Savoring the Soups at Saigon House

Mandy Nguyen, owner of Saigon House, is taking pho to the next level. According to Nguyen, her goal is to present diners with the most authentic Vietnamese cuisine possible at the South King Street restaurant.

“In the mid-’80s, my mom owned a Ba-Le restaurant at Fort Street Mall and ran it for many years,” she recalls. “I used to help her and that’s what got me into the restaurant business.”

With a varied selection of pho to please all appetites, including the Pho Special Combination of Beef ($8 medium, $8.50 large) and appetizers such as Chicken Salad ($7.50) and Finger Shrimp ($8), Nguyen says most of the recipes are all her own. Still, she credits chefs Hong and Kim for their extraordinary culinary talents.

“What’s unique is our Spicy Beef Soup ($9.25). It’s made with a thick vermicelli noodle, spicy beef and a flavorful beef broth,” Nguyen explains. “We cook the soup with a lot of lemon grass and slow cook beef bone for at least eight hours, before marinating pieces of meat and adding that to the soup as well.”

This tasty Vietnamese dish has proven to be hot item on the menu — literally. According to Nguyen, the chili pepper, lemon grass and herbs, blended with the soup, really spice it up. Also, she recommends adding some cabbage, bean sprouts, basil, shredded banana flower and shredded ong choy to the soup, and you’ll be in for a refreshingly healthy treat.

Saigon House