RSS
Monday, December 28, 2009
Miss Saigon
It’s time to meet Miss Saigon, for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure. Thanks to a delightfully inspired suggestion by foodie friends, we decided to try out Miss Saigon.
Miss Saigon is right next to the K&S World Market on Charlotte. For those of you who haven’t been able to catch K&S through the maze of signs on that stretch, it’s just a couple of blocks past the Kroger on your way out of town. Maybe a minute drive from White Bridge. (By the way, if you’re looking for really cheap groceries, check K&S out).
Miss Saigon had been hailed as a place to go for great noodle and soup dishes served by people who really know their Vietnamese stuff. Another attraction was the draw of the price; we heard that it was great but very cheap. As evidence of the low cost, our friends told us that you’d go in, look around, notice it looks like they hired a drunk college freshman to decorate, and then you’d try to ignore the TV on the wall. Sounds like the place for us, we thought, as that usually gives some sort of clue that what these people know best is their food.
Given the Charlotte area and the bewildering fact that there are three other Vietnamese restaurants within a block, we wondered how customers choose between them. Miss Saigon holds the spot immediately adjacent to the World Market, so perhaps people select by familiarity. The exterior is certainly nothing to get excited about, as they are currently doing some reconstruction to the parking lot right in front of the grocery.
Once you walk inside, however, it feels entirely different. Inside we found beautifully-rich orange walls that conveyed an Oriental theme, along with darkly polished wood framing, benches, and tables which complimented the well-chosen wall hangings to create a natural and earthy feeling. Lighting was similarly sufficient and interlaced with the decor, as well as some touches of greenery.
What happened to our hole in the wall we had expected? Where was the TV? (gone) Where was the dive decor designed by the drunkard? (destroyed) All good things to get rid of, however, it had me wondering what the new-found beauty would do to our prices? (hard to say) Our friends hadn’t been back in a while, but they’d been regulars for about nine years.
We sat down with our friends and saw they already had a surprise available for us. Knowing that we’re always looking for that interesting item, they had ordered for us an atypical selection: a french-bread sandwich with Vietnamese sauce, thinly sliced and shredded beef, and perhaps carrot match sticks inside. Whatever was in it really didn’t matter to us because it tasted so good. The rich sauce reminded me of a Thai sauce I love that is dark brown, slightly spicy, and comes with beef dishes like pad ka prow.
As I was knee deep into our sandwich, our waiter joined us and made a good impression. I’d say he had a reserved but welcoming nature…and he liked my jokes. It’s amazing how much that helps. We ordered another suggestion of our friends – shrimp rolls for an appetizer. Two rolls appeared which were in the soft-white flexible rice paper wrapping that sometimes comes with spring rolls. The white-pink of the shrimp showed through the translucent wrapping, and revealed shrimp which the chef had arranged with militant precision in the rolls. The rolls came with a dipping sauce that was mellow and perhaps inspired with peanuts, but regardless the collective impression was fetching.
Next up was the difficult decision about what to order. This is tough because, apparently, your first choice will be the last you will ever voluntarily select. Our friends had been for years, and one of them had been so well-hooked by his initial selection that he could not force himself to change. He’s a pshychiatrist by day – you’d think he’d catch on after a while.
Emily went with our addicted friend’s choice of a Vermicelli noodle dish with shrimp (It’s #27 on the menu, I think, but the original language just looks too scary to reproduce here). I was trying to recreate my fabulous experience for a few days in a Vietnamese community in Mississippi, so I knew I wanted pho. This would also allow me to contrast it with current pho champ PS Noodle Pot in Antioch. I struggled to decide between all the options because they had several that appealed to me. On weekends they have a special: spicy pho, which I need to try. They also have several versions of pho which are described with the somewhat off-putting term “rare” beef. That threw me. Usually, medium rare is what I go with in steaks, but…without asking, I’m just not sure how far they go when they mean rare…and this place is really going for the authentic feel. I went with the well-done beef pho. Wimp.
Our meals arrived and, in retrospect, I laugh at my own reaction. My friends caught me in some sort of foodie-induced, slack-jawed trance. I wish I were exaggerating. You see, I saw Em’s dish arrive with a ring of luscious firecracker red shrimp which topped and encircled the remaining noodles and goodies beneath it. I then sat transfixed as I learned that the dish came with the broth on the side, already seasoned, and ready for you to pour into your dish to generate the liquid accompaniment. Fabulous. I worried about how much spice was on the shrimp, but it didn’t hit me at all when I stole a half-shrimp. I recovered around the time my dish came.
My own pho arrived. Pho is a soup dish that focuses on the broth, and includes whatever item you have ordered, like beef or seafood or vegetarian tofu. You then add whichever side ingredients you’d like: full bean sprouts, entire stalks of basil, cilantro, and limes to be juiced. The effect is powerful and integrated with all the components added. Our waiter asked if I could handle the dish with chopsticks, which I assured him I could, and went at the thing like a bear going for honey. Swapping between chop sticks and the deep spoon became fun, and I attempted to make conversation as I navigated the dish, wondering if I was making noodle-assisted impressions of a rabid walrus.
Fortune cookies finished us off for the day. Our friends departed early, as the little one was making some hay, and the staff handled it well without too much fuss, only asking for a closer eye when needed. Some younger children appeared to be connected to the staff, so I’d imagine families are welcome. Our meal ended up being about $25 for Em and I, which is not bad for a weekend lunch excursion plus double appetizers.
Next up, we’ll try the specials or the rare pho. That means we’re coming back. See you soon, Miss Saigon.
Share
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Subscribe via Email
Follow Me on Twitter
Pete — December 30, 2009 @ 3:59 pm
I would definitely recommend Kien Giang over Miss Saigon. The broth at KG is world’s better, imo. It has a more rounded sweet flavor, while the broth at Miss Saigon is very heavy on the beef flavor. Rare beef simply means that it’s put into the broth as rare, and by the time it arrives at your table, it’s cooked perfectly.
angie615 — January 3, 2010 @ 11:34 pm
The remodel made a world of difference!
Amanda — January 20, 2010 @ 9:17 pm
While we enjoyed our food on a recent trip, the host/server clipping his fingernails at the cash register was unappealing. Not sure that we'll be back.