Plug For Saigon Cafe, Central Pattaya Beach Mall

[JimmyTheMook]

I told you to order the bun bowls, dude. The free ice cream is just a grand opening gimmick. I agree with you the fresh rolls need that dipping sauce, that is a very bad omission. It is possible that there is only one thing decent on the menu, the bun bowls, sometimes that happens in restaurants, so thanks for testing this so other don't waste their money. Where exactly is that Sriracha place in relation to Phayatai Hospital? Thanks.

Doubt they will remain open very long.

Frankly, I feel the same way. But I want them to stay open just for the bun bowls.

The contents of the bun bowls would be pretty much what I got with the grilled pork set except mine was served over rice instead of a heap of vermicelli noodles.

As far as the killer place in Siracha the restaurant is located on one of the small sois that are basically right in front of the main entrance of the Phayatai Hospital - I do not know the soi numbers over there but it is only a few shops down the mouth of the soi and would be on your left hand side if your back was facing the hospital , it is probably the only Vietnamese resturant in that area so you can find it quite easily.

It rocks and I often take special trips just to eat there.

[Jingthing]

It rocks and I often take special trips just to eat there.

Thanks for the details. I will try it sometime. Do they have good pho?

BTW, I had BBQ chicken at the mall which I found quite good. I don't accept that a rice plate is the same experience as a bun bo but I hear what you are saying.

Another point on the Saigon Cafe. They are a new restaurant. They could be going through a shakedown cruise. Maybe different cooks, some know what they are doing, others don't. People reading this if you don't want fish sauce IN your bun bo, you could just ask them not to put it in and I think they wouldn't. Its 88 baht. Still think they deserve a chance to make it.

Another way to "train" them. Ask about the fresh spring rolls. Do you serve with peanut dipping sauce? No, well then NO THANK YOU. If enough people say that they will make some peanut dipping sauce.

Yes, I can see that the Saigon Cafe is a bit of a rough ride right now. But I don't think they are that far from shaping up to be a real asset for the locals here, though I personally wouldn't bet money on their success.

Edited March 7, 2009 by Jingthing

[JimmyTheMook]

It rocks and I often take special trips just to eat there.

Thanks for the details. I will try it sometime. Do they have good pho?

I thought you were after Asian Buns

[Jingthing]

It rocks and I often take special trips just to eat there.

Thanks for the details. I will try it sometime. Do they have good pho?

I thought you were after Asian Buns

No need to leave the condo for that ...

[popshirt]

OK, I didn't see your dishes but some comments:

-- peanut sauce is NOT served with fried Viet egg rolls, only fresh ones

-- I thought the egg roll pieces in the bun were quite good, so different opinion

<snip>

I was refering to fresh spring rolls, we had an order of them, the egg roll pieces in the bun were good

[Jingthing]

I was refering to fresh spring rolls, we had an order of them, the egg roll pieces in the bun were good

Oh, good to hear that you also like the egg roll pieces in the bun. About the fresh spring rolls not having peanut sauce (agreed they should ), I was thinking about this, and I don't recall ever seeing them served properly with peanut sauce in Thailand but I don't order them very often here so I could be mistaken about the country-wide issue.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Jingthing

[Humphrey Bear]

When you are talking about spring rolls here, are you thinking of the ones with a prawn in, or a roll of minced meat, rather than the Chinese-style bean shoots and other veg.?

In Vietnam I used to eat these with a reddish, hot/sweet sauce. Not a peanut sauce. Peanut sauce for satay.

I will be back in Patters tomorrow, for about three weeks, so will try this place with/without family.

[Jingthing]

When you are talking about spring rolls here, are you thinking of the ones with a prawn in, or a roll of minced meat, rather than the Chinese-style bean shoots and other veg.?

In Vietnam I used to eat these with a reddish, hot/sweet sauce. Not a peanut sauce. Peanut sauce for satay.

I will be back in Patters tomorrow, for about three weeks, so will try this place with/without family.

Yes, fresh spring rolls, not fried, wrapper stuffed with shrimp or meat or bothm always with vegetables like lettuce/cukes/scallions. In the US they are served with two sauces usually, a red chili sauce and a thin peanut sauce which is a different sauce than a satay sauce. I consider the US relevant here because these are all Viet places serving mainly to other Viets. I was only briefly in Vietnam and can only comment on the pho there, it was great. Spring rolls when served in a bun are always fried spring rolls, and different ingredients inside also.

Here are some fresh Viet spring rolls with the thin peanut sauce:

Speaking of pho, I couldn't resist, a typical US pho joint in the hood:

These sauces always served with any Viet food in the US, US style sriracha chili sauce and the mysterious semisweet BROWN sauce, never seen in Thailand, what is it exactly? I like to dip items from a bun or pho into that brown sauce but that won't be happening in Thailand.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Jingthing

[Humphrey Bear]

When you are talking about spring rolls here, are you thinking of the ones with a prawn in, or a roll of minced meat, rather than the Chinese-style bean shoots and other veg.?

