Thursday, February 2, 2012

Vermicelli.

I absolutely love vermicelli bowls.

So when my friend Jamie asked if I wanted to go to the best place in Edmonton for vermicelli bowls (The Golden Bird) I said "HECK YES!". Or something similar.

You can imagine my dismay, then, when we got to the restaurant, and it was closed. Being a family-run business, I suppose any time something happens, all the employees need to leave. (At least that's how I'd explain the sign out front saying "We will be closed from January 15 until February 26. We will reopen February 27.")

We were devastated. I'd been looking forward to a vermicelli bowl with nice, crisp, hot spring rolls on the side for hours.

What's a girl to do when she finds herself in Chinatown and her favorite Vietnamese place is closed? Well, I guess the answer is go four doors down the street to the Pagolac for a different vermicelli bowl.

Pagolac is a Vietnamese-Chinese restuarant, and we started with kim-chee and some slightly watery jasmine green tea. The vermicelli bowls were wonderful - Jamie had the lemongrass beef, and I got the beef shish kabob (mostly because it came with egg rolls). The beef was tasty, but insanely difficult to eat with chop sticks, and the egg rolls were just okay. Jamie's lemongrass beef was nicely spicy, and if I went back again I would probably go for it.

I was so hungry and so excited I totally forgot to take a picture.
And now the countdown is on until the Golden Bird reopens...

3 comments:

Lindsey said...

I made this the other night http://www.canadianliving.com/food/vietnamese_vermicelli_with_grilled_beef.php and was pleased overall with the result. Just gotta be careful with fish sauce, as some are extremely potent (like the one I bought) and can turn the dish into a inedible salt lick in seconds. Love vermicelli bowls! Next time you go to the Golden Bird, give me a shout.

Sandi said...

Thanks love! I will have to try that out!
I'm thinking a Golden Bird party March 2/3... Celebrate their reopening!

Dominique said...

WHAT that would be devastating...and funny that you should say that because Sean and I tried to go last Monday, noticed that it was closed and drove on but I just figured it was closed mondays! We'll go when it opens :)