Saigon Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant
Post
Subscribe
It's nearing 7:30pm – the time of our booking for a table of six. We really should start heading to the restaurant, but the steady drizzle outside makes the low lit warmth of The Different Drummer even cosier. After a couple of happy-hour cocktails it's tempting to turn to the tapas menu next - but that'll have to wait for another weekend.
Finally, we brave the outside and make a dash up Glebe Point Rd to our waiting table. The restaurant in question: Saigon Saigon. It's a Vietnamese place that's been around for a while, and we are all curious to try it.
So, first impressions – the decor is a striking combo of dark timber and dramatic red walls. The space itself is quite large, but seems more intimate thanks to a central screen running the length of the room. We're all impressed by the sophistication, though one of my initial thoughts is that it may be too pricey for a group of uni students, used to opting for cheap Thai over in Newtown. Not to worry – the service is welcoming, the atmosphere relaxed (enough for us to enjoy a few rounds of hangman on the paper covering the tablecloths), and prices equally approachable. After choosing three entrees, four mains, and five servings of rice, dinner comes to just over $20 a head!
Our entrees arrive as the restaurant begins to fill up. The summer and autumn rice paper rolls ($9.50) are soon devoured, though the peanut dipping sauce seems tastier than the roll itself – a result of the perennial dilemma of an imbalanced ratio of noodle to prawn. Maybe I'm just picky. The spring rolls on the other hand, (also at $9.50), are absolutely delicious and competition for the last one ferociously ensues. Always a good sign. Our choice of mains proves successful too, as we sample the variety Vietnamese cuisine offers in the form of a duck curry ($20), salmon clay pot ($22), chicken and cashew nut stir fry ($18) and platter of sizzling beef ($20). Different favourites are chosen by each of us. Though all generous and tasty, the clay pot is the stand out for me. Perfectly cooked salmon pieces, tender and juicy, are served in an addictive soy sauce.
The one downside I'd have to mention – the female toilet lacks a lock and the door itself doesn't close properly. I hope it's fixed soon because despite this, Saigon Saigon is certainly a place I'll visit again. The restaurant's dishes affirmed my impression that Vietnamese cuisine strikes a nice balance between the sweetness of Thai and the oiliness of Chinese, with a lightness that doesn't compromise on flavour.
Saigon Saigon couples quality food with elegance and atmosphere – and even better, it won't blow the uni-student budget.
#food_wine
#inner_west
#dinner
#restaurants
#glebe
%wnsydney
121681 - 2023-06-12 23:17:53