CALGARY: Mission bun accomplished

So it’s taken us more than a year to find good Vietnamese bun, or vermicelli bowl, in Calgary but we finally got some at Pho Anh Huyen, thanks to Alison and Luke. They go there every Wednesday night, so you know it’s consistent.

Like most great Vietnamese joints, Pho Anh Huyen doesn’t look like much on the outside or inside. But it does have a parking lot out front.

Jason’s standard quality test bun order of grilled pork, shredded pork, meatballs and spring rolls (#35B here for $8.50) passed with flying colours. The meat was tasty and plentiful, the spring roll crispy and the noodles were moist and not a dry tangled mess. He also said he enjoyed the extra shredded basil included in the bowl.

The bonus for me was not only finding great bun, but also discovering something called curry beef and chicken soup ($8). While I’ve lamented about the lack of thick satay pho in Calgary, this came extremely close to filling those cravings even though it’s different.

The broth is thick and yellow, full of coconut milk and curry. There’s a small heap of chili flakes in a corner, giving it some heat. The rice noodles are shaped more like spaghetti than the thin vermicelli normally used in pho, and for a while, I thought my bowl was bottomless because it was so chock full of beef and chicken slices.

There are lots of other good things on the menu like the curry chicken vermicelli Luke had (left) and Alison’s Thai spicy sour soup with chicken and seafood (shrimp, fake crab and squid).

I wouldn’t come here for pho — Pho Pasteur Saigon in Chinatown is my pick for that — but for bun and other dishes, this is definitely now my go-to. Two days after eating here for the first time, I got a major bun craving and had to come back for lunch. Yup, still good.

Pho Anh Huyen, 1403 Centre St. NW, Calgary (403) 276-3636.
Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Sundays.