I thought that this was going to be the time it would all work out. I really did.
You see, as part of this amazing opportunity of being a restaurant reviewer and food critic, I often eat as much as I can in one sitting. Well, on my most recent adventure out, I had made a mental note that I was going to “take it easy and show some restraint.”
For this review, my guest and I ventured up to the northeast of Calgary, to Saigon Pearl in Harvest Hills. I’d read that it was serving up some above average Vietnamese food
As the popularity of Vietnamese food has exploded over the past few years, it seems that pho and bun (noodle soups and vermicelli rice noodle dishes, respectively) places have been popping up everywhere. Overall, the consistencies and flavour profiles of their dishes seem to be mostly of the same mould, but from time-to-time you find one that stands out from the crowd. Pho Xuan, found just north of Marlborough Mall on 36 St. N.E. is No. 1 on my list. Now I have a second one to add to my list: Saigon Pearl.
My one and only complaint about our experience was that when we arrived, we grabbed a booth at the front of the L-shaped room and then waited about 10 minutes for menus. About halfway through that time, we noticed that some people had been greeted at the front door and then shown to their seats. Upon entering, it would have been clearer if they had a “please wait to be seated” sign. Once our waitress realized what was going on, she immediately rectified things and apologized profusely. Overall, it wasn’t a big deal, and it didn’t detract from our total experience.
After glancing at the menu, I realized that I would need to divert from my plan of restraint. No. 6 on the menu, an appetizer of chim cut (deep-fried quails, $8.50) caught my eye. Sectioned into halves, they arrived. I was immediately excited. The meat was dark and rich and the crispy, sticky skin complemented it well. I knew that deviating from my original plan was a good idea — the quail pieces weren’t that much larger than chicken wings, so I hadn’t completely gone off track.
I decided to try out the No. 10 — pho dac buit deluxe noodle soup ($7.95), which came with beef tripe, brisket, tendon, meatballs and rice noodles, all in a nice beef broth. All of Saigon Pearl’s pho dishes come with cilantro, green and white onions, lime and a chili pepper. The broth was light and tasty, with the usual star anise overtones, and was served piping hot. While some places offer different sized pho dishes, Saigon Pearl seems to only put forward one option: huge.
My guest had the No. 41 — mi xao mem thap cam, chicken with seafood and veggies on Shanghai noodles ($12). That choice also looked great, and the piece of crab that I stole from her plate was very nice.
So there we were, nice and full, without any real overindulgence, and that’s when it happened. “Let's try the banana crepes,” said my guest. Being the nice, selfless guy that I am, I obliged. Based on the name, I figured I knew what we were ordering. We were given the choice of strawberry or chocolate and went with chocolate.
What arrived would have been better described as banana-filled spring rolls, but that doesn’t sound too appealing now that I’ve typed it out. There were four rolls, covered in chocolate sauce with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle. The banana pieces were warm and mushy without falling apart and were delicious. The ice cream provided a nice balance between hot and cold.
I learned a few things during my trip to Saigon Pearl: eat whatever you want, don’t plan ahead and just enjoy your meal as it happens. I think I’ve had a food epiphany.
Saigon Pearl is located at 901, 9650 Harvest Hills Blvd. N.E.; phone, 403-532-3999.
