Saigon 48
Photo: Cititour.com
Contact Info:
Address: 234 West 48th Street
City: New York, NY
Zip: 10036
map: View the Map
Phone: 212-247-8669
Food Info:
Cuisine:
Vietnamese
2nd Cuisine:
Asian
Cititour Review:
Paul Zhao is a very smart man. Having found success elsewhere in New York with the Asian restaurants L’Annam and Sam’s Noodles, he’s taken his act to an area in desperate need of all the good restaurants it can find: the Theater District. At Saigon 48, Zhao has gone one step further, by adding an extremely elegant design by Glen Lee – which relies heavily on the use of colorful raw silk -- to the winning formula. The result: tourists will feel like they are having an exotic experience, while locals will delight in a place where they can quality food in such attractive surroundings. And everyone will be thrilled by having a great meal for under $20. As the name indicates, the menu’s focus is Vietnamese – but truth be told the kitchen’s offerings traverse the Asian map with numerous Chinese, Japanese and Thai influences. But there is a common factor in all the food at Saigon 48: lightness. So much so that our party of four -- hearty eaters all -- managed to down far more food than we usually do. (Of course, we weren’t really saving room for dessert, which at the moment is nothing more than a selection of Asian-flavored ice creams.) The menu is extraordinarily extensive, so feel free to ask the very helpful waitstaff for their suggestions. They will probably tell you that shrimp-and-vegetable filled summer rolls are a perfect hot-weather starter, and they’re right. But surprisingly so are scallion pancakes, much lighter and thinner than the traditional Chinese version, and totally greaseless. Dumplings were tasty, as was the lovely beef sate, each dish accompanied by a wonderful complementary sauce. Noodles dominate a large chunk of the menu, and we were equally pleased by steamed vermicelli (rice noodles) topped with skewers of grilled shrimp as we were with a more substantial chicken chow fun. But the big hits at are table were the entrees -- not always the case in any kind of restaurant. Cubed teriyaki steak was remarkably tender, and cleverly served with oversized taro chips. Stir-fried pork with mixed vegetables had a surprising delicacy. Basil shrimp were pleasingly firm and somewhat spicier than we first expected. And my tablemates practically swooned over the whole sea bass. (Be warned: it comes with the head on and with plenty of bones!) I should note that vegetarians can eat very well here as well, even if we were feeling rather carnivorous on our visit. And it’s this something-for-everyone attitude that will have Saigon 48 scoring 100 for many diners.
Review By: Brian Scott Lipton
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