Good for a low budget weekend or a pit stop in the freezing cold
review by Mahek Mehrotra
I’m scared of Southeast Asian food. The last time I had a home-cooked meat hotpot I overestimated my immune system and ended up in the ER with a severe allergic reaction (it was probably the shellfish). Since then, I try to play extra safe with Southeast Asian food, which mostly means I avoid it at all costs. A friend of mine is a total fanboy of Vietnamese food – and he’s vegetarian! My brain screamed SAFE! and one lazy day we dragged ourselves for a brunch at Friends and Neighbours Café on Whyte Avenue.
The décor and vibe were relaxed – like us. Not much effort was put into the interior: it looked like they stuffed a seating arrangement wherever possible: an effective but not very aesthetic use of space. The counter had a little wooden slab almost like a shelf was broken in half, which featured a huge waving golden cat of good luck, a staple appearance in any southeast Asian place.
Since it was breakfast time, let me inform you – we didn’t have any pho. We began by asking the waitress the portion sizes, since it wasn’t really mentioned on the menu and we hoped that it would be enough to feed us, but we also didn’t want to be wasting. She was very sweet and gentle and genuinely seemed pleased with her job (at least I hope she was).
We started off with salad rolls (4 pcs) ($12.95) and a Vietnamese sub ($11.95)– banh mi. We asked for some spice, and the sweet waitress bought every bottle of existing spicy condiments – sriracha, chili oil and a spicy hoisin sauce. The spice made it better since the rolls were on the bland side, which I think is a fair expectation from a salad roll. Overall, the salad rolls were a pleasant surprise to me because I expected them to taste boring and raw. Fresh bean sprouts, carrot, mint, lettuce, cold vermicelli, soft tofu, and crispy soy bacon wrapped in rice paper! They were quite refreshing and just the right amount of flavour, which was not too heavy on my “first meal of the day” palate. The thick heaviness of the peanut sauce with the lightness of the salad rolls added the savoury and hearty element.
The Vietnamese Sub (Banh-mi) was good too, but I didn’t fully understand why it was supposed to be so special, since it felt like a regular sub. Until I found out that usually, places make their own bread – as mentioned on the menu. Again, very light and healthy, yet somehow tasty. The G&R Vegan Lemongrass Crispy Tofu Spicy Bowl ($18.50) was not bad either. Loved the crisp tofu and its moist soft centre, although I don’t think it was very spicy. The mushrooms were scarce since we had to literally hunt for them. It was good, yet I wasn’t too impressed by it. The long plastic chopsticks were red and ugly, a poor choice of cutlery.
It’s a pretty healthy and budget-friendly place. It’s not a place you plan to go but merely end up at. Good for a low budget weekend or a pit stop in the freezing cold. The only thing you must go there for is the food and to spend time with your people. It isn’t a place for an occasion or for aesthetics. It is quite literally like visiting a comfortable house to have food: not much thought needs to be put in going here, which is sometimes important. The description of the restaurant on their website is pretty accurate, so they do justice to the atmosphere and the crowd they wish to attract – it’s homely and comfortable, not too fancy.
Pho Delight Noodle Soup – Friends and Neighbours Café
10834 Whyte Avenue, Edmonton
780-433-6506
website
Monday – Friday – 8am – 9pm
Tuesday – Closed
Saturday – Sunday – 8am-5pm
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