MSG150 was at its weakest core today as just three of us headed out, yet again, for the UFC. We are determined to get through this quickly and move back out into the wilds of the ID. Today it was Saigon Bistro's turn. We are all fans of Vietnamese food and were keen on seeing what Saigon Bistro could turn out.
Address: 600 5th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Average rating: 2.7 chopsticks
Lunch date: 3/11/2008 @ 12:20:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 0 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 5 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 23 minutes
Chopstix quality: Cheap Wood
Do they use MSG?: Yes, but not in everything
Where is the owner/chef from?: ?
Number of tables: 0
Number of occupied tables: 0
Number of business lunch tables: 0
Number of "local" tables: 0
Healthcode Score: 0
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon
Luncher: Geary
Lunch: Pork Bun Thit Nuong - $5.95Rating:
Geary's Review
The man taking our order was pleasant enough, but in comparison to the other folks we have encountered in the UFC, he was an ogre. Like Shilla, Saigon Bistro has some "inside" seating along a cozy wooden bar. After placing our order, we were able to grab three seats at the bar. The bar adds some character to the Saigon Bistro that most of the spots in the UFC lack.
I went with the Bun noodles with pork. It was disappointing. The pork was very chewy and the broth seemed to have excessive MSG. The service was quick and friendly enough, but with other much better Vietnamese options in the area, it is extremely unlikely that I will ever be back.
Luncher: Adam
Lunch: Mekong Style Salad - $5.95Rating:
Adam's Review
I was thinking that I wanted something that I hadn't had before... so I went with the Chicken Mekong Style Salad.
There was plenty of chicken on the salad. The chicken was delicious and tender. The salad dressing was tangy but has been making burp all day. Where the salad really fell down was in the lettuce-- it was all cheap and boring Iceberg Lettuce.
They have Bahn Mi, but I didn't end up getting one. They're $2.50, and I'm sure they're delicious.
Decent food. Decent price. There are better places in UFC though.
Luncher: Emmett
Lunch: Beef Bun Thit Nuong - $5.95Rating:
Emmett's Review
Saigon Bistro looked good - I like Vietnamese food a lot for their Pho, Vermicelli, etc. Though extremely partial to Pho Bac, I'm always up for trying something new. Once you order, there's a bar area behind back where you can eat your food. We snagged three bar stools, and I was quickly served my Vermicelli.
All in all, good vermicelli. The noodles stuck together a little bit, and didn't taste as fresh as those you get at Pho Bac, but they were good. The beef was well flavored. I got a side of egg rolls for sharing, and put some in my vermicelli. Tasty.
To drink I snagged a Foco Coconut Juice, from Thailand. Coconut juice is hit or miss for me, and this was a little too sickly sweet for me. I wouldn't order it again. Note that they have the Spanish "Jugo De Coco", indicating that this Thai drink is popular amongst the latinos. It's no Coco Rico though.
For my store choice, I picked up some yogurt flavored candy named Puccho. Dear god, I can't tell you how good these things are. I went and bought 3 more flavors the next day. They're chewy like gum, but inside they have flavorful little JuJuBe type candies embedded inside the chew, along with some tangy white powder. This candy is the real deal guys, it is delicious.
Saigon Bistro Photos
Saigon Bistro
Saigon Bistro Picture Menu
Beef Bun Thit Nuong
Foco Coconut Juice
Inside of Saigon Bistro
Mekong Style Salad
Saigon Bistro
Saigon Bistro from the street
Xylish Crystal Meth
Candy flavored yogurt chews
03/25/08 - Fixed Unbanspoon links
3 comments:
I would stay away from the Vietnamese sandwiches at Saigon Bistro. They aren't good, compared to those you can get at places around 12th and Jackson.
we don't often make it as far up as 12th, but for a good vietnamese sandwich we might be up for the walk. is there someplace specific you can recommend up there?
-- dave
Saigon Bistro isn't a three-star restaurant, but it's quick and cheap. I mean, it's in a food court. Say what you will about their sandwiches, they sure do seem to fly off the shelf. What they lack in froo-froo quality they make up in convenience. Their pho chay is a nice simple repose on a cold crappy day. It's also one of the few truly vegetarian pho available in the ID.
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