Description: Although this restaurant only opened mid-2005, it has already made its mark with its combination of attractive ambience and interesting cuisine. If you want Vietnamese food in Dhaka, this is really the only place to go.
As you approach the restaurant, the first thing you notice is the conical roof of the porch, similar to that found on a Vietnamese farmer's hut. You are greeted by a doorman in grand costume, then enter a room that is chic but unobtrusive. Cozy booths with wooden partitions, dark timber tables, wooden beams, colonial-style ceiling fans, antiques, and hanging lanterns create an inviting atmosphere. As if this wasn’t enough, there are paintings depicting Vietnamese life and an old-fashioned Vietnamese kitchen in one corner. The area upstairs is similar.
The food can best be described as delicate with a few tangy surprises, but overall I found it rather bland and lacking in interest. The combination of herbs, spices, and sauces makes it quite different to Bangladeshi food and distinctive even from Thai or Chinese. Fresh spring rolls are always one of my favorites at a Vietnamese restaurant, and those at Le Saigon do not disappoint. Of course, there is the Pho Bo or Ga, which is probably the most popular dish in Vietnam. For the beef connoisseur there is diced beef in garlic butter, sliced beef slivers in Vietnamese pepper and onions, and beef rolls stuffed with picked onions. Unfortunately, the beef was so tough that I had to leave most of this on my plate. Some of these dishes, along with the boneless chicken legs, show the Franco-Vietnamese culinary influence.
There are dishes from the three main Vietnam regions, north, central and south. Central food is considered more authentic because the north has been influenced by Chinese cuisine and the south by French, Thai, Indian, and, more recently, American. Probably one of the highlights on the menu is the
Lau, a hot pot soup in which your choice of fish, seafood, noodles, vegetables, chicken, beef, and so forth is added to a clear broth. The two Vietnamese chefs prepare this with particular flourish.
When I visited, soothing jazz tunes wafted into the rooms, making a nice backdrop to the food. The service was fast but unobtrusive, and the price, while high for most Dhaka restaurants at around US$23 for two, was probably acceptable. There is a dinner buffet some evenings at around US$10 a head.
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