Pho in Vancouver

Pho Extreme has three things going for it: location, hours, service. Vancouver has such a dearth of 24-hour eating establishments that I'm tempted to give Pho Extreme an 'A'. However, their food is "extremely" average so I'm forced to stick with a 'B'. I went here with my parents and we all felt, based on the menu and nature of the restaurant, that we should stick with soups rather than ordering a noodle or rice dish. I ordered the steak pho, my dad ordered the steak and brisket pho, and my mom ordered the chicken pho. I always avoid pho ga, but my mom said it was pretty good. All of the soups contained a generous serving of protein, and this is great value when considering the $6.50 pricetag. The broth was forgettable, but pho is designed to be customized with various sauces and additions, so forgettable stock has never "broth"ered me. We also ordered the saladrolls to start, which are very reasonable at $4.50 for two rolls (four pieces). I should also mention that this place is family-run, and that all of the servers are polite and straightforward.

I don't think I will ever become a regular at Pho Extreme, but I'm sure it will draw me out from the 99 on those nights I'm bussing past after bar-hopping on Commercial or Main. I am a semi-regular at two other pho places though. I really like Golden Train Express II on Broadway and Blenheim, and Ha Long Bay on Pender and Richards. The former has some atypical soup options, and the latter serves amazingly tender raw beef in their pho bo.