Return to Saigon

 7 June 2024

 

SAIGON

Kloof Street, Cape Town

 

We returned to Saigon for the first time since the recent renovations, expecting Ho Chi Minh City but when we stepped inside, it was recognisably the beloved Saigon of old. 

 

There was a shiny, new, brightness to the general ambience but it was difficult to tell what the differences are. The layout and tables seemed to be as it used to be. The floor was new, it seemed that the kitchen and bathrooms had  makeovers but there has been no radical changes. 

 

Even the menu appeared to be the same at first glance though we did notice small differences, such as the addition of a taco on the sushi menu and the absence of Vietnamese flan  and the addition of a Saigon brûlée on the dessert side. There might have been more but on the whole the well-known and well-loved dishes were present and correct.

 

By 18h30 the restaurant was at least half full, which surprised me a little, as I would’ve thought not many people would be out for dinner that early, and by 20h00 the place was full. It’s been characteristic of Saigon that it’s busy every night it’s open. 

 

Going large, we ordered a bottle of bubbly to start the weekend off right. It also makes economic sense.

 

Bearing in mind our predilection for over ordering on starters (no tapas here), we limited ourselves to a portion of three golden (chicken) spring rolls to share (R86). They were scrumptious as always. 

The routine of wrapping the spring rolls in leaves with noodles before dipping the whole thing in soy sauce is as fascinating as it is puzzling. Why this elaborate methodology?  Is it important to get your greens in? Anyway who cares, it is delicious.

 

The wife ordered the 4 x 4 sushi combo (R165) and I ordered the seared tuna (5 spices) (R265) and a bowl of noodles (R45). In retrospect, the latter was probably not necessary and it was such a vast quantity four people could happily have shared.

 

I believe this style of luxurious sushi is called “loaded” and it sure was weighty, tasted as good as it looked and satisfied the wife’s soul though she also picked at the plate of noodles.

The pork belly is always hugely tempting and has never disappointed, I thought it’d be appropriate to try something different to celebrate the “new” Saigon.

 

I’d misread the menu and expected 12 pieces of tuna, and not the 12 spices, but even the reduced number of pieces combined for a substantial portion of perfectly grilled fish.

 

The tuna and vegetables sat on a deeply rich, perfectly reduced,  sticky sauce that not only elevated this dish but was also perfect for flavouring the noodles. 

 

I tried the Saigon brûlée, curious about the namecheck on the dessert, and it was a good, but normal, creamy  dessert with a light, crisp, brûléed sugar lid. Dunno what the Saigon spin might’ve been.

The wife’s choice was the chocolate volcano cake (R95), which did indeed ooze molten chocolate. She loves chocolate in its various forms and this dessert was a proper delight. 

 

The bill came to R1041,00 before tip.

 

Saigon has had a face lift but the fundamentals, the excellent food and the exemplary service, remain unchanged. We’ve eaten here for far longer than we’d care to mention and it’s consistently been a highly satisfactory experience.