Pho Huydat Vietnamese Noodle House — Restaurant in Calgary

I like what's going on in West Hillhurst along 19 St NW, and among all the shiny new places is decidedly old-school Pho Huydat, which I checked out for lunch today. When I saw that there was Bun Cha Ha Noi on the menu I had to try it- this is a dish comprising thin rice vermicelli, spring rolls and pork patties and it's not that easy to find in Calgary. Huydat's version is big- it has two beautiful spring rolls fried in rice paper, a pile of grilled pork along with three pork patties, a nice pile of noodles, and another pile of shredded lettuce, cucumber and carrots.

Most was delicious and the value was exceptional- this is a huge plate of food. But what prevents this from being a five-star dish is that they just use the same lettuce/cuke/carrot that would go with any bun dish. That's not how this is served- it should have full leaves of lettuce, and herbs (basil, mint, cilantro) too, so that you can make rolls with those, the noodes, the meat and the spring rolls and dip them in the accompanying fish sauce. What this ended being for me was more of a noodle bowl but served on a flat plate. Also, the pork patties were tasty but quite dry. With no real way to eat this (a plate is not a good surface for what ended up being a bowl because of the shredded everything), it left me wondering how much better this could have been. I asked for whole lettuce leaves and the (very pleasant!) server said that "all" of the lettuce had been shredded. That's not ideal. Anyway I'll definitely head back here, but this dish, while good, was a bit...

If you're looking for an authentic Vietnamese pho experience, look no further than this fantastic restaurant. From the moment you walk in, you're greeted with a warm and welcoming atmosphere that immediately sets the tone for your meal.

The menu features an impressive selection of pho, each one bursting with flavor and made with the freshest ingredients. The broth is rich and savory, with just the right amount of spice to give it that signature pho kick. The noodles are perfectly cooked and have a satisfying chewiness to them that makes each bite a pleasure.

But it's not just the pho that sets this restaurant apart - the rest of the menu is equally impressive. The spring rolls are crispy and bursting with fresh herbs and vegetables, and the banh mi sandwiches are packed with flavor and generously portioned.

Service is always top-notch, with friendly and attentive staff who are happy to make recommendations and answer any questions you may have.

Overall, I highly recommend this Vietnamese pho restaurant to anyone looking for a delicious and authentic meal. Whether you're a pho fanatic or just looking to try something new, you won't be...

On the plus side, this restaurant helped me coin a new term - WATERFLATION.

EVERYTHING here was cheaped out on as much as possible - most using water. The sriracha was the consistency of Tabasco sauce. The peanut sate soup was so watered down and saltless I pretty much had to empty an entire bottle of Hoisin into it. It was also clearly just regular (watered-down) pho with some peanut-butter scooped in, and maybe a tiny squirt of their ghost-sriracha. The green tea I was brought was a tiny bag good for a 250mL cup in a large pot of lukewarm water - so it never developed more than 10% more flavor over just water. The vegetarian spring rolls were clearly from a frozen supermarket pack. Coffee took forever to show up, and the condensed milk was also clearly watered down.

Probably the worst pho meal I've had in Calgary overall - which is not to say horrible (the service was also good overall and the restaurant is nice and clean and everything) - but I'd recommend going almost anywhere else in the city unless you're severely...