Little Saigon in South San Francisco

Com Tom Xao Dau Que (String Beans with Shrimp over Rice)

Noodle Pie's blog reminds me how much I want to go on a food journey of Vietnam. This obsession began with Anthony Bourdain's ramblings and adventures from A Cook's Tour, which then turned into my haphazard search for the best pho in the San Francisco Bay Area (I believe I found it in Fremont, but am still looking). I'm sure nothing beats what can be found in Vietnam, and it's too bad San Francisco doesn't have any pho carts, yet alone food carts, to begin with. I've always been a fan of street fare, scouting delicious eats from random street carts and food booths, uncovering amazing dishes in the most unlikeliest of places.

Lately, I've been getting my Vietnamese food fix in South San Francisco. I've been spending a lot of time in "South City" lately because of dance, and until I found Little Saigon, I've been getting by on the area's numerous taquerias. What thrills me about this restaurant isn't the pho—I've indulged in their pho ga (chicken noodle soup) and pho tai (rare beef noodle soup) on the many occasions I've been freezing cold in windy San Bruno county. Their pho is good in a pinch, but I like my broth flavorful and with depth—my theory is that once you've had amazing broth, layered in nuances, everything else seems ho-hum. Decent, but not mind-blowing spectacular.

Eggplant with Ground Chicken over Rice (Com Ca Tim Ga Xay)

Instead, what I order here are their rice plates. My favorite is their Com Ca Tim Ga Xay, Eggplant with Ground Chicken over Rice ($5.50). Spicy with red chiles and slices of jalepeno, the dish is tasty, filling and always freshly made (you can hear the cook slicing the vegetables, then the pan sizzling in the kitchen). Eggplant has a tendency to soak up a lot of oil and get very greasy, but here, it is perfectly cooked, quickly seared on the outside and tender on the inside. Another delicious dish is their Com Tom Xao Dau Que, String Beans with Shrimp over Rice ($5.50)—string beans, shrimp and straw mushrooms are lightly stir-fried, dashed with red chili flakes and sesame seeds. The shrimp is tender and the beans not too mushy or undercooked—definitely not swimming in oil or sauce. Each rice plate comes with a small bowl of broth flavored with scallions—a light accompaniment to each dish.

Pad Thai Shrimp Noodle (Pab Thai Tom)

They have a wide array of noodle dishes include Garlic Noodles ($5.50), Chow Mein ($5.25-$6.25), and Pad Thai ($5.25-$5.95). I admit, I adore Pad Thai, but don't usually order it because of other more exciting dishes on the menu. One day I decided to try it here, and I'm happy to say it was decent. The rice noodles were nicely cooked, and there was a hefty amount of tender shrimp and tofu. The dish could have used more fish sauce—it was good, but lacked that extra tang that I often look for.

Imperial Rolls (Cha Gio)

For starters, their Cha Gio, Imperial Rolls ($4.50 for 3), are temptingly good. Filled with minced pork, taro root and carrots, they have a nice solid crunch. Served with lettuce leaves, bun (rice noodles) and fish sauce, a bite into this amazing appetizer is a medley of textures (crunchy, soft, hot, cold) and flavors (salty, sweet, sour). They were so good that my dining companions and I began to compare these rolls to their Filipino equivalent, lumpia, and we wondered why the latter tends to be greasier and not as crunchy. We came to the conclusion that the different wrapper makes a huge difference (Vietnamese spring roll wrappers are transluscent, while Filipino lumpia wrappers are opaque and dough-based). Also, the Cha Gio is more tightly wrapped than most lumpia, so the oil doesn't seep into the filling like it tends to in lumpia frying.

To wash it all down, the restaurant has a large selection of drinks. All along the back wall is a refrigerator full of all sorts of Asian and American goodies, from soda to tropical juices, bottles of water to iced teas. My companion tried this canned Honey Bee brand Pink Guava Juice. It was very thick, more like guava nectar, yet not overly sweet.

I opted for my favorite Cafe Sua Da, Vietnamese-style iced coffee. As a coffee fanatic, this is always the best part of the meal. I often cannot wait for the coffee to finish brewing before diving in. Drinking Cafe Sua Da is a ritual for me at every Vietnamese eatery. After waiting agonizingly for the drip to stop, place the brewer on the table. Stir the coffee into the sweetened condensed milk, rendering it thick and creamy. Pour into the tall glass of ice and stir again. Drink in one big gulp.

My favorite Vietnamese-style coffee over ice (Cafe Sua Da)

Little Saigon, 7 Linden Avenue at Railroad, South San Francisco. T: 650-589-1398
Closed Sundays.

Comments

[Reid]

Creen,

I also love Vietnamese food. It seems as though you've made the trip to this particular place a few time judging by the dishes in this post! So I assume then that it must be good. This is another place on the must try list when I head on over to SF. I haven't been there in 2 years, so I'm due for a trip there soon. The next time you're in Hawaii, you must try Pho Saigon on Keeaumoku. The pho there is one of the best in the islands.

[Mary]

I had a similar quest when I lived in Oakland. I was searching for the perfect Bun cha gio. I don't think that is how you spell it, but it's the dish with the noodles, fresh veggies, herbs, chopped peanuts, and egg rolls cut up and tossed on top. I think the best one I found was somewhere in Oakland, but that was over six years ago. I also had an avocado shake there. Do you ever travel over to the East Bay? I think you should and find the name of that restaurant for me. cheers.

[Gina]

This place is about five blocks away from where I live, but I've never quite gotten around to eating there. Will definitely make it a point to sample their rice plates. Thanks for the tip, and I love your blog. Cheers!

[san francisco knitter]

mmmm. I love Little Saigon. The yellow curry is delicious, too. And the spring rolls.

[Lindsey Yu]

Actually this restaurant is very dirty. They clean their pots on the cement outside in the back and they defrost meat on top of an outside garbage can where the elemnets have free range on the meat. Also I have never seen mops soo black and a constant fly population...