When I walked into Dang Good, and was greeted with a video board displaying tropical fish, I was lured into a false sense of calm. It was almost, tranquil. Like a Jedi knight, I could centre myself — an epic challenge awaited me.
The challenger had a name. Bun Bo Hue. In English, the Spicy Lemongrass Soup. Now, I’m no stranger to this style of broth — I’ve had it many times before. It usually has enough spice to keep things interesting, but it’s not like you’re going to have to take the afternoon off of work in order to recover from the spice.
But Damn Good throws the rulebook out the window. The golden broth is tinged with red spots, and I should have seen that as a warning sign. The rice noodles are thick, and sliced pork meatballs and thin slices of beef float to the surface.
I take my first spoonful, and I get the mix of beef and lemongrass and I am processing the flavours and then OH WHAT IS THIS and my mouth is on fire and there’s an icy glass of water right there and I thank whoever had the foresight to put it there and IT BURNS IT BURNS. I take a second to collect myself. After the initial shock, the flavours come back — and wow, there is a lot going on. The lemongrass does not overpower the palate; behind the heat, there’s a subtle play of flavours, with the richness of the meat providing the backbeat. And then, I take another small slurp. And another. With each spoonful, I am slowly building up my resistance. I no longer have to reach for the icy drink between each bite. I can do this. This soup will not beat me.
The pork meatballs are so darn good, big enough to need two bites each to finish.
I get about two thirds through the very large bowl, and then I tap out. It’s just too much. So good, but what a challenge. The soup has won. Really, I didn’t stand a chance.
Dang Good
Dovercourt | 13308 118 Ave NW, Edmonton | 780.756.3264 | danggood.ca
