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| - I was in the mood for Vietnamese and the Saigon Kitchen came up on Yelp, so I figured I'd give it a go. The restaurant is small (20 tables or so), very clean, and has a upscale feel without being pretentious. The tables are very close together, so if you're looking for secluded booths for intimate conversation, it's not a great choice.
My companion and I decided to start with the marinated pork spring rolls which were served with a delicious peanut sauce topped with chopped peanuts and julienned carrots, providing a little extra crunch to the fresh cucumber within the rolls. Four portions were delivered, chilled nicely without being cold and contrasting very well with the warm marinated pork inside. Use of mint in the rolls was understated and allowed the flavors of the other vegetables and the pork to shine while still providing a needed brightness. Overall, a solid start.
I'd been craving pho for a while, while my companion was in the mood for a rice dish. We decoded it would be "combination night" and ordered the small combination pho, containing "steak, meatball, flank and tendon", and the combination rice plate featuring a grilled pork chop, charbroiled pork and charbroiled shrimp served over jasmine rice.
The pho was accompanied by the usual condiments of bean sprouts, basil, a lime wedge, and jalapeño along with sriracha and a sweet and sour sauce that was very similar to hoisin, and topped with onions and cilantro. The broth was delicious, and the proteins were well sliced and cooked perfectly, but the tendon was the star and was melt-in-your mouth tender. The small portion was a perfect size for me, and the hoisin-like sauce added an almost vinegary acidic tang, different from fish sauce, that I hadn't had in a pho before. Delicious dish.
The presentation of the rice dish was simple, artfully done, if a bit busy on the plate. A circle of rice was stacked first with the pork chop, then strips of charbroiled pork and topped with the shrimp and some scallions. A bowl of house fish sauce vinaigrette, a bowl of scallion broth, and a simple green salad; a larger plate would have really kicked the presentation up a notch, but I'm picking nits. My companion loved every bite and cleaned the plate. I'm trying this dish next time.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable, delicious meal, and one I thought was a steal at the $25 price we paid.
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