vietnamese – Elsie Hui

October 11, 2020

Pho 26 – Calgary, Alberta

After a road trip, we came back to the city and stopped at Pho 26 as my girlfriend I was with recommended it. It’s in a small strip plaza and the place looks like it used to be an Italian restaurant or something. The space inside is huge and there was plenty of space even with Covid!

I often do an order of Spring Rolls no matter where I go unless I’m not wanting the grease. This day after a road trip, I wanted it with my hot tea and I’m sure glad I did. Although they didn’t look like much or anything special, it was one of the spring rolls that is packed with flavours. It was really good and the skin was thin and crispy!

I ordered a nice warm bowl of Satay Beef Noodle Soup and it wasn’t the peanut satay. It had a kick to it but it wasn’t overwhelming. The portion size was quite large as I barely finished it – but I do eat a tad less after a day sitting in the car. They had a generous portion of beef as well where I didn’t feel like it just wasn’t enough, or it wasn’t fair.

So, overall, it was an enjoyable time and I’m glad my girlfriend told us to go here! It was good and they didn’t judge me for taking soup home. I seriously just asked for a container for just the soup.

Pho 26 Calgary

4019 17 Ave SE,
Calgary, AB
403-457-2636

April 5, 2020

Pho Thanh Nga – Calgary, Alberta

We eat a lot of Vietnamese food and somehow we stumbled into Pho Thanh Nga which was perfect. The place was busy but there was still a lot of parking available.

I was starving so we ordered an appetizer and got their Pork Spring Rolls which was pretty tasty! Simple but traditional! The skin was really thin and crispy and it was jammed pack with flavours and pork!

One thing I really like is egg pie, and one of my coworkers Mav made me his version homemade. I’ve never had anything as tasty or wonderful but there isn’t harm trying to find a location that can even come close. All the places he recommended for me isn’t like his homemade, but just finding a place that makes it is amazing. So, I had to order their Grilled pork, egg pie on rice and I was a very happy girl even though it didn’t come close to Mav’s. I can’t even request him to make me more as I fill his day with all sorts of random stuff already.

We also ordered their Satay Beef Noodle Soup as it’s perfect for a chilly day. The soup base was flavourful and there was so much meat and rice noodles! It was delicious!

I quite enjoyed this place. It’s not far from home, but maybe one day I’ll make it my go-to place even though I have a few other places I find myself returning to regularly!

Pho Thanh Nga

356 Cranston Rd SE #6002,
Calgary, AB
403-457-3805

March 7, 2020

Pho Vy – Calgary, Alberta

I was looking for a Vietnamese noodle soup that wasn’t too far and wanted to try a new place. We found Pho Vy and it turns out it is a staple place for a coworker because he lives a few blocks away! It would’ve been fun had I known and called him to join me.

I absolutely love Shrimp Salad Rolls and it’s no exception here! The shrimp was fresh and the peanut sauce was delicious.

I ordered their Chicken Submarine and it was on a wonderful baguette with amazing flavours in their meat which really was perfect the way it was. I think there was a good amount of meat to topping ratio and I just really enjoyed the bun.

Then, we ordered a Satay Beef Noodle Soup for variety and it was good! The portions were big and the flavours in the satay was tasty. It wasn’t filled with spice where you can’t taste it so it was pretty amazing.

Overall, it was a nice little place. It was busy and I can see why! There’s ample parking outside, and the food was great! The service was a bit slow, but it’s a place where you don’t need much.

Pho Vy

13750 Bow Bottom Trail SE,
Calgary, AB
403-455-8822

December 26, 2018December 31, 2018

Xu Hue – Edmonton, Alberta

We were driving home from Cold Lake, Alberta and wanted to take a stop in Edmonton for lunch and something lighter as we still had a few hours to go before we returned home. We decided to try a Vietnamese restaurant for some soupy pho and found ourselves at Xu Hue, where we found some street parking on the streets behind.

I sat down and wanted something hot and spicy as it was a rainy day and it rained on us on and off at Cold Lake for the airshow. I decided I wanted my favourite dish, Bun Bo Hue and I asked for it “not so spicy” so I wouldn’t get a tummy ache during the adventure home.

This restaurant had some very unique items that we’ve never seen on a Vietnamese restaurant menu and I wish we had the opportunity to try more, but there’s always next time. We asked the manager what Duck Congee was and his face lit up when explaining it. It was really different so I’m glad it’s something we tried. The item came in 2 portions, the first section was the congee which was a great congee base with lots of flavour. It was far from boring and if this was all we got, we would have been very satisfied.

Almost immediately after came what the manager called Duck Salad, and that was a plate of duck! It was really odd! This salad had lots of greens and toppings on and we weren’t actually sure how to eat it. The manager told us to put the salad in the congee or eat it on the side. So, we did both. It was amazing! It was light, it wasn’t heavy, it was sort of refreshing. We really enjoyed this!

This experience was extremely memorable. We eat out for Vietnamese all the time and this one just stuck in my head. Last week, we were in Edmonton and when we drove by, I made the comment of the “duck congee”, so it’s great it’s on my radar!

Xu Hue

10548-97 Street,
Edmonton, AB
(780) 426-7775

October 21, 2018October 28, 2018

Green Leaf Bistro – Victoria, British Columbia

We went to Victoria for Canada Day, and if you know my boss, he was there during this time as well and we said we’d try to meet up in front of the Empress for fireworks if it all works out. So, I had to spend the day in this city even though I was actually staying in Parksville. So, for lunch we wandered off to Green Leaf Bistro for a quick soupy lunch.

I know I didn’t want or need this, but since it was on the table, I eat it! It was Barbecued Quail. I do eat quail and I love it deep fried, but like chicken wings, I’m not always in the mood for them. This was actually really good and I’m glad it was ordered. It was something quite different, so it’s always good to give new things a shot.

I ordered a bowl of Spicy Beef Noodle Soup as I needed something to get me going again. It’s already been a long day and somehow i needed to last until midnight. The bowl of noodle soup was pretty big and not as spicy as I had originally prepared myself for by looking at it. It was very spicy, don’t get me wrong, but I thought it would be constant choking and sweating and running nose. I’m not sure why I thought that would be enjoyable, but I can’t question myself as I never make sense. This was a pretty big portion and generous amount of meat on top.

We ordered something “normal” just in case my order was too spicy for me to handle. We had their Brisket Noodle Soup and this was pretty good. The soup was definitely a different broth and it was good!

Overall, we left here very full and satisfied. Now that I’m blogging this and looking back.. I was not very smart at all getting a spicy soup. “what if” I had a stomach ache from the spice!? LOL! Everything worked out well though, as usual!

Green Leaf Bistro

832 Goldstream Ave,
Victoria, BC
250-590-8302