Walking down Fort Street in Victoria, we were intrigued by two Vietnamese restaurants right across the street from each other. One of the restaurants was actually a popular chain Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver, but the other one, Pho Vy, I'd never heard of; however, we looked through the windows at both places and chose the one with the most customers (always a pretty good indication).
Like a lot of Vietnamese restaurants, Pho Vy's decor is nothing to write home about--really functional and basic. The service is minimal, but polite.
I ordered the large pho with beef balls and steak (around $8), and this looked wonderful. As usual, the soup came with the side of sprouts, Vietnamese basil, and a wedge of lime. The soup was dotted with thinly sliced onion, bits of green onion and cilantro. This was a comforting and delicious bowl; the noodles were nicely cooked, and they were also generous with the meat. The broth had a clear, brown colour, and it wasn't too fatty; however, the broth also had a particular sweetness which I usually don't like in pho broths (this is a personal preference, though), but this kind of grew on me, and I really liked it in the end.
Shane had the grilled pork vermicelli bowl (around $8). It arrived in a huge bowl, and came with a spring roll and veggies. This was delicious. The meat was tender and well marinated, and had a wonderful grilled flavour. This was probably one of the better grilled pork I've tasted. The sauce that came with the dish was also good--not too sweet, and with a really nice savoury quality to it.
We really enjoyed this place--if we lived in Victoria, we would definitely be regulars here. Simple atmosphere, unpretentious food at a most affordable price, what else can you ask for?
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