PDA

View Full Version : Review: Taurus Vietnamese Restaurant



hampstor
01-27-2009, 05:52 PM
Restaurant: Taurus Vietnamese Restaurant
Location: On Country Hills Blvd NE, next to the Sobeys

So I was wanting Pho and driving around my area when I remembered there was this place I haven't tried up by the Sobeys.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk71/hampstor/IMG_0137.jpg

Food Rating: 0/5
I ordered a regular Pho Dac Biet and 4 Spring Rolls.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk71/hampstor/IMG_0133.jpg

Here's what I thought of the pho: There was very little noodles and meat. There was 2 halves of a meatball, the rare beef was good, the tripe was old and dried out, and the well done beef .... you know when you make soup, and you let it sit out for a bit, the meat exposed to air gets all dark and hard?:barf:
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk71/hampstor/IMG_0134.jpg
The broth tasted nothing like Pho, in fact, it tasted more like Wonton soup broth. The hoison and hot sauces was so watered down that i tipped the bottle over and it ran out of the bottle on it's own!

My conclusion was that it was not pho - it was an unnamed noodle soup.

Spring Rolls:
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk71/hampstor/IMG_0136.jpg

Bland, no flavour to it. It literally tasted like pork, with some noodles, the black fungus mushrooms found in spring rolls normally - thats it. They had not seasoned it or put carrots in it. The fish sauce used was ridiculously watered down. It had almost no taste to it, definately no garlic was used in it as well. Further, one of my spring rolls showed signs of freezer burn and actually tasted like it (it was a puffy white section on the wrap that was soggy). How long have they been in the freezer for?? :barf:

Ambience: 1/5

It was a hole in the wall place - it was reasonably clean for a vietnamese place. However the front counter was fairly cluttered. The music was a bit loud but mangable.
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk71/hampstor/IMG_0135.jpg

It didn't help that part way through the service, a guy wearing sandals comes out of the kitchen with a bowl of rice and pork, sits down at the table next to me and starts eating it. He smelled like he needed a shower to boot - I hope he wasn't the one preparing the food. :barf:

There were 2 girls (who i guess were the servers - i only saw them when i ordered and when the food was brought out) who were behind the counter speaking in one of the chinese languages very loud.

Additionally, why was there chinese translations in the menu? I can understand English and of course Vietnamese, but chinese translations for everything?

Service: 1/5

There was 1 other table there besides me yet my Pho took 15 minutes. My spring rolls came out 5 minutes later. I never saw either of the girls come to my table other than to drop the food off. Sure they smiled and were friendly, but with only 2 tables in the place including myself, I shouldn't have to get up and ask them to refill my pot of tea.

Conclusion:

I paid just over $12 for the meal - which I completely regret eating. I've never had "Vietnamese" food so bad before.

Avoid if you are wanting Pho or Spring Rolls. As far as I'm concerned, they broke the cardinal rule of Vietnamese restaurants: the hole in the wall places are supposed to have good food. I think i'll stick to the overpriced (but decent) food at Green Papaya from now on up in my area.

Jeremiah
01-27-2009, 06:08 PM
Good God, sounds fucking terrible.

Not that i'll ever be in the area, but its always good to know

redevil
01-27-2009, 06:14 PM
That place is good when it comes to the vermicelli dishes and the rice dishes. I'm not a fan of Pho, but the spring rolls and meat dishes are much better compared to others I have been at. Serving size is much better with the meat dishes then most places and it taste better.

Price wise I get more for my money at this place, and the grilled pork is not dried out compared to most places. Usually there is a lot of meat and noodles in the Pho from what I have seen in the past.

I like this place, but might just be what you have ordered that day. Co-workers eat there too and they like it. Keep in mind they are closed on the Monday. Place is nothing fancy, but decent food for the price.

I would try it again some other time.

:thumbsup:

GQBalla
01-27-2009, 06:28 PM
good to know ill never go there.

btw that pho broth looks like ILL SHIT

n1zm0
01-27-2009, 06:39 PM
Originally posted by redevil
I like this place, but might just be what you have ordered that day. Co-workers eat there too and they like it.

like when my classmates brought me to Oriental Phoenix for the first and last time, the comments like 'man, this place is the best i've ever had, i always come here' and 'they have the best 'pho' ever, I SWEAR you'll never try better' i will never believe again lol.

