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Saigon City (Vietnamese cuisine) $

418 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo, 94401 (Directions)

650.340.8878

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Unassuming eatery serving authentic Vietnamese dishes at budget prices
Reviewer: Jason Total Reviews: 1040 Reviewed: 12/30/2006 Rating: 8 My photo gallery	Saigon City was a spur of the moment type of visit. We were thinking ramen but made a cuisine change to avoid waiting in line. I've driven by Saigon City a million times but never stopped by until tonight. Parking isn't so bad with 1-2 trips around the block to land a spot. We had no problems getting a table as the dining room was filled to half capacity. Service was fast as menus were dropped off followed by waters. We shared a Grilled Pork ball appetizer and for myself, I went with the Rare Steak pho and Vietnamese Coffee (ca phe sua da). The Grilled Pork balls (image 8) appetizer doesn't accurately describe the fun you'll have rolling your own spring rolls. The waiter will bring out a bowl of warm water, rice paper discs (image 6), vermicelli noodles, greens, peanut sauce, cucumbers, and grilled pork. The tricky part is dipping your rice discs into the water without having them fold over on you. Leave the rice discs in there for about 10 seconds, remove and flatten out on your plate. After that, place the toppings and roll. Fun stuff and it taste good. Saigon City isn't messing around when they say their steak is rare. I had to let it sit in the bowl for a couple of minutes before biting in. Chewy noodles were in a ball hidden under the steak. Floating in the broth was cilantro, onions, and green onions. They kinda skimped out on the cilantro but made up for it with the hot sauce. On each table sits the an oily chili paste and an orange siracha looking sauce. The orange paste should be called LAVA, it's just as hot as the stuff at Dac Phuc in San Jose. Don't put too much in your soup or you'll spend most of your time putting the fire out. The medium bowl is a good portion size and a wallet friendly price of $4.75. The broth was not as full bodied as the other pho houses but pleasing to the palette. The pho is an easy repeat order and you'll especially love it during those cold nights. The vietnamese coffee was legit as it came out in the slow drip steel tin with condensed milk. I'd say everything about Saigon City tasted authentic and would make a return visit without hesitation.

8.5
Agent Rating

Reviewer: Lainie Total Reviews: 41 Reviewed: 1/8/2007 Rating: 8.5 My photo gallery	There used to be so many superior Vietnamese places in this area, but lately many have faltered quite a bit. As a result, Saigon City is one of the better places to grab a bowl of pho (noodle soup), a rice plate, or a Vietnamese sandwich. They're quick, it's cheap, and the food is good for the price. However, I've had many better bowls of pho because their broth isn't as rich and full-flavored as some other places I've tried in the past. But it you're in the area and want some Vietnamese, it's pretty good. I do also like the fact that besides the rice plates and noodle soups they also serve the classic Vietnamese sandwich, which is harder to find but a nice change from the typical sandwich. If you haven't tried one, do so here. They do a pretty good job for a place outside of either San Jose or San Francisco. It always boggles my mind why this place gets written up in the SF Chronicle every year. It's pretty good but it's not phenominally great.


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