YYC: Noodle World

I normally don’t like to go eat at Vietnamese restaurants. I find that the ones in Edmonton are average and nothing special, usually serving the same pho, vermicelli, and rice dishes. Every time I go to Calgary with my family though, they always want to stop at Noodle World for lunch. Over the years, I’ve started to like it more and more. 

Noodle World is a Vietnamese restaurant in the southeast area of Calgary. It’s in a little strip mall known as Little Saigon. They serve noodles (of course!) but also a big variety of other Vietnamese dishes at decent pricing. The food doesn’t take that long to come out and portions will leave you full, for sure. 

Mi Hai Vi (Dried Noodles with Seafood) $8.75

The noodle bowls can be served either dry or with soup. I chose to have dry noodles and seafood. For the dry noodle bowls, it’s accompanied by a small side bowl of soup broth. The egg noodles were tossed in a soy-like sauce to make them a bit moist and add some flavour. There was a good amount of seafood included, such as shrimp, squid, and crab meat. It was topped with onions, scallions, and cilantro. I almost couldn’t finish it because it was so filling!

Thit Kho To (Sautéed Pork in Clay Pot) $14

One of my favourite dishes here! This dish is good for sharing and eating with white rice. Yes, it is delicious as it looks. It’s composed of sautéed chunks of juicy pork that’s served in a clay pot. The clay pot keeps the food warm when it’s out on the table. The pork is sautéed in a flavourful sauce that tastes well when a bit is poured onto rice. 

Canh Chua Ca (Sweet & Sour Hot Soup with Fish) $18.00

A bowl of soup is always needed in an Asian meal. We shared the medium sized canh chua ca which is sweet and sour hot soup. It does come in a large size and can be served with either fish or shrimp. The tamarind broth contains some spices but it isn’t really that spicy. Along with fish, there are big chunks of tomatoes, pineapple and beansprouts. The soup is garnished with onions, coriander, scallions, and basil. I enjoyed eating it with rice but it can be eaten by itself or with vermicelli noodles instead. 

Che Ba Mau (Three Color Dessert) $4.50

This is always a classic Vietnamese dessert. The three colors are red bean at the bottom, mung bean in the middle, then grass jelly on top. Coconut milk is poured over it to give it a sweeter taste. I enjoyed it at Noodle World because it tasted fresh and satisfied my sweet tooth. 

Noodle World is about a 20 minute drive from the downtown core but it’s worth it. If you’re an Edmonton reader, I recommend checking out this place the next time you road trip to Calgary and crave some Viet food!