Thanh Tam Vietnamese Noodle House

Pho: for those who have been so unlucky to have not tried it yet, pho is one of life's best indulgences. A mixture of rice noodles, fatty beef broth, onions, cilantro with an assortment of meat, tendon, tripe or other meat topped with sprouts, lime, chilis and your favorite sauce (mine is saracha). Originating from Northern Vietnam in the early 20th century, it's distinct flavours will, in no doubt of my mind, forever change your life. You will begin to day dream of it every other day and spend your hard-earned cash on it at least once a week. Luckily for you pho is relatively cheap and Edmonton has lots of spots to grab a steaming bowl of it. However, if I were you I would check out Thanh Tam Vietnamese Noodle House located on 156ST & 111AVE right next to the lovely St. Pete's peeler bar. By far, this is the best tasting pho I have found in Edmonton and one of the most reasonably priced. The restaurant is large and never too busy so getting a seat shouldn't be an issue. The service is friendly and the menu extensive, however, I sadly admit have not tried even 2% of due to the delicious pho combos available. So put your busy life on hold for a moment and enjoy a heavenly bowl of pho at Thanh Tam's.

A bowl of beef brisket and rare steak pho.

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Three Boars Eatery

Self defined as Plates & Pints, this is a much too simplified description of what Three Boars is. I have been there twice now, unfortunately the first time only trying one dish, the hanger steak amongst numerous beers. Although I had a beautiful date, neither of us were hungry, at least not for solid food. That being said, it was the first time in my life I experienced the delicious tenderness of hanger steak forever changing my palate. Anyways...on to the real story...

Three Boars is a tiny, gourmet style restaurant located off Whyte Ave on 109 that serves food in a tapas-like style perfect for sharing with many people. And that is where the real joy comes from - getting to fill your table full of many different dishes that appear in a perfectly timed manner. The restaurant's décor reminds me of a gastropub with a hipster twist. A bar downstairs to drop in for a few cold ones that boasts a large alcoholic menu - maybe even too big - but never an issue for me as I love trying new beers. Upstairs features a small dining area that would comfortably fit around 30 people I imagine. Nothing overly fancy about the atmosphere of this place but it works, its a cool spot.

Again I was graced with a beautiful date which I suggest you do too - double date, maybe even a triple date, this way you can try as many dishes as possible. We began the feast with Devil on Horseback - a bacon-wrapped date stuffed with creamy cheese. Very rich, very good. From the Rabbit Food segment of their menu, we ordered the carrots salad; raw and roasted carrots mixed with beets, arugula, crispy goat cheese, & almond emulsion. Next we ordered the Miso Braised Pork Belly. Served in oats cooked in dashi, pickled beech mushrooms and flying fish roe (tobiko) this is a delicious originally Chinese, but mainly Japanese dish that packs a full plate of flavour. The pork is tender falling off the slab of fat its served on, easily cut into pieces with a spoon. Anything miso, or Japanese for that matter, to me is delicious - always an array of distinct flavours that never overpower one another. The oats give good texture with the pork and offer almost a meal on their own as the flavour is powerful. The seaweed and roe give it that extra kick. After devouring the pork, we moved onto the Whole Smoked Quail which is served atop a potato puree that includes spinach, brown butter and horseradish. Another first for me, the quail was mildly smoked and very tender. Presented to us on top of creamy potatoes like a miniature turkey, the meat is best experienced by eating it like a chicken wing - you gotta get in there to enjoy it. To clean our palates we finished the night with a tangy dessert - don't quite remember what it was; at some point in my life I left behind an uncontrollable sweet-tooth in favour of feeding my ravenous jaws with beef, bore, cheeses, really anything but just sugar and water. It was tasty though!

Overall, Three Boars tops as one of my favourite restaurants in Edmonton. They are doing a great thing there and I simply urge you to check it out.

Photo of the quail. Sorry that's all the photo's I took this visit. You will need to go see how good it is for yourself!
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Three Boars Website: http://www.threeboars.ca