The world of authentic Vietnamese cuisine can be very overwhelming for those who never dared try it; however, for the brave who take the time to navigate the menu full of spring rolls, soups, vermicelli and rice dishes, the reward is an intense blend of contrasting flavors and textures served to you with equally exotic sauces and sides.
First rule when eating at a Vietnamese restaurant: consult with an expert such as my good friend Julie Q on the proper pronunciation of the dishes so that you aren't one of those idiots like me running around saying how good #1 Pho is (pronounced by me as foe) when in fact it should be pronounced Pho (pronounced Fuh).
Second rule when eating at a Vietnamese restaurant: dine with someone who doesn't mind sitting across from you while you slurp your soup straight from the bowl (hey Anthony Bourdain does it) and someone who also doesn't mind speaking to you while you have a constant stream of rice noodles hanging from your pie hole.
Lucky for me, I had the pleasure of having lunch at Saigon with my good friend, former co-worker and spirit guide, J. Both J and I have no shame in our game when it comes to soup slurping and thought Saigon would be a great place to try out on this extremely dreary day in Cleveland.
I was craving a nice hot soup and went with a classic, the Pho Tai (beef broth noodle soup). My soup no joke arrived in a bowl that was bigger than my head full of delicious rice noodles with rare beef, also accompanied by bean sprouts, basil, lime and jalapeno pepper. The aromas coming from this bowl were so incredible that I joked and asked J if he would mind if I put a towel over my head and did a quick facial. Sadly enough, neither J or I had a towel that would work. Instead I enjoyed each and every bite of my rice noodles and beef adding dabs of the jalapeno pepper sauce as I could handle it.
J went with another classic Vietnamese dish, Pho ga (chicken noodle soup). I was expecting J's rice noodles and chicken to come prepared in much the same fashion as my soup; however, there was much less broth and his appeared to be more of a chicken and noodle dish than a soup. Either way, it looked fantastic.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent at Saigon and would love to go back and sample a few more dishes that step outside of the soup category. The spring rolls and vegetarian dishes look like a fantastic place to start.
Amy
First rule when eating at a Vietnamese restaurant: consult with an expert such as my good friend Julie Q on the proper pronunciation of the dishes so that you aren't one of those idiots like me running around saying how good #1 Pho is (pronounced by me as foe) when in fact it should be pronounced Pho (pronounced Fuh).
Second rule when eating at a Vietnamese restaurant: dine with someone who doesn't mind sitting across from you while you slurp your soup straight from the bowl (hey Anthony Bourdain does it) and someone who also doesn't mind speaking to you while you have a constant stream of rice noodles hanging from your pie hole.
Lucky for me, I had the pleasure of having lunch at Saigon with my good friend, former co-worker and spirit guide, J. Both J and I have no shame in our game when it comes to soup slurping and thought Saigon would be a great place to try out on this extremely dreary day in Cleveland.
I was craving a nice hot soup and went with a classic, the Pho Tai (beef broth noodle soup). My soup no joke arrived in a bowl that was bigger than my head full of delicious rice noodles with rare beef, also accompanied by bean sprouts, basil, lime and jalapeno pepper. The aromas coming from this bowl were so incredible that I joked and asked J if he would mind if I put a towel over my head and did a quick facial. Sadly enough, neither J or I had a towel that would work. Instead I enjoyed each and every bite of my rice noodles and beef adding dabs of the jalapeno pepper sauce as I could handle it.
J went with another classic Vietnamese dish, Pho ga (chicken noodle soup). I was expecting J's rice noodles and chicken to come prepared in much the same fashion as my soup; however, there was much less broth and his appeared to be more of a chicken and noodle dish than a soup. Either way, it looked fantastic.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent at Saigon and would love to go back and sample a few more dishes that step outside of the soup category. The spring rolls and vegetarian dishes look like a fantastic place to start.
Amy
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