Areader called recently to rave about Saigon Cuisine, a hop-skip across Nuuanu Stream from the Chinatown Cultural Plaza. That span, no more than 100 feet if that, might as well be the Grand Canyon as far as most diners are concerned. All action ends at River Street. For fine Saigon cuisine,
head for Aala ParkSaid the reader, "I thought no place across from Aala Park could serve decent food."
In an industry in which location is a main ingredient, Saigon Cuisine seemed doomed by feng shui. Soft-spoken owner Tom Vu -- a former teacher and language translator with a background in food science -- kept plugging away for a year-and-a-half, even though with the economy so slow, he says he probably chose the wrong time to go into business, .
Our reader finally visited the restaurant on the invitation of a friend and now it's one of her favorite haunts. "It's like fine dining, and so reasonable. It's the kind of place where we all fight for the check," she said, "because it's always less than $20."
I could have sworn she said the $20 would cover four people, but I thought, "No way, I must have heard wrong. It had to be $20 for two."As it turns out, the Vietnamese crepe banh xeo ($6.50) could by itself easily serve four conservative diners. The plate-size crispy crepe of egg and coconut milk is folded over a stir-fried mix of shrimp, pork, bean sprouts and onions. Like the house's Imperial spring rolls ($5.50), it's served with a plate full of greens and sweetened nuoc mam (fish sauce). Scoop a piece of the crepe into a leaf of Manoa lettuce, layer with mint and cucumber, roll and dip it into the sauce. That's a meal.
SANDWICHES, at $4, are similar to Ba-Le's, but Saigon Cuisine seems to cram more into the mini French baguettes. Choose from main ingredients such as marinated pork, rotisserie chicken, tofu and veggies and meatballs. In addition, each sandwich contains sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, green onion, cilantro and pickled carrots and daikon.
In the salad department, there is the usual green papaya salad ($6.50), but also a beef medallion salad ($6.50) that could very well be considered a steak entree. Cubes of sirloin are marinated in a dressing that tastes of pizza herbs. This is layered upon lettuce and surrounded by homemade croutons. It's not exactly what nutritionists have in mind when recommending salads.
Pho, the traditional soup of rice noodles, runs $5.50 with beef or chicken, $6.50 with shrimp.
Plate-lunch style entrees are served with fragrant jasmine rice, topped with such selections as lemongrass chicken ($6), pork chops ($6.95), tofu and vegetables ($5.50), rotisserie chicken ($6.50) or rotisserie quail ($7). Of the latter two, only the chicken is cooked on the rotisserie. The quail is too small for such long, slow cooking. Instead, it's sauteed in a sweet Vietnamese teriyaki-style sauce, then quickly deep-fried for a crisp exterior. Basically, it's a dish for those who like their meat candied.
Vu says he hasn't lost a customer yet. I don't doubt that. Even if 10 people tell you it's good, it's still such a pleasant surprise that you'll feel you discovered it on your own. Feng shui be damned.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Prices: About $12 to $18 for two; no charge cards
Call: 545-3835
Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com-- excellent;
