Restaurant Review: XO Bistro + Bar

XO BISTRO + BAR

10236 103rd Street | xobistrobar.com Instagram: @xobistrobar

Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew

We are incredibly spoiled by the amount of amazing Vietnamese food that we have here in Edmonton. I doubt that the Vietnamese population is greater here compared to in other cities but the culinary deliciousness and pure celebration of the cuisine that comes out of this community is second to none. Certainly a point of pride in our city! From the best phở in the country (King Noodle), near-perfect bánh mì (Van Loc), delicious plant-based fare (An Chay), to innovative street food expressions that you've never tasted before (Mãi Mãi)... We've got it all. And it's the best of the best. XO Bistro + Bar throws their name into the ring with a more elevated and modern Vietnamese dining experience, demonstrating that there's a sophisticated side to Viet food that demands representation as well. VUE Weekly loved this restaurant and named them #1 Best Vietnamese, #1 Best Late Night/All Night, and #1 Best Happy Hour in 2018. First opened in 2017 and now with two locations, I visited the original Downtown spot on a Saturday evening, anxiously anticipating the symphony of flavours ahead. XO Bistro is in good company on Edmonton's famous boardwalk street which is lined with a collection of many popular restaurants. The parking is a nightmare and the small handful of street parking spots always seem to be taken. But you'll figure it out. With its proximity to the ICE District you can easily imagine that this restaurant has been able to take advantage of the pre-game dinner crowd and post-game spillover from the Moss Pit. The restaurant is larger than you might imagine, with its soaring second-storey ceiling and filled with dark moody finishes and an impressive bar completing the lounge vibe. However, the real show-stopper is the life-sized cherry blossom tree right in the entranceway, covered in pink blossoms. This tree serves as a major focal point and it's difficult to take your eyes off of it! The servers are cheerful and friendly, and although there were no window tables available we were seated comfortably. Priding themselves on their cocktail program, I knew that an XO Original was a must and soon I found the Good Morning Vietnam ($15.00) in my hand.

Gin, Soho, hibiscus, lime juice, lychee puree.

A cocktail to match the restaurant perfectly! I loved that this beverage was fresh and fruity and wasn't too strong. Pretty and drinkable, the sweet flavour of lychee took the lead while tart notes from the lime and hibiscus leveled the beverage out. Without a doubt, the correct drink to sip on under the blush-hued blooms!

XO Bistro's goal is to serve food that isn't always traditional but is always authentic. Bold, balanced flavours inspired by the everyday energy of Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, and Da Nang. The liveliness and fresh takes are apparent on the menu right away and I was excited to order some dishes that felt new. Starting with appetizers, the Double Trouble ($11.25) stood out as something fun to try.

Rice paper, shrimp, lettuce, vermicelli, tangy fish sauce. Choice of pork or veggie spring roll.

Can't choose between a spring roll or a fresh roll? Get both! I loved this playful version and especially enjoyed getting to eat two types of rolls instead of just one! We chose the pork spring roll for the inside and I loved the textural crunch and juicy pork that it provided. Meanwhile, the outside was wrapped in rice paper, acting as a window to the shrimp enveloped within. Dunking each bite into the zippy fish sauce added just the right acidity. Wonderfully tasty, so much fun to eat, and striking presentation to boot! Another item that really caught my eye was the Bone Marrow ($19.00). A dish that I love but only come across seldomly.

Roasted bone marrow, panko crust, toasted baguette, pâté.

Now this was a dish that I certainly did not expect. But boy did I love it! Roasting the marrow topped with a crust of seasoned panko was inspired - a genius way to add texture (and more flavour) to an otherwise fairly gelatinous ingredient. Bread is such a huge component to Vietnamese cuisine (think bánh mì) because of the French colonization in the 1800s. The Viet people then proceeded to transform this bread into a completely new, localized culinary staple. The baguette at XO Bistro was absolute fresh, housemade(?) perfection. Crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside. I loved slathering the bread with ample amounts of delicious pâté (another "gift" from the French) and then topping it all off with spoonfuls of rich bone marrow. Each bite exemplified decadence and I reveled in it. This might very well have been the best bone marrow preparation that I've ever had. Vietnamese food might be one of the earlier examples of fusion cuisine, and while colonization sucks the food admittedly does not. XO Bistro provides everything that you know and love in terms of main dishes; from bánh mì to phở (there's even a "phở challenge" where if you eat an obscenely-sized bowl in 45 minutes you get a prize) to bún. On my visit I was in the mood for the latter. The Vermicelli Combo 2 ($19.25) sounded just right.

1 grilled item, 1 spring roll, lettuce, cucumbers, pickled carrots, roasted peanuts/sesame, scallion, fish sauce. Choice of: Chicken, beef, spicy sate beef, pork, nem nuong (pork sausage), shrimp, tofu, spring rolls.

The portion size was huge! You will certainly not go hungry when you order one of these bowls. I chose the spicy sate beef as my grilled item and a pork spring roll (as opposed to veggie). Served with a side of fish sauce, my move is always to dump the entirety of it directly on top. The sauce soaks down to the bottom making the last few bites of the meal extra good. Every component of this dish was done well, from the bright and fresh veggies (there were some surprise beet strands in there!) to the loose-not-sticky vermicelli. The sate beef had just the right amount of heat to keep things interesting and the tender meat was deliciously flavourful. And another crunchy spring roll? Never mad at that! This bowl provided all of the flavours that you would hope to encounter; sweet, spicy, sour, salty. You will not be disappointed. (Or leave hungry.) XO Bistro + Bar is another feather in Edmonton's cap of spectacular Vietnamese restaurants. This city has quietly become one of the very best spots for the most incredible Viet flavours and it's probably time that everyone else learns our secret. You don't have to fly all the way to Vietnam when we've got world-class experiences right here at home. Cảm ơn!