Well, I fell for it again. Second Winter.
One fine day, I bust out Papa Smurf — my recently tuned-up mountain bike — and spend an afternoon riding around the river valley. The sun and people are out, enjoying the subtle sounds of birds and water trickling all around. It’s not that much above zero, but enough to work up a sweat as I ride. As I unzip my hoodie to let the crisp air cool me on this sunny Saturday, I think, damn, I should get back out here tomorrow, and maybe even…hit a patio after?
On Sunday, Second Winter arrives. I’m gutted, and hungry, but mostly feel like a fool for even considering the possibility of a patio just because of a few nice days in March.
But one good thing about Second Winter is that, like First Winter (and even October’s ever-hated Early Winter), it makes soup extra soothing and good. (I compare it to getting a splinter that takes a minute to remove — when it’s finally out, the healing sensation is almost worth the pain…almost.)
And something about all the new ice makes me want spice, so I make a long-overdue visit to Miss Saigon’s south-side location, in Windermere. (On my way out the garage, I apologize to Papa Smurf for being such a spring-biking tease.)
Like its Whyte Ave location, Miss Saigon Windermere offers the Pho Challenge — a four-litre bowl of broth with pounds of beef, noodles and veggies. But after seeing a table of four struggle to share a bowl, I forgo the Pho Challenge, and order a regular-sized bowl of the perfect antidote to winters of all kinds: tomato soup.
Miss Saigon’s Beef Satay Noodle Soup — with rare beef, cucumbers and tomatoes in a spicy peanut satay broth — is an elevated version of the classic winter meal, only instead of a grilled cheese sandwich on the side, I get spring rolls. This heat brings a few beads of sweat too, but it’s nothing an average white westerner’s tastebuds can’t handle (and there are plenty of heat-free options available too).
It’s no stretch to say the whole city feels a bit down the day Second Winter arrives. But sitting in Miss Saigon, there’s a figurative warmth in a room full of people enjoying literal hot bowls of beefy broth with friends, knowing that we’ll all be back outside soon.
Until Third Winter comes.
Miss Saigon South
Ambleside | 6187 Currents Drive NW, Edmonton | 587.453.3663 | misssaigonyeg.com
