Restaurants

Evocative of old Indochina, Saigon Saigon has a nostalgic look produced by furnishings of dark wooden furniture, bamboo screens and carved wooden artworks. The menu is similarly traditional, with specialities ranging from fragrant pho soup, through sour hotpot lau, to lean little frogs legs. Goi bo tai chanh (thinly sliced raw beef) came saturated in a lime-spiked sweet sauce; combined with fresh coriander, crunchy slivers of celery and peppers, and sprinkles of peanuts, it made for a divine mishmash of textures. We also relished some joyfully tender little morsels of bo nuong la lot: bite-sized beef wrapped in la lot (a relative of betel leaf). Bo xao xa ot (beef stir-fried with chopped lemongrass and onions) was a chewy treat, if a bit sweet by Vietnamese standards. The highlight was steamed sea bass chung tuong, covered in an assembly of tomato chunks, glass noodles, black beans, wood-ear mushroom, dried lily flower and tiny pickled onions again, a touch too sweet, though the combination of authentic ingredients made up for it. Prices are high, but Saigon Saigon delivers great food in classy surroundings.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008