell apart in your mouth. The nam ("brisket") beef was chewy cubes, laced with fat, and earthy. Even the noodles were loose and had great mouthfeel.
This pho is worth the price and is a legitimate contender against the Ramen and Udon spots in Toronto for best noodle soup. In fact, though I had balked at the $15 banh mi, I'm now confident that this menu option would be worth it as well. The only problem is if you're here, why would you pick anything else than the pho? But those fried chicken wings with fish-sauce caramel also sound tempting.
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