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ISSN 0702-7796 Vol. 50 No. 6 Issue no. 546 FREE
Crazy Pho You a little-known gem By Faith Greco
Crazy Pho You is hidden in plain sight at the corner of Bronson and Carling PHOTOS: SERENA YANG @SERENAQYANG
Index
ABBOTSFORD ������������������������������� 14 ART........................................... 22, 23 BOOKS........................................... 19 BUSINESS.................................1-2, 3 COMMUNITY ����������������������������������17 ENVIRONMENT........................ 12, 13 FILM................................................21 FOOD.............................................. 18 GARDENS........................................31 GLEBE HERITAGE �������������������������6, 7 GLEBOUS & COMICUS ����������������� 30 HOME............................................. 29 MUSIC............................................ 24 REFLECTIONS ������������������������������� 26 REFUGEES........................................ 8 REPS & ORGS................. 9-11, 16, 27 SCHOOLS................................. 32, 33 THEATRE........................................ 20 TRANSPORTATION ������������������������ 28 TREES............................................. 25
Crazy Pho You, at the corner of Bronson and Carling, specializes in authentic Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese cuisine. The restaurant’s newest owner, Khanh Luu, is excited to serve the local community his delicious fresh food. According to Luu, his parents were the first to open a Vietnamese restaurant in Ottawa – it was called Little Saigon. As a self-described “restaurant kid,” Luu grew up in the service industry. Watching his parents successfully run a restaurant inspired Luu to eventually pursue the same line of work. “When I was in high school, which was probably 25 years ago, this was an Italian restaurant. So I told myself one day, I will open a really nice Vietnamese restaurant here, eventually. The opportunity came and I took it.” Though he grew up in the neighborhood where the restaurant is located, the road to Crazy Pho You wasn’t a straight line. Luu worked as a computer engineer, then owned and operated a construction company for 20 years. It was a major career transition to get into the restaurant business, a risk that has undoubtedly paid off. “Opening the restaurant was a bit nerve wracking at the beginning, but I knew I could do it because I cook,” Luu said. Using his intergenerational knowledge of Asain cuisine, Luu has put his unique spin on his family’s recipes, improving already fabulous dishes. He believes the authenticity of this restaurant is what sets it apart from similar
Mark Your Calendars
“We do everything in house,” says Khanh Luu.
establishments. The prices are excellent, given the generous servings and the quality of the food. “Our spring rolls set us apart. My mom still makes the spring rolls. Our banh mi also sets us apart because we barbecue the meat. And our pho, we stew the broth for almost two days,” says Luu. “Everything we use is from scratch. We don’t take anything outside. We do everything in-house.” The pho is packed with succulent meat, noodles and veggies, but the broth is definitely the star of the dish. It is bursting with flavour and evokes the feeling of comfort as you can truly taste the amount of care and effort put into it.
The restaurant gives off a relaxed yet sophisticated energy. You can expect to be greeted with a light smell of incense mixed with a melody of spices being used in the kitchen. Plants line the restaurant, adding hints of green to the predominantly white and black room. Little glass-boat decorations can be found on the tables and LED lights line the bottoms of the booths, constantly transitioning colors. Multiple TVs are mounted on the walls. However, the most eye-catching decorative element is the modern graffiti wall. To support local business, Luu hired a young artist to produce the red doodle-esque Continued on page 2
What’s Inside
House of PainT Festival................................................. Aug. 19-21 Ottawa Book Expo...........................................................Aug. 26-28, Horticulture Building GNAG Fall registration............................................Aug. 30, 7 p.m., online, phone, email GNAG Auditions for musical.............................................Sept. 7-8, book at gnag.ca. Glebe Fine Art Show.....................................................Sept. 17-18, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., GCC GNAG AGM.........................................Sept. 21, 7 p.m., details TBD GCA monthly board meeting................. Sept. 27, 7 p.m., via Zoom
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Garages of the Glebe...............................................Page 6, 7
A Hudson's Bay Canoe..............................................Page 23
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