Bargain lunch of the week - Saigon Cuisine

Saigon Cuisine

Served daily from 11:00 to 2:30 pm, Saigon Cuisine's lunch combination menu offers Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese dishes priced between $6.50 and $7.50 including rice. The real bargain though is the daily lunch special at the crazy low price of $5.99,  offering your choice of selected entrees from the combo menu along with soup and egg roll.

Opting for one of the Thai dishes I ordered the Red Curry with Chicken. Within five minutes of placing my order the waiter dropped off the egg roll and soup of the day which was egg drop soup.

Smaller and thinner than those found at most Chinese restaurants, the egg roll had an appearance not entirely unlike a miniature flauta or taquito. Though nothing was remarkable about the egg roll filling, I did find the thinness and crispiness of the outer layer more enjoyable than standard egg rolls which can be a little chewy at times. Also, the egg roll came with a very tasty sauce that appeared to be a Vietnamese fish sauce with small bits of pepper. The spicy sauce was slightly sweet and paired well with the egg roll and was a nice break from hot mustard and the ubiquitous neon red sweet and sour sauce found elsewhere.

The most memorable though was the Thai Red Curry with Chicken, which arrived about 10 minutes after the egg roll and soup. The dish is comprised of sautéed sliced chicken, onion, bell pepper, bamboo shoots, and basil leaves served in a sauce of red curry paste and coconut milk.

On this day the chicken was tender and the vegetables lightly sautéed, with the onion and bell pepper retaining a slight crunch. Though spicy, the curry and coconut milk sauce was a delicious if unsubtle sauce that dominated the overall flavor of the dish. Fortunately I noticed the hot pepper symbol on the menu and ordered the dish less spicy, as it is still plenty hot unless you are a native of Thailand or spicy foods on a regular basis.

I'm not a big fan of egg drop soup so I won't comment beyond saying it tasted just fine for egg drop soup.

If you care to discern whether the chicken is free range or the bell pepper is organic I would steer clear of this dish. If however the sound of red curry and coconut milk sauce sounds good then you can't go wrong ordering this dish. Finally, if you are wondering if you will get enough food for the $5.99 price fear not, the amount of food is more than ample for anyone save bodybuilders and lumberjacks.

Offering high quality Asian food at a reasonable price Saigon Cuisine has managed to thrive for several years despite the considerable competition from other Asian restaurants in the area. With good food, large portions, and reasonable prices its easy to see why.

Note: Saigon Cuisine is closed on Mondays and not Sundays.

Saigon Cuisine
6805 Cantrell Rd.
Little Rock
501.663.4000

11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Sun. - Thurs.
11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Fri. & Sat.
Closed Mondays

 Quick Link: For a listing of all my restaurant reviews to date listed by cuisine click here.