Ambiance: 6.5/10

We arrived at Saigon Kitchen at around 5:40 pm on a drizzly Friday evening. Initially, the restaurant was relatively quiet, but as the evening unfolded, the atmosphere was gradually filled with vibrant sounds of chatter and laughter. The seating was a bit tight, which wasn’t a problem, and the photographs didn’t add or detract from the overall dining experience.

Food: 7/10

With a scarce number of Vietnamese restaurants in Ithaca, sometimes you have to venture further away from campus to satiate that craving. Our selection of food definitely hit the spot in some while also leaving us hungry for more in other dishes. For an appetizer, we had the Shrimp Summer Rolls, and for the mains, we shared the Crispy Squid (recommended by our server), the House Special Beef Pho, and the Grilled Chicken Rice Plate.

The summer roll was stuffed with fresh lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber, vermicelli noodles, mint, and shrimp, served with a hoisin peanut sauce. While the summer roll was fresh, the overly strong mint flavor overshadowed the other ingredients. We also found that the shrimp was notably stringy and the rice paper was slightly too al dente for our taste. However, the hoisin peanut sauce was exceptional, offering a complex burst of saltiness, umami, and nuttiness that brought the appetizer to life. Paired together, this created a contrast of flavors that elevated the dish despite its minor shortcomings.

Our first main dish was the crispy squid, which our server told us is a customer favorite, and was the collective standout of the night. This dish features squid coated in tapioca starch and deep-fried, then served with a sweet chili sauce. Although we would have liked a greater ratio of squid to fried batter, the batter was light and very crispy, pairing perfectly with the sticky sauce. The accompanying cucumbers and tomatoes felt somewhat mismatched and haphazardly arranged. However, that did not detract from the squid’s starring role, making it easy to overlook. Indeed, our server’s recommendation was spot on. Our only qualm was that we would have liked a greater ratio of squid to fried batter.

The house special pho featured a rich beef broth with a selection of meats, including rare eye round steak, brisket, tendon, and meatballs. This was accompanied by the usual plate of bean sprouts, mints, and lime. The noodles were springy with a satisfying chew, the broth was aromatic and hydrating, and the assortment of meats were tender and generous. The dish was comforting and reliable and hit all the checkmarks of a good pho.

The grilled chicken rice plate came with a scattering of grilled chicken, a bowl of rice, and an arrangement of cucumbers, lettuce, and daikon veggies, served with a sauce that was most likely a mixture of fish sauce and sugar. The grilled chicken offered a sweet and salty aroma, but despite its smoky and promising scent, its flavors quickly dissipated after the initial bite. It heavily depended on the sauce to truly shine, and we felt the portions were quite small despite being a chicken dish.