Atmosphere: A vast contrast to the old Raw Bar, the new room
features bright interiors with blue and white accents. The colors really open
up the room and give it a modernistic feel.
Price Range: Mid $10s
- $20s
Food and Wine: We decided to try a couple items off of their
rolls, small and big sections of the menu (they also have a selection of raw
items). Starting with the smaller plates we ordered the Beef Short Rib Steamed
Buns. It came deconstructed so you could build it yourself. The beef was nicely
marinated and tender with lots of sautéed onions and peppers. The buns were
soft and warm, a perfect vessel for beef short ribs. It also came with a side
of chili aioli for those who like a bit of a kick.
Our Crispy Sweet and Sour Prawns were served in a classic
dim sum steamer with each being individually skewered. The tangy sauce was a
nice compliment to the fried shrimp. It reminded me of tempura shrimp but
without the extra batter, therefore making it slightly less crunchy. We also
ordered the Whole Grilled Squid topped with a pineapple soy glaze and served
with a lemon black pepper sauce. The squid was a good sized portion and nicely
charred, providing that smokiness without it being chewy or tough.
From the Rolls section of the menu we tried the Pork Imperial
Spring Rolls, which was served platter style. It came with pork spring rolls,
glass noodles, herbs and nouc mam (the traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce
made from fermented fish). Most Vietnamese dishes customarily require the diners
to use their hands so I liked the idea of keeping it authentic and having the
patrons construct their own wraps from all the various ingredients on the
platter. Since this is one of the dishes I’ve eaten many times while growing
up, I was extremely picky and did find the spring rolls to be a bit dry. The
pork needed something extra to help it retain the moistness after frying.
Wrapping it with the herbs, noodles and dipping it in the nouc mam helped, but
the texture was a bit off for me, but again I was very very picky.
Our last dish that evening was the Pad Thai. Raw Bar’s
version is not your conventional pad thai.
The dish was broth based comprised of beef and prawns, some vegetables, topped
with lots of green onions and served in a coconut cream broth. It reminded me
more of a thai yellow curry than a pad thai. The broth itself was fragrant and
light and would be nice over rice. The dish itself did come with some noodles
interspersed throughout but they weren’t meant to be the focus of Raw Bar’s
take on this thai dish.
The wine list isn’t extensive, but does contain some of my
favorites. We ordered a bottle of 19 Crimes, which has been a winner of various
wine shows. It has a shiraz base, but isn’t as bold as your typical shiraz and
is quite a bit sweeter. Due to it being a blend, it makes for a nice sipping
wine, perfect for those venturing in to red wines.
My Pick: Beef Short Rib Steamed Buns
Overall: I didn’t know quite what to expect when I first
heard Viet Modern, so for those in the same boat, the dishes are essentially an
elevated version of what you’d find in a typical Asian restaurant and it’s not
just limited to Vietnamese cuisine. The chef tries not to stray too far away
from tradition but yet puts a unique spin on each of the dishes making them his
own. Be prepared to sample items from multiple SE Asian countries in a
beautifully new renovated space.
Raw Bar
119 12 Ave
SWCalgary, AB
(403) 206-9565
Website: www.hotelarts.ca/raw-bar.html
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