Le Saigon d'Antan — Restaurant in Paris

There’s plenty to like at Le Saigon d’Antan, including the warm, kind service from our young server, the vibrant, cozy atmosphere and the wide array of Vietnamese offerings. However we were disappointed that the kitchen had run out of all varieties of Pho for the evening, which was a cold one and could have benefitted from a warm bowl of soup. We selected pork nems (crispy fried spring rolls-at least that’s what we call them in California), shrimp bun (noodles with fresh veg and shrimp), and ban xeo (crispy crepe filled with shrimp and pork and served with pickled veg and lettuce). The food was pretty good and we liked the pork nem appetizer with lettuce and mint dipped into the nuoc cham sauce, but shrimp and pork were dry and overcooked in the ban xeo, and the crepe itself while appropriately crispy was quite burnt in many spots, with an unappealing bitter flavor in the scorched crust—see photo. We also felt the noodles in the bun were overcooked and didn’t benefit from the coconut sauce which made the dish soggy. The shrimp in the bun were not tender so perhaps overcooked as well. The vegetable nems which accompanied the shrimp were not as flavorful as the pork ones. Overall we were happy to dine at Le Saigon d’Antan, and would return for a second visit to try the pho and maybe give the ban xeo another chance, if the kitchen is more cautious and deliberate about what it sends out...

Delicious chicken bo bun and beef pho.

Pho broth was beefy, aromatic and flavourful and beef pieces were generous and tender. They have the standard bean sprouts and thai basil for you to add and the offering is generous. As scrumptious as the broth is on its own, they also offer fish sauce, sriracha and hoisin sauce should you wish to add more seasoning to your dishes. All in all, a satisfying dish.

The dish that really surprised me though was the chicken bo bun. All of its components including the grilled onions, crisp vegetables, vermicelli noodles and meat all work in harmony together. The star however was the chicken, which was reminiscent of grilled satay: tender, well marinated through and you can taste the sweetness of the marinade and the smokiness and char on the meat as well. There’s also crispy spring rolls in the dish itself which goes to show no details were spared into making this.

Only ordered these two dishes, but from what we ate, you can tell that a lot of love goes into their food. Service was pretty great, as well — our server was kind and friendly (spoke English, too!) and was perceptive enough to offer my husband red chili (bird’s eye chili) JUST BEFORE my husband was about to ask for it!

Our best wishes to the restaurant. Hope they keep up this standard of food and service cos I can’t wait to return and...

We loved this nondescript Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of St. Germain des Pres. Years ago there were not many Vietnamese restaurants in the neighborhood. However, there are quite a few nowadays. In fact, there's another one up the street.

But Saigon d'Antan is great so much so that we'll return when we get back to Paris soon again. The staff are really pleasant, and service is efficient. It's almost like being at home except there's a politesse here as is required and expected. So it's all pleasant and civilized considering this is fast food for Paris.

The food is authentic unlike what we get at home too. Everything we ordered was fresh and well-prepared. They even have menus (prix fixe) so unlike at home. So we ordered menus with desserts although the desserts are either frozen packaged ones or canned fruit like lychee. But it is so much better than what they offer us at home-no prix fixe menus one bit. Highly appreciated! And prices are extremely affordable; in fact, it was cheaper than back home!

Highly...