Saigon Foodies opened up about 3 weeks ago in Kingston’s Green Square. The signage outside implies the place is all about Vietnamese street food. I was excited to see a picture of a banh mi!
The inside is very small (I actually don’t remember what used to be here?) with only 5 small tables in the cafe and out in Andrew Arcade. The menu is limited but simple. A pork or chicken banh mi costs $8.50.
On the other side there’s beef or chicken pho, rice paper rolls and vermicelli salad. The rice paper rolls are displayed in the small refridgerated unit on the front counter.
The counter also displays fresh ingredients used in the banh mi and other dishes.
I’m informed by the friendly owners that the roast pork in the pork banh mi and rice vermicelli salad is roasted by the owners themselves. I was asked whether I wanted chilli and coriander in my banh mi and I said yes to both (figuring I can always pick out the chilli if it’s too hot). The Vietnamese roll is fresh and soft but flakey on the outside. There are consistent portions of each element in the roll and yummy pate is smeared on the bottom.
I would’ve liked some more pork but I’m just being greedy. I found the banh mi was very mild and I didn’t bite into any sweat inducing chilli. I’m happy that I can now get fresh banh mi so close to home 🙂
The beef pho (noodle soup) comes with some sliced beef balls and thin slices of lean beef. Happy to report that there were no fatty or gristly bits! I love the fact that the beef has been left a little pink making it oh so soft to chew. The pho is accompanied by fresh basil (unfortunately no bean sprouts), a wedge of orange, and a squeeze of sriracha and hoisin sauce. The broth is clear with a hint of spices, sliced green onion and some slivers of ginger. The portion is relatively small but enough to fuel me for the rest of the afternoon.
Service is really friendly and quick. I like that they ask all customers whether you want chilli and coriander in your banh mi – two ingredients that can be highly sensitive for some people. I noticed many people dining in or getting take away. During lunch time, it can get a little cramped waiting for your take away meals as it’s a very small space but the wait time isn’t that long. Coffee is also served here.
Opening hours at the moment are:
Monday-Friday: 9am-4pm (with a possibility of closing later in future)
Sat: 8.30am-3.30pm
Saigon Foodies is on Giles Street next to Andrew Arcade (near Silo Bakery and Hoang Hau Restaurant) at Kingston’s Green Square.
Foodgasm 6.5/10
