Pho & Rice - Lacombe

Fresh ingrediants and friendly staff. Love the vermicelli dishes. Wish they were open longer but thats small towns for you!

We ordered takeout so the food may have been better if it was eaten fresh. We got the combo with a large portion of rice noodles, a small portion of meat, and a few vegetables. It would have been nice if they included more sauce as it would have added more flavor. If you order from here, make sure to ask for extra sauce.

Pho usually consists of a flavorful broth, and this particular establishment certainly delivered in that aspect with their delicious broth and abundant noodles. One of the joys of eating Pho is being able to customize your soup with various ingredients like bean sprouts, lime, chili peppers, and fresh basil leaves. Unfortunately, this restaurant did not provide basil leaves on the side, which was a disappointment. It seems like they might be cutting costs, but this decision could be affecting their authenticity and potentially turning away customers who enjoy the traditional flavors of Pho. It would be an easy fix for them to grow a few basil plants instead of having to buy the leaves, especially for a smaller restaurant.

The atmosphere was fine and the restaurant was tidy and quiet. The waitress was lovely and the food arrived quickly. The menu is oddly written and certainly not intuitive. Most dishes are described as having meat however each category describes additional costs to 'add meat ' or to 'add 2 spring rolls '. The flavours of both dishes were unusual at best. The curried rice meal contained almost no sauce and the noodle bowl was one of the poorest I 've had. Noodle bowls rely on a fish sauce blend that accompanies the dish and this particular sauce was inedible. The cooks need to focus a bit more on offering quality along with their attempts to provide what are clearly very unique flavours and the menu should be redesigned.

I stopped in for lunch on a week day and was surprised to find only a few other people in the place. I ordered the Chicken Pho and it came quickly. The waiter (who I assume is the owner) was very attentive. At first I was disappointed that there were only 3 pcs of chicken in the pho but then found some more hidden under the noodles at the bottom of the bowl. I'd go back again.