2008 Woodie Awards
Restaurant Review
Veronique dishes the dish on the dishes at Saigon. Sneak peek: she uses the word “delish” inside! Read on!
By: Veronique Bergeron
Issue date: 4/21/06 Section: Features
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Hello, my hungry hippos. It's time for another exciting episode of “Yeah, so what if I didn't study abroad? You gonna judge me for it??” This week, we stake out a real gem of an international dining experience: the magnificent Saigon, located just east of Dale at University Avenue. Don't let the joint's shady exterior dissuade you, I have a year-long relationship going with the Saigon staff, and they've never let me down once. Plus, after one meal, you'll fancy yourself a Vietnamese food expert, without the cost of airfare or frivolous use of an oh-so-pretentious hiking backpack.
Let's start with décor: The Saigon is located in a baby-blue shack that formerly housed a Long John Silver's. The windows are like portals in a big boat, and the light up fast-food sign behind the counter still advertises a shrimp basket special. The twenty odd tables are always packed, but you rarely have to wait more than three minutes for a table. The clientele is refreshingly mixed: Vietnamese families, construction workers off University, college kids and a lot of regulars, whom the staff knows by name. I'm waiting for them to learn mine. It's like Ver-o-neek. Véronique. Mkay?
Fancy beverages are a must at any Southeast Asian resto, and Saigon is no exception. The entire last page of the menu is dedicated to quenching your thirst. The avocado milk shake is a meal in itself: sweet, thick, icy cold, and pukey green. The limeade sodas are refreshing and a nice accompaniment to the big hot soups, or your big hot date. The past few times I've been there, they've run out of soda water somehow, but the non-carbonated limeade is just as good. For a traditionalist, the first pot of hot tea is free. Refills are less then a dollar. And for the daring I'd recommend an egg soda: a raw egg topped with an inch and a half of sweetened condensed milk and soda water or sprite. Mix it up at the table and enjoy, it's surprisingly good and will bring you back to your granny's days of egg crèmes and malts. Only far better and served by a really nice Vietnamese woman with enormous biceps.
Let's start with décor: The Saigon is located in a baby-blue shack that formerly housed a Long John Silver's. The windows are like portals in a big boat, and the light up fast-food sign behind the counter still advertises a shrimp basket special. The twenty odd tables are always packed, but you rarely have to wait more than three minutes for a table. The clientele is refreshingly mixed: Vietnamese families, construction workers off University, college kids and a lot of regulars, whom the staff knows by name. I'm waiting for them to learn mine. It's like Ver-o-neek. Véronique. Mkay?
Fancy beverages are a must at any Southeast Asian resto, and Saigon is no exception. The entire last page of the menu is dedicated to quenching your thirst. The avocado milk shake is a meal in itself: sweet, thick, icy cold, and pukey green. The limeade sodas are refreshing and a nice accompaniment to the big hot soups, or your big hot date. The past few times I've been there, they've run out of soda water somehow, but the non-carbonated limeade is just as good. For a traditionalist, the first pot of hot tea is free. Refills are less then a dollar. And for the daring I'd recommend an egg soda: a raw egg topped with an inch and a half of sweetened condensed milk and soda water or sprite. Mix it up at the table and enjoy, it's surprisingly good and will bring you back to your granny's days of egg crèmes and malts. Only far better and served by a really nice Vietnamese woman with enormous biceps.
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