This week, we're in Ithaca's West End, visiting Saigon Kitchen. This new Vietnamese restaurant offers affordable lunch specials, a range of meat and seafood and vegetarian dinner choices, and what we're told is perfectly respectable pho.
Saigon Kitchen's crispy Imperial Meat Rolls appetizer, with sweet dipping sauce.Try the summer rolls appetizer, an un-fried variation on egg rolls and spring rolls, full of bean sprouts, mint, and vermicelli noodles, or the imperial meat rolls, like crunchy meaty egg rolls with pork and noodles inside.
There are noodle dishes, such as the Saigon stir-fry Chow Fun, saucy rice noodles with Chinese broccoli and baby corn, or the Singapore mei fun, thin noodles, egg, and veggies or shrimp or a choice of meat, with brown or curry sauce. Singapore mei fun is one of my staple noodle dishes, and this one's great.
House Special pho.We tried the Vietnamese steak, savory and tender chunks of steak and onions over a bed of raw lettuce and vegetables. There's an amazing eggplant dish in a caramelized garlic and pepper sauce. And yes, there's a whole menu page devoted to pho, the Vietnamese soup full of vegetables, rice noodles, meat, or seafood. We're no pho experts, but it's tasty and satisfying, and the diners who do know their pho seem happy. If you're not sure how to pronounce "pho" when ordering, "fuh" is a better approximation than "foe." One popular theory on the origin of the word is that it's from "feu" in the French dish "pot-au-feu," if that helps. To be as accurate as possible, you should pronounce "pho" with a rising intonation.
Many of the dishes are vegetarian, given a choice between meats or tofu or vegetables, and many of those can be made vegan if you ask, such as by leaving out egg. Our waitress was helpful in pointing out a few good options.
Enjoy the strong and sweet imported Vietnamese coffee, iced or hot, or bubble tea with avocado or mango. Plain hot tea is available, too, whether you're in the mood for jasmine or green or oolong, but be aware that it's not free, as at many Asian eateries. Instead, it's a fresh pot of tea brewed just for you, and it's worth the $2.
Saigon Kitchen takes over the spot where Taste of Thai Express used to be, at 526 West State Street, with a nicely renovated interior that makes the place feel much roomier. It's a terrific addition to a revitalized west-end block that includes Gimme! Coffee, Felicia's Atomic Lounge, and The Westy.
We've seen these folks before; the same family owns the Asian Taste booth at the Farmers Market and area festivals, as well as Wok Village. They're open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. Visit saigonkitchenithaca.com or call 607-257-8881 and tell them you heard about them here.
