Love of Pho: Bun Bo Hue

Do you love pho? Whether you pronounce it “fo”, “fuh”, or something in between, it’s definitely a popular Vietnamese dish in Vancouver. Lately, however, I’ve been focusing more on Bun Bo Hue which is a similar but spicier rice noodle soup.

Love of Pho is located in an unassuming mini mall on Kingsway and we dropped by in October to pick up some tasty Vietnamese food. Their menu, like most Vietnamese restaurants, is fairly extensive… mainly from small variations in each offering. We wound up ordering the aforementioned Bun Bo Hue ($9), the Chef’s Special Steamed Rice Roll ($10.50), and the House Broken Rice Special ($13.95).

The Bun Bo Hue was a massive bowl filled with large, rounded, slippery noodles as well as beef and pork slices. While being mildly spicy, I didn’t really find the broth overly flavourful. I did, however, find cubes of congealed blood in the soup though. The blood has a firm tofu-like texture and a maroon colour but didn’t taste like much.

The Chef’s Special Steamed Rice Roll, or Banh Cuon Dac Biet, were pretty good and came with a crispy spring roll.

The House Broken Rice Special included a grilled pork chop, shrimp paste wrapped in bean curd skin, shredded pork, and a meatloaf which was similar in consistency to quiche all served over broken rice.

Overall, pretty solid eats at this place but with muted flavours.

524 Kingsway Street
Vancouver, BC