Ab SchIn Noodle Nation, Evan and Barret visit China town every Wednesday for lunch and blunder their way through the delicious cuisine that there is to be had north of 104 Ave. Their opinions are their own.
Atmosphere
Xu hue is located at 10548 97 Street in the heart of China town. Upon entering Xu Hue the first thing that we noticed is the friendly greeting we received upon entering and the welcoming atmosphere of the restaurant. While we were waiting for guest reviewer Denny, we had an opportunity to take in our surroundings and enjoy some tea. Xu hue boasts 3 impressive aquariums with exotic looking fish that make for great conversation starters if you’re on an awkward first date or out for lunch with that co-worker you don’t really like that much.
Overall the restaurant was very clean and inviting. The theme of the blue lettering on the sign was maintained throughout the rest of the decor as well. I’m talking blue on the chairs, on the lights, actually overall the restaurant had kind of a “blue” feel to it. Not in a melancholy way, but in the way that will calm you down and make you feel alright even if your boss is breathing down your neck about breaking the photocopier again.
Menu
The menu can also be navigated with ease. Everything is numbered, so if you’re like me and can’t pronounce anything with ữ, ố, ở, or ê you will be saved the usual embarrassment.
Starters
We decided to kick things off with some dumplings. To describe the dumplings in two words: meat pockets. They tasted great and came accompanied with fish sauce.
Guest reviewer pro tip: poke holes in the dumplings to let the fish sauce soak in.
Mains
Barret: I had the special hue’s spicy beef soup, #33 on the menu. First the broth was excellent. Although rated as spicy on the menu the spiciness was not overpowering. As a spice enthusiasts myself, I even ended up adding extra hot sauce. Accompanying the spicy taste was a savory beef flavor. If I had to describe it in two words: liquid sex.
Next the meat, with this soup you get some well marbled beef strips and some kind of pork bologna. Both are great and complement the soup well. If I had to describe the meat in two words: taste country.
The noodles were great, granted it’s pretty tough to mess up noodles, but they killed it. I ended up subbing in the thinner Pho noodles, but normally this soup comes with a thicker noodle that is also a rice noodle (as far as I know), so follow your heart on which one you prefer.
Evan: I had the chicken soup, or the pho ga (for the connoisseurs out there). The broth had depth allowing me to taste an array of flavors. The broth was not quite on “liquid sex” level, but overall I was impressed.
There was a generous helping of chicken in the soup. The meat was comprised of both white and dark cuts adding to both the flavor and china town authenticity of the dish.
Finally, you can’t forget the noodles. Hot, long and tasty. Xu Hue really nailed the serving size of noodles, offering just enough to leave me satisfied but not overfull.
Pricing
As for pricing, it’s very affordable and pretty average for Chinatown Vietnamese restaurants. You’re looking at about 11$ for a large bowl and about 10$ for the medium. The fact that the price might be slightly higher than a couple of other places in the area is completely offset by the fact that they accept VISA, and kept me from having to pay that dumb ATM surcharge.
Overall Impression
Overall We give Xu hue an 8 out of 10. Clean, friendly, Tasty, what more can you ask for?
Tired of eating Edo for lunch? Free Wednesdays at 1pm? Come join us and be a guest reviewer each week we try and go to a different China town restaurant. Hit us up at 780-239-3481.
