Where: Saigon Cafe, 440 W 300 S, Provo
Who Went: Chelsey & Owen
Number of Visits: 1
What We Ordered: Egg Rolls, Szechuan Chicken and Mongolian Beef
What It Cost: $22 (including tip)
What We Thought:
Being from the Pacific Northwest, I have a special spot in my heart for every type of Asian cuisine. And it's so hard to find here in Utah for some reason! Especially teriyaki. Does anyone know of any good teriyaki places in the state of Utah?? I crave it all the time! Anyway, when I saw that Saigon Cafe was one of the highest rated Chinese restaurants in Utah County, I immediately added it to my wishlist. Then Owen surprised me on a date taking me here - what a great guy :)
I heart egg rolls. These ones were about as good as you could expect -- not outstanding but definitely satisfying. The dipping sauce was tangy and delicious, and they were served hot and crispy. So far, a good start.
I ordered the Szechuan chicken, which had a couple chili peppers next its name, which made me pretty excited. Who knew they were literal chili peppers?! Nonetheless, it was super delicious, just the right amount of spicy, and a good balance of meat and vegetables. And I'm not sure if you noticed the plate above, but it was huge! Definitely plenty of food for dinner and at least one lunch later on...
They also brought us a little plate of fried wontons with some dipping sauce, which was kind of cute, but I didn't really get it. Are you supposed to eat them just like plain? Is it like the tortilla chips at a Mexican restaurant? I don't know. We ate them because we were hungry and they were tasty, but I'm not sure if we were doing it correctly...
Owen got the Mongolian beef, which was super fun with these little crispy white things on top. The meat was super tender and delicious, perfectly cooked, and there was a lot of it! We loved the flavor of the sauce, and the dish as a whole. Yum!
What You Should Do: I don't know...I think Saigon Cafe may be moving up the ranks as my new favorite Chinese restaurant in Utah Valley! I'll have to visit it again to confirm, but it was pretty tasty. It was also a great deal! An appetizer plus two gigantic entrees for around $20 -- not bad. I would definitely recommend Saigon Cafe to anyone looking for excellent Chinese food near BYU.
My Vietnamese roommate took me to Saigon Cafe along with a couple of our Chinese friends over 15 years ago. Then it seemed the focus was more Vietnamese and some Chinese. The egg rolls were completely different from the way they are now (they were cut into bite-sized pieces & served with a clear rice vinegar-based sauce that I LOVED). My friends said it was the best Vietnamese & Chinese food around, but it has changed hands since then and, while it may be very good, I don't think it's as good as it was.
ReplyDeleteFYI those aren't fried wontons...they are fried noodles. Wontons are stuffed! Both yummy, just different :D
ReplyDeletePS To answer your question, they are typically used as noodles for soup.....but when a Chinese restaurant makes the big, yummy home made ones like that, nearly everyone just dips them in duck sauce (or whatever sauce) and munches on them.
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