In Vietnam I used to eat these with a reddish, hot/sweet sauce. Not a peanut sauce. Peanut sauce for satay.

I will be back in Patters tomorrow, for about three weeks, so will try this place with/without family.

Yes, fresh spring rolls, not fried, wrapper stuffed with shrimp or meat or bothm always with vegetables like lettuce/cukes/scallions. In the US they are served with two sauces usually, a red chili sauce and a thin peanut sauce which is a different sauce than a satay sauce. I consider the US relevant here because these are all Viet places serving mainly to other Viets. I was only briefly in Vietnam and can only comment on the pho there, it was great. Spring rolls when served in a bun are always fried spring rolls, and different ingredients inside also.

Here are some fresh Viet spring rolls with the thin peanut sauce:

Speaking of pho, I couldn't resist, a typical US pho joint in the hood:

These sauces always served with any Viet food in the US, US style sriracha chili sauce and the mysterious semisweet BROWN sauce, never seen in Thailand, what is it exactly? I like to dip items from a bun or pho into that brown sauce but that won't be happening in Thailand.

Can't help you from my experience. I have worked in HCMC and Ca Mau, visited Ha Noi on business, but only eaten locally in the first two.

The food in the South is different from the North, maybe the sauces you refer to are from the North. (Ha Noi).

Anyway, as I said, I will visit in the next few days and report on my findings.

[Jingthing]

The food in the South is different from the North, maybe the sauces you refer to are from the North. (Ha Noi).

Most of the Viets in the US are from the south and central regions for obvious reasons, ha ha. We lost the war but won the restaurants. Ha ha.

Peace with honor? Not exactly. Peace with Hors d'œuvres.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Interesting factoid I learned. The owner of the Saigon Cafe in the new mall is the SAME as Le Saigon on the hill and many of the menu items are exactly the same. However, the PRICES at the Saigon Cafe in the mall are significantly lower.

I have found the Saigon Cafe rather inconsistent but still good value.

Chicken pho -- good clean flavor, very pleasant chicken meat, broth not strongly flavored but chicken pho is usually weaker than beef pho

Crispy fried rice noodles with seafood in Viet style sauce -- very yummy

Lemon grass grilled pork with rice -- disgusting, the pork was truly vile and the rice wasn't great either

They get mostly Thai trade. I think they will indeed make it and I am happy about that. Try it for their good dishes, I think many people will be happy with it.

Edited April 23, 2009 by Jingthing

[LCSulla]

The owner of the Saigon cafe in Central Mall  and the Saigon Bayview in Pattaya Hill Resort on Pratumnak Soi 2  is a Vietnamese American. He went to the US after the fall of Saigon. Both premises are run by his Thai Chinese wife/girlfriend who was brought up and educated in the US. I find the food Vietnamese modified for Thai tastes - much better than Vietnamese modified for US tastes. Saigon bayview has a vietnamese chef, not sure about Saigon cafe

I find both good value but perhaps you pay more at Saigon Bayview for the stunning views   - must be the highest point in Pattaya.  

[Jingthing]

Agreed, modified somewhat for Thai tastes, depending on the dishes. Viet food in the US that I have experienced is mostly aimed at Vietnamese Americans (because I lived in Viet areas) so I have rarely experienced Viet food modified for American tastes.

[PattayaParent]

As far as the killer place in Siracha the restaurant is located on one of the small sois that are basically right in front of the main entrance of the Phayatai Hospital - I do not know the soi numbers over there but it is only a few shops down the mouth of the soi and would be on your left hand side if your back was facing the hospital , it is probably the only Vietnamese resturant in that area so you can find it quite easily.

It rocks and I often take special trips just to eat there.

There used to be one in the main soi at the right side of Robinsons, the same soi where the hospital is. But that's going back many years and I haven't found it again on recent trips.

I'll look out for the one you mentioned, maybe it's the same place in a new location, we're due a trip to Sri Racha and always stop off at Robinsons on the way back for something to eat.

[Jingthing]

Update on this place. Sadly, I am going to have to mark down my recommend for this place a couple of pegs. Had the grilled chicken bun again. Not nearly as good as the first time. The chicken not only was not as tasty (it tasted like leftovers) but the portion was about 1/3 the size. The noodles were not as good. The overall impression was more Thai taste than last time. At a Viet place, I am looking for more of a Viet taste. Combining this with the really bad lemon grass grilled pork with rice dish where the pork was disgusting, I have to call this a lukewarm place now. You can't really complain for the price and nice setting, but you can't do cartwheels either. Food in Pattaya is more inconsistent than any city I've ever lived in, and sadly, going downhill is the usual direction, rather than getting better. Oh well ....

Edited May 19, 2009 by Jingthing