Saigon Saigon

We visited this restaurant for the first time this week having read good reviews on London-Eating. We were not disappointed. The restaurant is quite large and had quite a few customers despite it being mid-week. The decor reflects quality and is very pleasant. The staff were friendly and efficient; they are genuine Vietnamese. The food was well presented and very tasty. I can certainly recommend this restaurant if you want a quality Vietnamese meal in good surroundings.
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Dai - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, January 12, 2012

My husband and I visited Saigon Saigon on Friday evening and had a good experience.

We arrived at about 9pm without a booking but were well received and told that some tables were due to leave in about 5mins. As it turned out - and possibly because of the couples who arrived just after us with bookings - we waited around 15 - 20mins but no matter, the place was packed and obviously very busy plus we were keen to try this restaurant off the back of its positive reviews.

As others have said, the menu is vast but not insurmountable, even if you have no prior knowledge of Vietnamese food. For starters, we opted for the chilli tempura squid which was a very generous portion of light and crisp squid, and some pork which came with a beansprout salad and rice papers to create our own delicate summer rolls. Again, a decent-sized portion and very light and fresh.

For mains, we had honey chilli pork in a clay pot and chicken in tamarind sauce. The pork was nice and tender, whilst the chicken was generous and mixed with vegetables for a nice crunch - both had lots of flavour and we weren't disappointed with our choices. On the advice of the waitress, we shared one portion of steamed rice which was plenty - a refreshing approach when so many restaurants attempt to upsell at every opportunity, especially given the relatively low prices here.

We accompanied our meal with a bottle of white, reasonably priced at just under £14.

Overall, the bill came to just short of £50 which included service. For the setting, food and service I would definitely class this as good value for money. There are quite a few other good yet inexpensive restaurants on this stretch of King Street but I can definitely see us returning.
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SJP - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, October 24, 2011

Totally agreed with Kevin. You would enjoy the majority of dishes with a little knowledge about Vietnamese food - how to eat the fresh herbs and the accompaning dipping sauce. Also some main dishes need to go with rice or plain noodle to balance the tastes and ingredients.

We had a 3 course meal for £32 each with good wine, all dishes were delicious, great value. Highly recommended. Do not walk-in at the weekend as you could end up waiting at least for half an hour.
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Henry Ha
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Monday, October 17, 2011

Me and my gf had dinner in Saigon Saigon last week, and we had amazing experience there, at first , we thought something would be boring or similar to other cuisines like chinese , thai, but we were wrong.

Vietnamese food has unique taste , and both of us were really enjoy every single minute there. Wat can i say, the atmosphere is so friendly, and authentic, and truly charming, the food is absolutely wonderful and yummy,tasty, and especially staffs are the most of it, very welcoming, knowledgable, enthusiastic , smiley even they were so busy and working hard, but they were still very helpful and so kind.

We really love Vietnamese ppl, and their cuisines also.

Nothing more we could expect,. definitely we will come back again with friends.
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Kevin
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, October 13, 2011

We ate at Saigon Saigon for the second time this week and this time took friends. We won't be rushing back. We started by ordering two glasses of the Chilean Pinot Noir. We changed our mind at the last minute and ordered a bottle and only then were we told that there was no Chilean Pinot left, and that it was a French Pinot on offer. It was clear we wouldn't have been told had we stayed with the per glass order and not changed our mind and ordered the bottle.

My squid starter, so enjoyed the first time we visited, was dry and overcooked. The vietnamese pancake was tasteless but the fish and glass noodles starter was nice.

Mains were average, the crispy bass with green mango was nice but not good value for money.

The service was good, the staff pleasant although our waitress clunked and banged glasses and plates which wasn't pleasant to sit near.
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millie - View all reviews by this user
4 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Saturday, October 08, 2011

I have a habit to check out with Time Out , London-Eating, Hardens for any eating place I go to.The editors’ reviews must be based on their knowledge about the cuisine before putting down their words and I trust them although I am not an easy eater

Our recent visit to Saigon Saigon was the first time but intersting one .We enjoyed every single dishes we ordered . For starters, we had the crispy crepe, honey quails, butter squid and salad rolls and for the main we had grilled chicken, a steamed bass with ginger and a hot pot of caramel pork, steamed tofu and mushroom, and plain rice along with a bottle of chardonnay. All are delecious and so fresh along with nice ambience and adequate service. The price is very everage. No doubt, this restaurant is a worthy choice for anyone who craves Vietnamese cuisine. But newcomers should pay close attention to this big menu or you could be the unlucky one. We will be back.

.
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Jacque P Moore
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Thursday, October 06, 2011

Went here for dinner on Saturday evening and as the weather was amazing, all the front doors were open onto the main road - somewhat reminded me of my time in Vietnam. Starters were fantastic, as were the mains and a great wine list too. Despite the huge size of the restaurant, it was completely full with people queuing to get in but this did not seem to affect the service, which was prompt and polite. Will be visiting again very soon, definitely recommended.
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Julian Lewis - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Not really sure why this place has rave reviews. Went there last night and won't be going back. Maybe we had a bad experience, but all 3 of us were disappointed. Bland starters and average mains. Maybe its so popular (and it was busier than I would have expected on a Tuesday night) because its cheap: most mains are c£7. Although £6.50 for a small plate of stir-fried veggies didn't strike me as a bargain. And yes, the service could certainly be improved.
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- View all reviews by this user
5 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The cliché of "this is the best restaurant I have been to" is often said all too often. In this case I would say it could not more true when talking about the restaurant Saigon Saigon. The decor on entrance was very nice and felt authentic, felt very welcoming.

The attendant at the door greeted us in a friendly manner and promptly led us to our table, no waiting was required.

Waiting staff here are very knowledgeable about their menu and offered some very good choices, unlike other restaurants who tell you "everything is good"

Starters were served quickly and it was explained in what order they are best eaten in, very impressed the presentation of the food looked very appealing and appetising.

When the mains turned up the beef in clay pot was given and the lid was removed adding somewhat of a wow factor when the lighters were lit adding some extra drama. The food tasted just like I was back in Ho Chi Minh City, not an easy feat to achieve.

The waiter recommended a very good red wine to accompany the meal with and this went down a treat.

Overall could not be impressed any further from the staff and the dining experience.

Defiantly going back!
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A Singh
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, December 23, 2010

I have to echo what everyone else on this page says. The food is great (Stewed Pork in Clay Pot - NUM). Quite generous portions and well priced. Superb atmosphere and great staff.

It would be my favourite restaurant BUT - HUGE BUT - Anything after 10pm is a struggle. While this is typical of Chiswick/Ravenscourt park (which is unbelievable), Saigon Saigon are the worst restaurant for shutting early and shooing customers away.

My friends and often want to go to a pub quiz and on to a restaurant. Saigon Saigon is always ruled out because of it's ridiculous opening times. You cannot get a table despite the restaurant being empty after about 9.45pm.

Why do so many restaurants and bars in London shut early? - They should take a leaf out of Manchester's book.

N.B - Avoid New Year at SS. Its a set menu (and you have to order three portions of anything you order so you all have to want to eat the same thing) which they don't advertise until its too late to get in anywhere else.
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Jane Burns
8 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 7
Sunday, December 05, 2010