This was my third visit to Saigon Taste, and each time it seemed busier than the last. On this particular Monday, I arrived just before noon for a business lunch and barely snagged a table. By the time my guest showed up, there was already a lineup at the door.
The room is long and bright, booths separated by cheerful murals of Vietnamese market scenes. I spotted Loan Dang, who opened Saigon Taste in 2017 with her mother, bussing tables and chatting with customers — moving fast, but smiling, as if being run off her feet were a privilege.
The family immigrated from southern Vietnam, where the food is known for its bold flavours, fresh herbs and layered textures. Through Saigon Taste, the owners bring family recipes and regional favourites not often seen on Edmonton menus. Their culinary approach draws on street food and family meals.
From the illustrated menu, my colleague and I chose the bánh khọt — crisp mini pancakes made with a rice flour and turmeric batter, filled with shrimp and pan-fried with coconut cream. Traditionally served at family gatherings, the pancakes arrived on a bamboo tray, surrounded by lettuce leaves, fresh herbs and vegetables. The menu’s illustrated step-by-step instructions invited us to wrap each pancake like a lettuce taco and dip it into a side of fish sauce. It was deeply flavourful, crispy and full of contrast.
Next came the bánh tằm bì, or coconut noodles. Thick rice noodles formed the base, topped with a tomato-coated steamed meatball, fresh herbs, crispy onions, julienned vegetables and a cup of creamy coconut sauce. Once I poured the sauce over the noodles and mixed in the fish sauce, it became something like a Vietnamese riff on spaghetti and meatballs — familiar in structure, yet entirely its own. Southern Vietnamese cuisine often reflects external influences, as evident in this dish.
The beverage menu includes tropical cocktails like the lychee cloud, but given the hour, we went non-alcoholic: a sweet, fragrant kumquat peach tea and a Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk. The tea was refreshing and not overly sugary, made with real fruit. The coffee was smooth, dark and clearly high quality — made with Trung Nguyên beans, one of Vietnam’s most respected roasters.
Dang’s attention shows up in the atmosphere as much as it does the ingredients. The murals that divide the booths were created by a Vietnamese artist, as were the watercolour illustrations in the menu. These aren’t aesthetic afterthoughts — they’re part of Dang’s vision to transport people to her homeland through feeling and flavours.
For her, this isn’t just a business, it’s a kind of cultural storytelling. And judging by the packed room and contented diners, the story is connecting.
Saigon Taste
Wîhkwêntôwin |10383 112 St NW, Edmonton | 780.705.1675 | saigontasteyeg.com