:barf:

hampstor aren't you viet? i wished there was some hidden mutual understanding when a person of asian nationality goes into a pho restaurant, where they try their hardest to make the best damned pho bo they can. :(

that broth looks like it was made single order with bouillon cubes. i'll bet you they were most likely hoa chinese, really hit and miss with those kind of establishments, no offense to hoa ppl

Lucky97
01-27-2009, 06:49 PM
if you think that is bad. you should try this place i went to last night. its located on 52 and 17st se. next to the marks wearhouse. got a large pho and it came out looking like a small, spring rolls tasted like shit. and to top it off, i am guessing the owner or something they were all playing cards and smoking in the building. probably one of the wrost pho place i have ever been too

GQBalla
01-27-2009, 06:59 PM
maybe their rice dishes are better,

usually for pho stick with the places that say pho in the name

and for those that don't i find their vermicilli or rice dishes better than the pho

adam c
01-27-2009, 07:05 PM
sounds like the horrible pho i had in red deer a couple weeks ago.. wasn't even pho it sounds like you had the same stuff

Weapon_R
01-27-2009, 07:10 PM
Sounds like you got some god ol' recycled meat :D

dj_rice
01-27-2009, 07:35 PM
Du ma con cuc, if you don't like that pho you can phuc dat bich

:rofl: :rofl:


Sounds exactly like the restaurant behind my place, walked in, all white people eating there so I already knew it was bad, and same deal, menu was also half chinese...but Minh u should know by now, only good Pho is in the dirty south

max_boost
01-27-2009, 08:07 PM
haha man that's some Tomco style review there with pictures too!

Damn hampstor, looks like you got ph-o-wned on this one!

lelalong
01-27-2009, 08:43 PM
I used to live in Coventry...I was sad that THIS was the closest Vietnamese place for the longest time...whitey-fied blah grossness

Saigon Pearl near T&T in Harvest Hills is better but nothing beats 17th Ave

hampstor
01-27-2009, 08:43 PM
ph-o-wned?? :rofl:

I saw one of Tomco's reviews way back and really liked how he had pictures (my last review was the same format too). This time I took notes and pictures with my iPhone so I could write the review later and remember some details. I am really starting to like doing reviews, I eat out more than I should so I might as well make it interesting too.

I will not go back to Taurus Vietnamese Restaurant again. I don't care if someone believes their rice or bun dishes are good, the way they blatently cut corners makes me afraid to eat there again. Watered down hot sauce and hoison sauce, freezer burned spring rolls, and dark crusties on the beef :barf:

adam c
01-27-2009, 09:55 PM
this thread inspired me to hit up Dau Bo

oh man, i swear it's the best sate beef i have EVER had in my life, holy shit it was like beyond belief how good it was, i'm soooo glad i ordered the large cause a reg would not have been enough

it was like Chuc Mung Nam Moi in my mouth, it was that good!!!

signature7
01-27-2009, 10:37 PM
One of the worse places I've had Vietnamese food ever. Friends and I had different plates from Pho to Vermicelli. They were all bad.

They also don't have a hidden washroom... It's just out there for everyone to see. Seemed really odd to me.

van
01-27-2009, 11:37 PM
Originally posted by Lucky97
if you think that is bad. you should try this place i went to last night. its located on 52 and 17st se. next to the marks wearhouse. got a large pho and it came out looking like a small, spring rolls tasted like shit. and to top it off, i am guessing the owner or something they were all playing cards and smoking in the building. probably one of the wrost pho place i have ever been too

lol places like that exist so people have a way of washing their monies. no wonder the food is terrible lol.

yoda124
01-29-2009, 08:20 PM
yup I only tried that joint once in my life.That was last year.I mentioned that about the watered down hoison sauce on another thread.Pho tasted like shit.That place is :bullshit:

ga16i
01-30-2009, 08:47 AM
haha, I LOVE that place! It's where me and my buddy goes immediately after working on cars, covered in grease and completely filthy. I know and love that place as the dirty pho place :love:

Yes, the food isn't the greatest, but that's not why I like it. I like it for sentimental reasons that no food critic can possibly review.