Saigon Kitchen - Vietnamese Food in the FLX

I have recently become obsessed with Vietnamese cuisine, ever since I tried my first banh mi sandwich at the Crystal Lake Café at Americana Vineyards back in June, I’ve been on the search for where I can get more yummy Vietnamese food. I’m talking obsessed. I’ve been googling Banh Mi sandwich recipes, places that make them in upstate NY, and watching videos of food porn about them on YouTube. You could safe say that I have an addictive personality, because when I find something that I love, I am all in.

Yours truly about nom on the Pho. Apparently it took a lot of concentration o_0

When Jared told me he had discovered a Vietnamese restaurant in Ithaca, I knew I had to go. Saigon Kitchen, located in downtown Ithaca on State St., strikes me as a local’s hangout. Though it’s only located a few streets away from the more touristy Commons and down the hill from congested college town, this neighborhood was very residential and had a much more relaxed feel to it. On the walk from where we parked my car to the restaurant, I was taking in all of awesome street art and various patios & bars where the locals were gathered to grab a drink on a lovely Friday summer evening. There are definitely some more places I want to check out along State St. in the future.

Once we arrived at Saigon Kitchen, we were fortunate enough to be able to grab a table right away. (Random tip for trying to figure out whether a new restaurant will be any good: if it is packed and people are waiting at the door, the food is likely to be good. Empty restaurants at meal times are rarely a good sign.) For our appetizer we shared an order of the Lemongrass Marinated Skewers, which came with a side of delicious peanut sauce. Jared loved the peanut sauce so much he wanted to have a bowl of it.

For the entrée, we both ordered a very traditional Vietnamese dish, Pho –pronounced like “Fuh”- is a beef and noodle soup. This was not my first time having Pho, I would order it now and then from an old favorite, Wok With Me at Point Place in Henrietta while I was still taking grad classes, but it’s been well over a year since I’ve had some, so I went with the House Special (Doc Biet) and Jared had the Bo Vien (meatball) version.

Pho before the added extras.

The House Special included all of the cuts of meat that Saigon Kitchen offers for their Pho –rare eye round steak, tendon (which at first slightly freaked me out due to its gelatinous nature, but turned out to be really delicious!), meatballs, and brisket. Now if you’re wondering if a soup is going to fill you up for dinner, don’t worry, Pho comes in a very generous portion and includes noodles, Vietnamese basil, and crunchy sprouts (on a side note, I loveeee crunchy sprouts). You throw as little or as much of the basil & sprouts in along with sriracha –a Thai hot sauce for those not familiar with it- or this wonderful sweet & savory, slightly reminiscent of a balsamic glaze but with slightly more Asain flair(I have no idea what it is called, but I loved it), or a chili paste as you see fit. You can make Pho as spicy or savory as you want.

Crunchy sprouts & basil with the extra sauces in the background.

Something else I want to note on is how crazy fresh all of the food was! While spicy and bursting with flavor, it was not heavy at all and did not leave me with what I like to call “Chinese-food-regret.” Which is that icky feeling you get after mowing down half of a giant container of delivery General Tso chicken and fried rice hung over on a Sunday afternoon while watching reruns of Real Housewives of which ever city….not that I’ve ever done that before. Totally giving my college-self the side eye.

Cue mouthwatering joy a la Homer Simpson.

I highly recommend Saigon Kitchen as an alternative if you’re getting tired of your regular MSG ridden Chinese takeout or need a change of pace from your usual go-to Thai place. I will definitely be back to try some more dishes at Saigon Kitchen. Happy eating!