On a nice rainy day, after a long day of work, nothing makes me feel better than to stop off at my neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant for a piping hot bowl of pho noodle soup and some lemongrass chicken. A convenient walk from the West Coast train station in Port Coquitlam, Pho T&T is my favorite pho noodle shop in the area. The family run restaurant consistently offers great friendly service and a clean & welcoming dining area. Upon arriving, my husband and I usually get a warm greeting from the owner of the restaurant “Hello, my friends!” and seated at any of the available tables where we are served some delicious tea right away while we are looking at the menu on what we would like to order. Our usual orders include: Grilled lemongrass chicken with vermicelli, served with a side of fish sauce/vinegar sauce and a large bowl of their special Adventurer’s Choice noodle soup (noodles, beef flank, brisket, tendon and tripe) with a side Vietnamese spring roll to share. The orders arrive quickly, steaming hot.

My favorite of the grilled meat dishes is the grilled lemongrass chicken – which is nice and tender, flavorful and plenty of meat! With the fish sauce/vinegar mixture poured directly into the bowl, mixing in the crisp lettuce, carrots, peanuts, and chicken along with the vermicelli, this is a hearty dish great for one very hungry individual or perfect for me to split into two meals – great portions for $8!

My husband prefers the Adventurer’s Choice – large bowl of noodles filled with beef flank slices, tendon, brisket and tripe. For sides, they give you bean sprouts, lemon wedges, fresh basil, and jalapeno slices to place into the soup. The meat is not sparing unlike some other Vietnamese pho restaurants we’ve been to – they definitely make it your money’s worth. For under $7.50 for a large bowl – this is a great price and for an additional $1.50 you can add a spring roll to it.

The spring roll isn’t my first choice of rolls at this restaurant, since I prefer their salad roll with prawns – however the standard of their salad roll when served fresh and hot is quite good. It’s crunchy and the filling is flavorful accompanied with the vinaigrette dip. However it does feel a little greasy – but that’s to be expected of most spring rolls when deep fried.

Overall Pho T&T is a great neighborhood restaurant in Port Coquitlam when I have a craving for pho or lemongrass chicken. It’s my go to place and will continue to be so long as I get my usual “Hello, my friend!” greeting from the very nice owners at this restaurant.