24 Train Express Noodle House — Restaurant in Vancouver

We were looking for a dinner spot that was walking distance from our hotel and wanted to try out the Vietnamese food scene in Vancouver. That's when I found 24 Train Express, which fit the bill. It has a mix of Vietnamese and Cambodian cuisine, the latter of which I haven't had a whole lot of experience with. To start, we had the cha gio. Since we just wanted to try it, we just got one roll and I'm glad because one roll here is actually the size of about 2.5 regular rolls. It was a little oily but well made with lots of filling, and it was crispy. For my main, I had the pho sate - specifically well-done beef with beef balls in a lemongrass broth. I really enjoyed it, even though it was well done beef (couldn't do rare since I'm pregnant) and I loved the broth. Hubby had the chicken thighs over "fried rice". I say "fried rice" because it was really just white rice with some sauce poured over it. The chicken was also dry, and it should be hard to overcook chicken thighs. But it didn't taste fresh. It tasted like they reheated it. He said the veggies it came with were also not fresh. Maybe he just ordered the wrong thing since this is a Noodle House, after all.

I would still give this place four stars, based off my meal and the cha gio. There were other menu items I would have liked to try if I had the stomach space. But it seems like the more popular options here are...

The first time I was here was 2020 during the covid lockdown. My roommate and I got takeout, and I don't even remember exactly what I ordered but I remember liking it. I was nearby recently and needed dinner so I thought I'd try visiting them again, this time to dine in. I got the veggies and tofu curry on rice. Very good comfort food, flavourful but not overwhelmingly hot, and not oily, making it easy on the palate and the stomach. The portion size was perfect, with a good serving of tofu and lots of vegetables both in the curry and in the salad. I also had the “3 kinds of bean w/ coconut milk and ice”. It’s under the “drinks” section of the menu but theirs was more of a frozen dessert than a drink since the ice was a little coarse to drink through a straw. It was tasty though, with lots of the toppings. The beans were very filling. They were fairly busy but the food came out pretty quickly. The service here was a step above the hands-off service style that’s typical of pho joints. The waitress checked in on me after I got my food to make sure everything was okay, and the whole staff team was really sweet. I think the decoration in the restaurant is fun, it’s a little eclectic but not “loud”. I would recommend this place over most other “express” Vietnamese restaurants for the...

I've had pho tai around 8 times (thanks google for stalking me) at this place since the beginning of 2021 as it is just a couple blocks away from where I live.

Anyone who enjoys pho frequently would have noticed the menu here in general is reasonably priced as well (i.e. their bowl of pho is $1-2 cheaper than most of the places). The meat portion has been always 1/2 of what you'd get from other places. But again, it is right in Yaletown and I knew what I was getting, so I used to go.

However, my last visit was a total disappointment. This time, the portion was INCREDIBLY tiny both noodle and meat. Yes, I did order a small (as always) but by that point, I knew how many times I could pick up the noodle with chopsticks before they were completely gone. I remember it was like 4 times and that was it. Do you get this? Your chopsticks making a round trip between your mouth and the bowl 4 times.. That is just low. I am not a big eater but that was way too tiny and I wasnt even half full.

Now whenever I feel like having a bowl of pho tai in this area, I go all the way down to the one on Beaty even though it is more expensive and more walking is involved. At least there I know I am going to get lots of soft and juicy rare beef slices with adequate thickness on my pho...