Dear Saigon — Restaurant in Toronto

Updated Review for 2 more visits:

Food was worse than I had it last, instructions not followed on my order, wanted cooked beef and sprouts, got raw beef and uncooked sprouts and had to tell the employee to go fix it and they seemed annoyed that I asked twice

The chicken for my rice platter looked raw, so I sent it back, they got me a new one in 5 min, but it was dry, flavourless, the pork is sweet but salty some how so that was not my favourite thing

They took my teapot to refill and didn't bring it back so I had to ask for it.

The noodles were starchy still and the broth was not clear, either from the starch of the noodles or it was just poured incorrectly, the broth is not flavourful and the dry noodles they use get soggy by the time you finish your meal

Servers didn't bring out my utensils til I already had my food, so I dropped my rating on service.

They are busy and they split the tables so it's a bit tight but that was expected with how crazy it still gets.

The beef rib is still about the same as my previous review below.

The servers are still about the same, just mediocre and typical for a Viet restaurant,

They have a lot of servers on the floor but still subpar overall service

Drinks are about the same as I had last time,

Washrooms were dirty when I went in

OLD:

The food was mediocre compared to other Viet restaurants I’ve had in tdot, the beef and rice was bland, they use coconut milk or certain rice with the rice which adds this weird flavour, the beef rib in the soup looked atrocious, looked like someone ate 90% of it before it got to me..

The servers were decent, it sounded like a typical Vietnamese restaurant where the music was going, and the servers and the kitchen are practically yelling at each other to get something, pretty nostalgic to the mom and pop shops I used to go to during my travels.

My utensils got brought out promptly but the attitude of the workers seem mediocre, they get annoyed when you ask for more utensils or napkins, the line gets super busy during dinner, and the man that was controlling the line did a great job getting names, sitting people as soon tables were clean, he had to run around quite a bit to help the other workers, either with bussing tables, getting them clean, bringing out food, checking to see when tables are going to get freed up, getting customers to me, kept me and others constantly updated on the situation on when we get seated, which he overshot his estimates, but he told me he can’t control how fast people take so they can be faster or slower, but I feel like they should set a time limit on how long people sit, maybe 1-1.5hr max…

The servers asked me to clear the tables to make their life easier to sit more tables after me so I give them props for that BUT, I wished they didn’t take my water cup until after I left and not while I was in the washroom so at least I could have a glass before leaving

I’ve been here a couple times throughout a couple weeks to see how the flow of traffic is, opening times should be earlier, like 10-11 as when I walked in at open at 12, it was full and there’s a huge line, and at night should be open til at least 11 as their last call is 8:30-8:45 as the host told me they can tinker with it as long as they ask the kitchen… they would see a lot more customers waiting if they opened until 11 and did last call at 10-10:30

Drinks came out within 15 minutes which is better than expected, as I saw 20-30 go out before mine, the sweet tamarind juice was not sweet at all, which contradicts the title…

The 3 layer coffees flavour has changed every time I have been there, I assume it’s because different people drip the coffee, and some people use less water, some use more, so it changes the potency.

The coconut juice is just your standard juice that you get from the supermarket,

They do get orders mixed up but it’s not crazy mix ups, they have to divide tables up or sometimes put them together and usually the mix up is just the table right beside the person

Overall I give food 1.5/5, service 4.5/5, and...

Dear Saigon’s most photographed item is the Dear Saigon pho ($22.99). The restaurant knows how to draw in the camera: a large tower displaying the dishes’ ingredients, a sizzling stone bowl, and a hulking beef bone that’s protrudes in its full glory. I had my doubts on ordering it, but then felt obligated to see if it really is worth the extra six dollars.

Firstly, the tower: they need to make it more structurally sound. To get the individual layers out, you’ll need to hold onto the wobbly light-as-air tower or otherwise risk having it topple over. Ultimately, it’s a bit kitschy with the only benefits being it takes up less table space and does allow diners to gradually add the raw beef slices to control its doneness.

In terms of the stone bowl, while it arrives rapidly boiling, this starts to lose steam in under 30 seconds. Add in the noodles and half of the bean sprouts and the soup sits as still as a pond on a non-windy day. In fact, I was nervous whether it’d still be hot enough to cook the beef slices, so I jammed them all in at the start. Luckily, the remaining warmth was enough to gradually cook them through, and the beef did stay tender longer, which was a nice touch.

Moreover, the broth stayed hot until the end. Dear Saigon’s soup was just salty enough and was hearty but still fresh. While the noodles started off as a sticky clump, they quickly loosened in the soup and resisted getting soggy. Point goes to the stone bowl.

Lastly, the beef bone. Perhaps the best distinguishing feature as it’s an ingredient not offered with the other pho. For me, this alone was worth the additional $6. Since it arrives in the soup without any sauce, I worried it’d be tasteless. For me, it was flavourful enough solo, but if you need tje extra oomph there’s hoisin and hot sauce available. Meaty and tender, I ended up sharing the beef bone and was still stuffed. If you’re hungry, order the Dear Saigon pho.

If the beef rib doesn’t do it for you, the house special pho ($18.99) was satisfying. While not overly exciting, it contains the requisite favourites – rare beef, brisket, tendon, tripe, and beef balls – with plenty of noodles, herbs, and bean sprouts. The broth wasn’t as beefy but still had a comforting quality. I sense some diners may find it bland, but I found it satisfying and liked that it wasn’t oily.

Dear Saigon’s appetizers were also decent. The chicken wings ($13.50) are covered in a honey glaze that’s best eaten hot while it’s still runny. Very crispy with just a touch of heat and savouriness, it reminds me of a milder honey garlic deep-fried wing.

Wash your hands as the deep-fried spring rolls ($8.99) are extremely difficult to pick-up with chopsticks – even my mom was stumped. Utensil challenge aside, they’re uber crispy, and I enjoyed the combination of vegetables, beans, taro, and little...

Extremely busy restaurant for just opening for approximately 1 month,

Seating arrangements are not ideal for larger groups as you have to squeeze into small booths or be sat with your back directly at someone else’s table…

Been here 3 times Music is sometimes too quiet or too loud, at times I’m practically yelling at someone from across the table to have a conversation with them

Food is lacking flavour, the pork is dry like jerky, the banh khot is extremely dry unlike the ones I’m used to

Drinks are great, takes about 10-15 minutes sometimes but this one server I talked to named Don brought my drink and apologized for the wait, and asked if I needed anything else and how the food was so I give him a 👍🏻 and told him that I understood that it was busy so don’t worry about it

Overall wait staff is diligent but sometimes lacking as it takes them about 3-5 minutes to realize that someone is waving them down and they are just talking to one another but once you do get their attention, they are on the ball with it and get what you need immediately

Washrooms and the restaurant were slightly dirty at the time I went but it was a full restaurant and I did wait 45 minutes so I’ll let that slide

They don’t take reservations, so seating large groups is difficult unless you want to be split up

I saw 2 of the male wait staff just talking and fooling around while there were customers trying to wave them down because they had their order sheet in the air or needed something, took them about 5 minutes to realize that someone was waving them down because they were done talking…

I understand that it gets busy and they don’t get time to talk all that much but it’s unacceptable that people that just sat down after waiting 30min-1hr have to wait additional time to get their food because staff decide to fool around…

In terms of when I was finished my meal, I felt rushed to leave because they had a line??? There was 2 people that cleaned my table it was a long haired male and and older woman, they did it quick and efficiently but they didn’t even ask to clear the table, they just took the plates and cups while I wasn’t finished my water so I had to wave down another person to bring me another cup so I could get another drink… it took them another 10 minutes to bring my...