Pho Hoa follows me to Quebec 7 October 2006

Hot and sour, just right for warming my shivering bones!

It was freakishly cold that day we went out and about in Montreal, Quebec with Roel’s relatives. So a hot bowl of soup was a sight for my rumbling tummy and my cold cold hands.

I don’t think we look THAT cold.

I don’t know what possessed us to decide to sit outside. It was so gusty I could feel the cold in my bones. My companions, pretty used to the cold weather, were shivering as well, assuring me that my tropical body wasn’t the only one complaining.

When the hot tea came, we readily drank up. And when the soup came, we just dove in, slurping to our hearts’ content.

But what’s more, it was a bowl of pho from my favorite Vietname Restaurant Pho Hoa. I’ve written about Pho Hoa already and didn’t quite expect to be going all the way to Quebec to eat another wonderful bowlful. (Reminds me that when we came back to the Philippines from Australia, I swore that Wonder Woman was on the same plane I went home on, because I saw her on TV in the Philippines. But i digress.)

Tita Mina and I share a love for great pho. She had been raving about the place, saying it was the best place for noodle soup in Quebec. So imagine my surprise when we walked up to Pho Hoa. Ha! Does Quebec’s pho taste anything like the franchise way back home in the Philippines.

They didn’t have my favorite seafood pho, and settled for the hot and sour pho (also with seafood). Amid much humbler surroundings, I savored that same wonderful taste. Albeit the portions were heftier, and the companion herb plate much much fuller. That made me happy because I’ve always liked piling in my basil leaves and sprouts, and usually end up asking for a second helping when back home. My, what plump shrimps! I really liked that they put fresh mushrooms in my pho, something quite new to me. We paired our steaming soups with the popular fried spring rolls.

We ate leisurely, enjoying the conversation and laughter. And the fact that the huge bowls seemed bottomless. When our tummies sated, off we went to explore more of Montreal! Pho Hoa, I love you whereever you may be!

6230 Coâte des Neiges, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Tel: (514) 343-5018
Tons of locations in the Philippines, too.

Check out the menu and the store. Click for larger photos.