Post by ssmynkint on Jun 12, 2011 10:55:09 GMT -5
Old Saigon
2601 Dayton Blvd
Chattanooga
423-876-0322
W-Sa:11:30-8
Su: 11:30-2:30
Old Saigon’s new, easy-to-find location is brighter and lighter thanks to more windows. The old booths, tables and chairs successfully made the relocation, as did the minimalist decorations and the cheerful, friendly & helpful owner, who, with her husband , comprise the entire staff.
The menu is little changed, and over the years has reflected the fate of most ethnic restaurants as it “Americanizes” the menu to suit local taste. (This is not just an American phenomenon; in Italy it is standard for Chinese restaurants to offer numerous veal dishes, and getting a truly peppery dish requires real linguistic juggling.)
Soups, $4.25, range from Wonton to Sour Soup, often with a “secret” or “special” broth.
Salads, $7.25-8.75 for regular, offer various stir-fried protein with lettuce and vegetables.
Appetizers, $3.75-4.25 include fried Egg Roll, Spring Roll in rice paper with shrimp; a bit of pork and lettuce accompanied by a sweet soy sauce, Sesame Beef Roll; some beef and an abundance of lettuce in rice paper with no hint of sesame oil or seeds, and Pot Stickers which are small, envelope-like packages of dense ground pork that are steamed, but not fried; they don’t have a pot to stick in!
Pho, a Vietnamese national dish of intensely flavored broth poured over protein and bean sprouts, is offered in four varieties. The Pho Tai Nam, containing sliced (roast?) beef and beef shank was a bowl-full, accompanied with condiments of basil, mint, chili and lime. The broth was thin, insipid and tinny in flavor.
There are an abundance of noodle ( and fewer rice) dishes, $10.25-12.95, each topped somewhat differently with sautéed protein and steamed vegetables, many in broth. These are meal-size bowls. Bun Nem, $14.25 has sautéed minced pork & shrimp balls in a bowl of noodles, lettuce, a few slices of vegetable, and fish sauce. A very mild dish, and as with other dishes, lacking distinct flavors of the five tastes of Vietnamese cuisine; sour, sweet, bitter, salty, spicy. Bun Tom Thit, $12.95, was a variation on the theme with slices of pork, beef, chicken and shrimp over the rice noodles. Chicken Curry, $11.95, reflects the Thai influence in the Southern Vietnamese repertoire, essentially a Thai yellow curry with increased spicing and moderate heat. The combination of sweet potato and carrot was a nice touch.
Ban Xeo, $12.25, is a rice flour/turmeric crepe folded over shrimp and chicken and various veggies. It takes a light touch to execute, and our serving was scorched in places, leaving an unwelcome burned after-taste.
A number of sautés are offered, $11.95-14.95 for seafood, akin to stir-fry with Vietnamese flavorings but without significant vegetable presence. Two fish dishes, $14.25, sautéed in different sauces are offered. Four vegetarian dishes are offered, $11.50-12, and lunch items are reduced in size and price. With the exception of the Wonton Soup and Pot stickers, the menu appears to be gluten free.
Old Saigon is truly a mom ‘n’ pop place, reflecting simple home-style, not restaurant cooking. The food lacks the fresh, bright vibrancy of Vietnamese (not unlike Thai) tradition, but this friendly establishment is a reasonable introduction to aspects of the cultures cuisine.
11-Jun,11
2601 Dayton Blvd
Chattanooga
423-876-0322
W-Sa:11:30-8
Su: 11:30-2:30
Old Saigon’s new, easy-to-find location is brighter and lighter thanks to more windows. The old booths, tables and chairs successfully made the relocation, as did the minimalist decorations and the cheerful, friendly & helpful owner, who, with her husband , comprise the entire staff.
The menu is little changed, and over the years has reflected the fate of most ethnic restaurants as it “Americanizes” the menu to suit local taste. (This is not just an American phenomenon; in Italy it is standard for Chinese restaurants to offer numerous veal dishes, and getting a truly peppery dish requires real linguistic juggling.)
Soups, $4.25, range from Wonton to Sour Soup, often with a “secret” or “special” broth.
Salads, $7.25-8.75 for regular, offer various stir-fried protein with lettuce and vegetables.
Appetizers, $3.75-4.25 include fried Egg Roll, Spring Roll in rice paper with shrimp; a bit of pork and lettuce accompanied by a sweet soy sauce, Sesame Beef Roll; some beef and an abundance of lettuce in rice paper with no hint of sesame oil or seeds, and Pot Stickers which are small, envelope-like packages of dense ground pork that are steamed, but not fried; they don’t have a pot to stick in!
Pho, a Vietnamese national dish of intensely flavored broth poured over protein and bean sprouts, is offered in four varieties. The Pho Tai Nam, containing sliced (roast?) beef and beef shank was a bowl-full, accompanied with condiments of basil, mint, chili and lime. The broth was thin, insipid and tinny in flavor.
There are an abundance of noodle ( and fewer rice) dishes, $10.25-12.95, each topped somewhat differently with sautéed protein and steamed vegetables, many in broth. These are meal-size bowls. Bun Nem, $14.25 has sautéed minced pork & shrimp balls in a bowl of noodles, lettuce, a few slices of vegetable, and fish sauce. A very mild dish, and as with other dishes, lacking distinct flavors of the five tastes of Vietnamese cuisine; sour, sweet, bitter, salty, spicy. Bun Tom Thit, $12.95, was a variation on the theme with slices of pork, beef, chicken and shrimp over the rice noodles. Chicken Curry, $11.95, reflects the Thai influence in the Southern Vietnamese repertoire, essentially a Thai yellow curry with increased spicing and moderate heat. The combination of sweet potato and carrot was a nice touch.
Ban Xeo, $12.25, is a rice flour/turmeric crepe folded over shrimp and chicken and various veggies. It takes a light touch to execute, and our serving was scorched in places, leaving an unwelcome burned after-taste.
A number of sautés are offered, $11.95-14.95 for seafood, akin to stir-fry with Vietnamese flavorings but without significant vegetable presence. Two fish dishes, $14.25, sautéed in different sauces are offered. Four vegetarian dishes are offered, $11.50-12, and lunch items are reduced in size and price. With the exception of the Wonton Soup and Pot stickers, the menu appears to be gluten free.
Old Saigon is truly a mom ‘n’ pop place, reflecting simple home-style, not restaurant cooking. The food lacks the fresh, bright vibrancy of Vietnamese (not unlike Thai) tradition, but this friendly establishment is a reasonable introduction to aspects of the cultures cuisine.
11-Jun,11