Trong Khanh: I Pity the Pho
Tucked away in between Mykonos and a donair stop on 1115 Centre Street North, Trong Khanh is barely noticeable to those who are driving by. With a reputation created by John Gilchrist, Trong Khanh seemed to be a good place to grab a quick bite of Pho, unfortunately we were sorely disappointed.
The restaurant itself seemed well-maintained and the warm lighting created the ideal environment for a good family meal, however the food was a little overpriced and at times jarringly different from the normal Pho fare. If, like me, you are used to prices well below $10 for large bowls of noodles and hearty amounts of beef, chicken or pork then you’re in for a surprise at Trong Khanh. Expecting gargantuan sizes that are oddly normal in Vietnamese restaurants, the bowls that arrived at our table were small as were the portion sizes, however each meal was close to $10, more expensive than the average Pho on 17th Ave.
But my largest disappointment in Trong Khanh were the spring rolls. Who could go wrong with spring rolls? They’re usually crunchy, deep-fried, and stuffed with savory bits of bean sprouts, carrots and little bursts of pork. Trong Khanh's spring rolls really shouldn’t be called spring rolls because they were solid pork sausages covered with a dumpling-like dough that was slightly too oily as opposed to the usual crispy phyllo-like pastry.
My verdict of Trong Khanh is that Pho Thanh Long and Co Do on 17th rated much better, they're closer, tastier and cheaper. But give it a shot, perhaps sausage-like spring rolls are your cup of tea.
