Vietnam Noodle Star

It was a cold, summer night....Yup, you read that right! Cold!
This 'Summer' hasn't really felt like Summer to me. I love the Sun, heat warnings and warm nights...not the cold! Anyways, I was craving for some Pho and being right by one of my favourite places to get some, you know I HAD to stop by!
Located in an Asian Strip Mall on Finch/Midland Ave, Vietnam Noodle Star, has been in the business for almost 3 decades. That's when you know there is something special about the place.
Vietnam Noodle Star features a fairly decent menu, composed of
Vietnamese and Thai favourites such as Pho (Which I came for), Lemongrass Chicken,
Bian Hoi, Satay, Pad Thai and variety of snacks. With many tables and seats, the wait
is usually pretty short, depending on what time you go. Usually busier later on at night,
as they close at 12am. Let's get to the food shall we :)

With a variety of toppings and noodles to choose from, we decided to go with a bowl of Lemongrass Chicken Pho. Burning my tongue hot, the broth was rich and mildy sweet. The broth wasn't very salty and exhibited a nice aromatic taste. The Lemongrass chicken was tender and  still maintained it's crispiness and displayed a nice lemongrass flavour. We got the fresh noodles, which made this even more amazing as it was not overly soft and it went well with the broth and chicken.

Next up, we got one of my favourites, that being the Sliced Cooked Beef Pho. Arriving scorching hot,
the broth was just as good with the right level of rich and mildy sweet flavour. With a generous amount, the sliced cooked beef was deliciously tender and flavourful. We ordered the same fresh noodles, which once again, went well with the broth and the beef. The green and white onions add a boost of flavour to the broth which makes it even more tasty!










Vietnam Noodle Star is a great place for Pho and other Vietnamese and Thai favourites. I love how they don't skimp on the toppings and noodles, and really, it's a bang for your buck. The service here is okay, I mean it's a busy restaurant and the people just keep on coming! I know I'll be back for sure to try some other items on the menu!

Oishii Ramen

Located in the Plaza on SilverStar and Midland, Oishii Ramen is a new relatively new Ramen spot that opened a few months ago back in December. With a limited amount of items on the menu, we ordered based on the server's recommendations.
                                                                                   

First up, we had the Deep Fried Chicken Wings. (4/5). Served hot, these were very crispy and large. The batter was a tad too thick in my opinion but it still retained all the juices inside. You could taste the chicken was brined prior to frying as a hint of wine was evident . These were a pretty good start to our meal.













Next we had the Char Siu Ramen $6.99 (3/5) + $0.50 for a miso based soup. The good thing about this place is their large portions of Ramen. The texture of the noodles were okay, not being too mushy and too dense. The flavour of the soup was there but you can tell it wasn't authentic type of Ramen you would eat at Japanese owned spots. The Char-Siu was flavourful and tender, but I wish there was more of it, as you can see from the picture. The beansprouts and garnish added some crunch and was pretty fresh. I would have to say this was pretty mediocre, as nothing really stood out.

We ordered another bowl to try some of their other offerings. We got the Tenderous Ribs Ramen $8.50 (3/5). Again, another generous portion of Ramen. Still would've liked some more meat, as the tenderous ribs were quite....tender :) . The ribs were flavourful and added a nice balance to the soup and the ramen. Like the previous bowl of Ramen, this was pretty standard, nothing really special. The soup was the typical miso base, (MSG was quite evident)  don't know why i had to add an extra $0.50 for miso base soup for the other bowl of Ramen..


Oishii Ramen is a great place for a large bowl of Ramen, especially on cold nights. Great place for late eats as well and if you're craving some Ramen. The
wait for our dishes took quite sometime. There were only 4 tables of two, and two servers during the time I went. Their menu is quite small and standard for a Ramen joint,
 but offerings many toppings you can add to your Ramen for a
 decent amount such as extra meat, extra noodles and Char Siu.

The Good:

• Generous Portion of Ramen
• Big Bowls
• Friendly Service
• Decent Price

The Bad:

• More Meat would'be been nice
• The Wait can be quite long (Depends on what time you go)
• Pretty Average Ramen