Thanh Thanh
I've been told that Thanh Thanh has the best noodles in Edmonton, so I checked it out one chilly Saturday afternoon. (They are closed on Sundays.) The place seemed clean and the decor was a grade above chains like Pagolac and Pho Hoa. There was a large goldfish aquarium in the back, featuring bright orange and white fishies paddling about in the water. Some were missing fins and couldn't swim properly, so that was a bit sad :(
I started my meal with a somewhat adventurous drink, one that I've always wanted to try. It was an egg soda ($4), and true to its name, it consisted of one raw egg and fizzy soda with a couple spoonfuls of condensed milk to sweeten it. It's actually not as daunting as it sounds. After all, eggnog is made with raw eggs too! The egg soda was rich and creamy with a milk-like consistency, and there was just enough fizz to add a refreshing element. I would definitely order this again.
One of the most sought-after dishes, according to Urbanspoon, is the savoury and spicy satay soup loaded with crunchy peanuts, piquant peppers, meat slices and a spool of rice noodles. Most reviews recommend the beef, but we opted for chicken satay soup ($9) instead. The thick broth was indeed very flavourful and tasty, but it would've been even better if served piping hot.
The stewed beef with rice noodles ($9) was also a good choice. It wasn't as intense as the satay soup, but it was still loaded with enough flavour to please the palate. The beef brisket was tender, and the carrots and tomato-based broth made for a tasty bowl of noodles.
I was very impressed with the medium rare soup lovers delight ($8), aka pho tai, because the beef was actually medium rare for once! Almost every single Vietnamese restaurant has pho with rare beef on the menu, but the meat is always completely cooked through. These thin slices of beef, however, still had a reddish hue and were very soft and tender.
The basil leaves and bean sprouts that came with the pho were also among the freshest I've seen.
I'm glad that Thanh Thanh did not disappoint; they do serve one of the heartiest bowls of noodles in the city.
I started my meal with a somewhat adventurous drink, one that I've always wanted to try. It was an egg soda ($4), and true to its name, it consisted of one raw egg and fizzy soda with a couple spoonfuls of condensed milk to sweeten it. It's actually not as daunting as it sounds. After all, eggnog is made with raw eggs too! The egg soda was rich and creamy with a milk-like consistency, and there was just enough fizz to add a refreshing element. I would definitely order this again.
One of the most sought-after dishes, according to Urbanspoon, is the savoury and spicy satay soup loaded with crunchy peanuts, piquant peppers, meat slices and a spool of rice noodles. Most reviews recommend the beef, but we opted for chicken satay soup ($9) instead. The thick broth was indeed very flavourful and tasty, but it would've been even better if served piping hot.
The stewed beef with rice noodles ($9) was also a good choice. It wasn't as intense as the satay soup, but it was still loaded with enough flavour to please the palate. The beef brisket was tender, and the carrots and tomato-based broth made for a tasty bowl of noodles.
I was very impressed with the medium rare soup lovers delight ($8), aka pho tai, because the beef was actually medium rare for once! Almost every single Vietnamese restaurant has pho with rare beef on the menu, but the meat is always completely cooked through. These thin slices of beef, however, still had a reddish hue and were very soft and tender.
The basil leaves and bean sprouts that came with the pho were also among the freshest I've seen.
I'm glad that Thanh Thanh did not disappoint; they do serve one of the heartiest bowls of noodles in the city.
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