Saigon 68: Review

Nestled among the plethora of restaurants and shops on Sheffield's diverse, multi-cultural London Road, you'll find Saigon 68 - a hugely popular Vietnamese cafe. 

I've lived in the London Road area for nearly a year and every time I walk past, no matter what time of day, Saigon always seems to be busy. I'd also seen many a glowing review of Saigon 68 (previously called Pho 68) on lots of Sheffielder's blogs so I decided it was time to finally pay a visit when myself and a couple of friends were on the lookout for a spot of lunch. 

Saigon has a pretty informal cafe feel to it to match its unpretentious, laid back menu and decor. We tried their lunchtime offer where you get prawn crackers, a main dish, a drink and a refreshing bowl of fruit to finish for £6.99 - amazing value for money, especially when you see the size of the portions!

The lunch menu had a decent selection of dishes to choose from ranging from traditional Vietnamese pho (huge bowls of noodle soup) to rice dishes as well as noodle dishes - you can even choose the type of noodles too (egg, vermicelli, flat rice or udon).

In the end I went for the Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fried Egg Noodles (unadventurous, I know but its a firm favourite of mine), Jess picked the Singapore Stir Fried Vermicelli Noodles and Louise opted for the Lemongrass Chicken in Chilli Sauce with Rice.

The food arrived promptly and still sizzling fresh from the wok. We were a bit taken aback when we first caught a glimpse of the size of the portions - we'd only come in for a light lunch but we are three girls who like a challenge, especially if it involves food! All three of us found ourselves defeated and didn't manage to finish our dishes, however I'm sure they'd let you take some home in a doggy bag although we were too full to move, let alone contemplate eating the leftovers later on. 

Look at the size of that portion!!

My sweet and sour was tangy and had a glossy, rich sauce, the chicken was crispy and plentiful, and there were peppers, pineapple and onion bringing a whole host of different textures and bursts of extra flavour into the mix. The noodles were cooked and seasoned perfectly and weren't bulked out with masses of onion (hooray!) as is all too often the case in Asian restaurants. My only quibble was that a few more peppers and pineapple chunks wouldn't have gone a miss, but that really is a minor complaint. 

Despite this, I think I must have been lucky with my choice as my friends weren't quite as pleased with their dishes - the Singapore Noodles were a bit too spicy for Jess and Louise found her Lemongrass Chicken to be a little bland as the only real kick of flavour was from the chillies which were too hot on their own. Of course, I can only speak for my dish which was absolutely delicious - perhaps that's the safety of picking the most westernised, unadventurous dish on they menu.

After we finally admitted defeat on our mains we were brought a plate of fruit to finish the meal. The plate consisted of a few orange slices and grapes and was a really nice touch, providing us with some much needed refreshment without being too heavy. 

I would highly recommend Saigon 68 and urge you to try the Sweet and Sour Chicken Noodles as they are delicious! I would advise some careful choosing when selecting a dish, just make sure you take note of the chillies next to the dishes on the menu - the Vietnamese can handle their spice a lot better than us Brits. Despite this, Saigon offers really good value for money - especially with the lunchtime offer and you do get a lot of food for your money - just make sure your appetite is as big as their plates! I will definitely be going back and I have a feeling it could become a firm favourite!

Saigon 68

175 London Road

Sheffield

S2 4LH

website: http://www.saigon68.co.uk