Restaurant Report: Sunday in Saigon
So, I must confess: typically, I eat at a restaurant only once before writing my restaurant feedback articles—but this one changed things for me! My husband and I ate at Sunday in Saigon on Saturday night and were so impressed that we went back again on Tuesday. Geoff tells me that when I find a new restaurant, I like to “run it into the ground,” but this one was different—he actually wanted to go back with me!
Sunday in Saigon is the new brainchild of Caphe Banh Mi owner My Kieu Huyhn, who has taken her casual Pho eatery and expanded it into a semi-upscale and extremely tasty Vietnamese eatery-meets-wine bar. The restaurant is currently in its soft opening phase—it officially opens June 9th—as My has insisted on a soft opening for several weeks to teach her servers the menu and the level of service she expects.
On Saturday, we were actually greeted by My herself, who explained the fabulous menu to us. (The menu, no joke, LIGHTS UP, just like at NYC restaurants!) We proceeded to order drinks from the cocktail menu, which is unique when compared to that of most Old Town restaurants. My husband had the Saigon Old Fashioned, which takes a typical old fashioned and adds spiced apple bitters and pork belly as the garnish. And, get this: they have a wine bar on tap with TWO kinds of rosé…so you can guess what I had!
For starters, we shared the Vietnamese crepe, which features pork belly, shrimp, onions, and bean spouts. This came highly recommended by My and we can see why; we would probably eat this daily if we weren’t about to move over to Hollin Hall! The dish is paired with freshly grown herbs that come straight from the garden she has created on the patio overlooking Trader Joe’s. My said she wants the smell of fresh basil and mint to be so strong that patrons dining on the patio will actually feel like they are dining on a Sunday in Saigon. Moral of the story is be sure to eat outside!
For dinner, we had the Ga Kho Gung, or boneless chicken thighs with ginger and garlic served over rice. It is here that I made the ultimate faux pas! The dish is served in a beautiful clay pot with rice and pickled veggies over the side. Being the American that I am, I took the rice and dumped it into the clay pot…come to find out this is a big no-no! The chicken dish is intended to be salty; thus, it is to be removed from the pot and served over the rice. When My herself corrected me, I wanted to crawl into a hole, but in her defense, she did it ever so kindly—and my husband got a good laugh.
Sunday in Saigon, well, it is absolutely fabulous! We’re thrilled they are here. As my husband says, “let’s go run this restaurant into the ground!” Translation: you’ll see us back there a lot!
Sunday in Saigon is located at 682 N St Asaph Street.
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400 South Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
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