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| - I was hoping this would be my new favorite Champaign-Urbana restaurant. I absolutely love Pho vietnamese noodle soup, and I was excited because Saigon serves Pho.
When my friend and I arrived at Saigon, we waited for a full five minutes before a hostess seated us. It's not like they were busy; it was 2:30 on a Saturday, and they had only 4 other customers in the restaurant. Once seated, the waitress asked us if we were ready to order, as she was handing us the menus. Huh?
I ordered the Pho with pork, and my friend ordered some sort of Chinese chicken. The waitress brought my Pho within five minutes of ordering, but we then waited an other ten minutes for the chicken. I was more confused than irritated.
When I finally sampled the pho, I was very underwhelmed. Pho is supposed to have a rich taste, with bold spices and a slightly fishy flavor. Saigon's broth tasted like Campbell's chicken noodle soup. It was edible, but not particularly good. When the check came, they charged $8.99 for the pho. In Seattle's hippest pho restaurants, the going rate is $6, including tax!
With its disorganized service, mediocre food, and out-of-the-way location, Saigon really deserves 1.5 stars. I'll grudgingly round that to 2 stars.
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