Pagolac, EdmontonWhen we lived in Edmonton, we went to Pagolac several times a month. It was the only place that could satisfy my satay pho cravings — and still is.

Pagolac has Chinese food on its menu but I think it’s the best place in Edmonton for Vietnamese food. There are places with good pho and places with good bun but Pagolac serves both consistently well. Most dishes run about $10.

Quick Vietnamese primer:

Pho: rice noodles in clear beef broth with thin slices of beef (choices of rare, well-done, fatty flank, brisket etc.) and other options of tripe, tendon or meatballs to add both flavour and texture, topped with paper-thin slices of white onions and scallions.

I think a good pho is distinguished by a broth that’s full of flavour, simmered for hours with star anise, charred ginger, cloves and cinnamon.

Bun: cool rice noodles without the broth, usually topped with grilled meat and spring rolls with shredded lettuce and bean sprouts underneath. A “dressing” of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chiles comes on the side which I usually just dump right into everything.

Pagolac, Edmonton

I forget what number it is on the menu but this vermicelli bowl is one of Jason’s favourites: (from clockwise) lemongrass pork, crispy spring rolls, grilled meatballs, and beef la lop.

La lop, my friends, are the leaves of the betel plant. They’re wrapped around spiced ground beef and turn black when grilled. It’s a strange, tasty concoction of textures.

And here finally, my beloved beef satay soup. Oh I was one giddy diner when it arrived steaming hot in front of me.

Pagolac, Edmonton

I have yet to find satay pho like this anywhere else. The soup is thick and complex, peanuty with a spicy kick, topped with perfect slices of rare beef and raw tomato wedges that cook in the broth as you slurp it all up. It’s not a pretty dish to eat — Jason says it look like I have the flu when I’m devouring it, runny nose and all — but it’s soooooooo gooooood.

Pagolac, EdmontonI’ve had satay pho at other places where the soup tastes like hot water with splashes of hot sauce and peanut oil floating in a film on top. Bleah.

Pagolac has one location in Chinatown and another on the south-side that’s worth visiting if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to eat Vietnamese food in a former steakhouse, still adorned with velvet curtains and heavy wood chairs from the ’70s.

If anyone can tell me what the laughing cow with earrings is all about, I’d love to hear about it. I’ve seen it used as a mascot at several Vietnamese restaurants but haven’t been able to find out its significance.

Pagolac, 10566-97 St., Edmonton, Alberta, (780) 425-1540 and 9642-54 Ave. (780) 433-8899.