A few weeks ago, long-standing Chinese restaurant Shanghai Palace in Edgemont took their signs down. A couple weeks later, Saigon Rex, a casual Vietnamese restaurant, took its place.
Vietnamese food is one of my favorite ethnic cuisines. It’s light and (mostly) healthy, but hits all the right spots. To satisfy phở cravings, we usually drive down to Crowfoot to Pho Huong Viet, Saigon Y2K on Crowchild. I was overjoyed when I saw a new Vietnamese restaurant opening close to home.
Saigon Rex looks a little different than most Vietnamese restaurants with similar menus. With a newly renovated space decked out with dark-grey minimalistic decor, the restaurant has a clean, modern feel, similar to that of a Moxie’s or Milestone’s. Looking at just the interior I would have assumed it was an Asian-fusion type restaurant, but Saigon Rex offers a very typical Vietnamese menu. The list includes everything you would expect: pho, vermicelli, rice dishes, stir-fries, noodles, salad rolls, spring rolls, vietnamese subs, etc. There are also some less typical items, such as Curry Lobster Noodle Soup ($21.50), and Shrimp Tempura ($9.00).
When we arrived for lunch on a Sunday, the restaurant was not too busy. Service was prompt; our waiter was a little hasty, but still friendly, and the food came minutes after we ordered.
We started with Prawn Salad Rolls ($7.00, shown above), served with hoisin-peanut sauce, a favorite of my family’s. They were light and satisfying, delicious as always, but nothing remarkable. For the entrees, the three of us shared a Rare Cooked Beef & Tripe Noodle Soup (Phở Tái Sách, $12.00, shown below), and a Vermicelli with Prawns, Satay Beef & Chicken ( Bún Tôm Sate Bò, Gà Nướng, $14.50, shown below), as we suspected the portions would be larger than we could finish. Our suspicions were correct. As the two bowls were brought up, you could hear a collective intake of breath from my table. The serving is ENORMOUS, each dish being about the size of a small punch bowl (we definitely regretted ordering the appetizer). For the pho, the soup was flavorful (slightly too salty) but overall very solid, and included a generous amount of beef along with bean sprouts and smooth rice noodles. The vermicelli came with heapings of spicy chicken, shrimp and beef, vermicelli rice noodles, as well as lettuce, julienned carrots, and the same hoisin peanut sauce as the salad rolls.
Both bowls were very typical, nothing exceptional (except the size), but nonetheless delicious, like most Vietnamese food is. Unsurprisingly, we were unable to finish all of what we ordered, and, like most who sat down at the restaurant, had to grab a takeout box for leftovers.
Saigon Rex is far from the best Vietnamese food I’ve eaten in Calgary (if I had the opportunity, I would still drive over to other favorites such as Pho Huong Viet instead), but a visit will definitely satisfy any pho craving. All in all, this new, modern Vietnamese restaurant is sure to become one of my frequent visits for both sit-in and takeout, simply because it is closer to home. Plus, you can’t really mess up Vietnamese food.
Don’t expect too much from Saigon Rex, but you’re sure to leave full and satisfied. Next-time though, I would order one bowl to share between two people.
5149 Country Hills Blvd NW, (587) 349-0080, www.saigonrex.ca
