Tao Garden - Noodles A Plenty (Edmonton 30 in 30)

As we approach the end of my time in Edmonton, I fondly reflect on all the experiences and food adventures I have had, the numerous friends and family I have had the ability to catch up with and the immense fun I had in retrying old beloved restaurants and new world class cuisines. Fitted amongst my favourite restaurants are those hole in the walls with no expectations and which end up igniting your sensations with something new and delicious. Such was my meal at Tao Garden Restaurant.

The spitting definition of the mom and pop hole in the wall, Tao Garden lies square in Chinatown on 107th Avenue and 96th Street. Tucked behind Lucky Supermarket, one has to actively search for this noodle shop. But those efforts are not in vain as the the intrepid explorers will find a cozy noodle shop with minimalistic but tasteful decorations and friendly service staff waiting to fill your stomachs with warm goodness.

The hallmark of their menu is their make your own noodles. You start with a base (each comes with soup, vegetables and tofu skin), add in your choice of noodle and two more luxurious toppings to create your own hot pot style noodle bowl. Despite the seemingly endless number of permutations, each ingredient would be familiar to anyone who has frequented a Chinese Hot Pot restaurant. Along with the noodles, Tao Garden offers a small list of appetizer accompaniments, larger hot pot dishes and baked rice dishes.

Giving their hallmark, I had to go with a noodle soup bowl. The large serving of Little Sheep Broth (extra hot) with Thin Rice Noodle and Sirloin Beef Slices and Jumbo Shrimps was an impressive site to behold. Piping hot (both literally and in flavour), the little sheep broth had a nice rich gamey aroma and flavour that was accentuated well with the addition of chili peppers.

The Thin Rice Noodles proved to be an excellent carrier for the hot and spicy soup as they had enough firmness to soak up the goodness but were thin enough to not overpower the entire dish. Each additional topping was good, with average to large size shrimps and thinly sliced beef that rivals those of good Vietnamese joints. The best part though, was at the end of the meal when all the juices and flavours had coalesced into a soupy lukewarm bowl of sweet, spicy and salty. Delicious.

Never wanting to just try one thing, I also ordered a Chicken with Shiitake Mushroom Hot Pot Rice. A great value for the price, diners get a small palate cleansing soup and a bowl of boiled vegetables, bok choy with oyster sauce for me, to start.

The star of course is the hot pot rice where a piping warm metal bowl contains a large portion of tender rice topped with chunks of chicken thigh meat and Shiitake mushroom. Intentionally mild in flavour, customers are able to customize the salt level with the accompanied sweet soy sauce. Truly it is the interplay of tender chicken with meaty mushroom and the sweet and salty soy sauce that makes this dish work. Although I would have preferred a higher meat to rice ratio (there was a TON of rice), the overall dish was hearty and tasty.

Overall Tao Garden is a functional restaurant that offers tasty noodle and hot pot dishes with high flavour, lots of variety and at reasonable prices. While there are a litany of great Chinese restaurants in town there is enough of a hook here, with their make your own soups, to warrant a visit for anyone interested in having a bowl of yummy noodle soup.