BATTLE BUN BO HUE pt 2 - Thanh Thanh

Although I eat Vietnamese food quite frequently, I rarely go to Thanh Thanh, mostly because I had once, way back when, had a very westernized, flavorless bowl of Pho. One of my Noodle group members, BuBear, suggested a Noodle Field Trip, and he included Thanh Thanh as one of the places to go for Bun Bo Hue. As shocked as I was, I never turn down BuBear's suggestions, as he's one of the few people I know who not only loves food, but is an amazing chef. Being Vietnamese himself, he is also well versed in what makes a good bowl of Bun Bo Hue.

At Thanh Thanh, the entire menu is in English, and they have Bun Bo Hue listed as "Central Vietnamese Noodle Soup." Although I can appreciate that this makes Vietnamese cuisine more approachable to guests who are somewhat new to the dishes, it can make ordering certain dishes a tad confusing. Luckily, the servers and owners speak Vietnamese, so you can just as easily order the dishes in Vietnamese.

Central Vietnamese Noodle Soup

The first impression surprised me - abundant fragrant chili oil, a generous amount of sliced onion and chopped scallions, and finely sliced beef shank.

Thin vermicelli rice noodles

Another surprise! They use thin vermicelli, rather than the thicker "lai fun" style vermicelli (as thick as spaghetti) typically used in Bun Bo Hue. Personally, I prefer the thicker noodles, so I'd ask for a substitution next time.

You can see the lemongrass!

The soup was incredibly flavorful, with a slight sweetness from the pork used to make the broth and abundant lemongrass. I was also pleasantly surprised by the evident flavor of shrimp paste, which is usually used in such small quantities due to its pungency. The beef shank was perfectly tender, and well prepared.

My only complaint would be that there was only beef shank as the topping, when there should at least be Vietnamese pork sausage and pork hock. Even better, although very rare in Edmonton, there should be pork blood and oxtail. As well, the portion size was quite a bit smaller than other restaurants, which at $8.45 a bowl, is relatively expensive compared to other Vietnamese restaurants in Edmonton. However, I'd say this was a small price to pay for a cleaner restaurant and a beautifully renovated restaurant.

Overall, I was very impressed - the restaurant was very clean, service was good (which is somewhat rare in Vietnamese restaurants), and the flavors (even if the ingredients were tweaked) in the Bun Bo Hue were still very authentic. Definitely a pleasant surprise when considering the flavorless Pho I had here in the past.

Although this will never be my first choice for Vietnamese food, because I personally place the most precedence on overall authenticity of dishes rather than dining ambiance, I would definitely consider coming back to try some of the other dishes next time!

http://www.thanhthanh.ca/

BATTLE Bun Bo Hue - Calgary Trail Noodle House

Bun bo hue is one of my favorite Vietnamese noodle soups, and thus I have been on an adventure to find the BEST Bun bo hue.


Bun bo hue's Story:


A Vietnamese noodle soup made using beef bones as the primary protein. It originated from Hue in Central Vietnam, and is predominantly flavored with lemon grass and chili. It is usually served with thick rice vermicelli, topped with sliced beef shank, sliced or whole pork hock, Vietnamese sausage, pork blood (optional), and oxtail if you're lucky. When served, it is common to add bean sprouts, lime, cilantro, green onion, and finely sliced banana blossom (usually substituted with cabbage). Shrimp paste is often added, however, it is usually quite subtle, compared to other crab/shrimp based soups.






Calgary Trail Noodle House:


Normally I will refuse to go to Calgary Trail Noodle House, simply because it seriously lacks consistency. Based on my experiences, when the good chef is present, food is amazing, however, when the food is cooked  by anybody else, it's pretty disappointing.


I dropped by the other day since I was craving Vietnamese food and happened to be in the area.


SURPRISE!! I ordered the Bun bo hue, and it was one of the BEST Bun bo hue broths I've ever had in Edmonton! Now I don't know how it tastes on a bad day, but I considered myself lucky and happily nomnomed all the way to the bottom of the bowl. ^____^V

The chili oil on the surface of the soup had chopped lemon grass in it!

The toppings were typical - It was served with beef shank,Vietnamese sausage, and a few slices of pork hock, but no pork blood. Also, no banana blossom (almost no restaurant in Edmonton serves it), but not even chopped cabbage!

Beef shank on the left, Vietnamese sausage slices on the right

The broth was very lemon grassy with a thick layer of fragrant lemon grass infused chili oil and the noodles were cooked perfectly al dente. The sweetness of pork bone could be tasted in the broth, as well as the pungency of crab paste.


If I can somehow figure out who the good chef at this joint is and when he or she is working, I'll definitely be back!

Homemade PHO!!!

Home made <3 PHO <3 aka Vietnamese noodle soup!! 

phở bò

The broth for pho is supposed to be a rich, clear stock flavored with a number of seasonings, many of which reflect the French influence on the dish. 

It is made with either beef, phở bò, or chicken, phở gà, however, I usually play around with different types of bones, combining beef, chicken, or pork, to get the flavor I prefer. 

(I KNOW, this technically take it out of the pho category, but hey, what fun is it if you don't play around in the kitchen? Anyway, I  grew up on pho that was always a combination of beef and chicken, so that's how I like it best. ''^___^)

For this pot, I used pork neck bones, oxtail, beef bones, and beef flank for the soup base, then seasoned with whole onion, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, cloves, black cardamom, coriander seeds, star anise, black pepper, palm sugar, cinnamon, and liquorice root. I then served it with fresh rice noodles, thinly sliced rare sirloin, thick slices of flank, and pork balls, before garnishing with roughly chopped green onions, cilantro, bean sprouts, Thai basil, and a squeeze of lemon.

NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOMMMMMM!!!!

I'll be posting a step-by-step soon!

XOXO

- nattycat