Golden Saigon Bell Calgary Restaurant Review

August 16, 2012
By Cody Battershill

Golden Bell Saigon Calgary Restaurant Review

Within the last decade, Vietnamese has become a mainstream cuisine in the local food scene in Calgary because of its reasonable prices and decent size portions. Since Calgary is very diverse and multi-cultural, we have been fortunate enough to have authentic Vietnamese food brought to our city. There are many Vietnamese restaurants across all four quadrants of Calgary. On Uptown 17 Avenue SW, you can find at least half a dozen of them to satisfy your taste buds and Golden Bell Saigon is definitely one of the best of them.

If you’re bored of pho and looking to try something different then I highly recommend the Vietnamese pancake aka banh xeo at Golden Saigon Bell. The banh xeo exemplifies Vietnamese cuisine – cooking with minimal oil while using an abundance of fresh vegetables and herbs. The pancake is made out of rice flour and turmeric powder to give its yellow tint. Inside, you will find a mixture of pork, shrimp, green onions and bean sprouts. You can mix the meat and veggies in the lettuce leaves stuffed with fresh herbs like basil and cilantro dipped in the Vietnamese dipping fish sauce known as nuoc cham.

Their grilled lemongrass chicken vermicelli is also a refreshing alternative to pho on a hot summer day. It is essentially a salad of thin rice noodles, shredded lettuce and carrots, mint, basil, crushed peanuts and bean sprouts. The dressing (nuoc cham) is poured over the salad and voila! You have a healthy meal in a bowl. Finish your meal with an avocado shake or iced Vietnamese coffee. Golden Bell Saigon also has a patio if you want to soak in the sun and people watch on 17th Avenue SW.

I highly recommend Golden Saigon Bell to anyone looking for some delicious Vietnamese cuisine. Leave a comment and let us know which Vietnamese restaurant is your favourite in the Calgary region! Also, be sure to check out the Best Calgary Pho for some of my own personal recommendations.