Sao Nam — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

Avoid Sao Nam: Disappointing Food, Worse Service

My recent visit to Sao Nam in Bukit Bintang was a masterclass in how to completely miss the mark. While the restaurant boasts a supposed fusion of Vietnamese and French cuisine, the only thing successfully fused was my disappointment.

Management Meltdown

The most glaring issue was the abysmal management. Faced with any criticism, they became incredibly defensive. One particularly irksome comment was "I've been operating for over 22 years and I've never had a complaint." Well, in my 40 years of dining experiences, this was the worst Vietnamese food I've ever encountered. 22 years doesn't guarantee quality, especially with such a dismissive attitude towards feedback.

Mediocre Food, Missing Menu Descriptions

The food itself was a forgettable affair. The Grilled Chicken Noodle Salad offered no clue as to what grilling method was used, leaving the chicken bland and uninspired. The "Vietnamese Laksa" was a particular insult, featuring a measly 1.5 prawns - that's right, one and a half prawns! To add insult to injury, the promised dipping sauce wasn't even traditional fish sauce, but a watered-down sweet chili sauce.

Unhygienic Ambiance

The overall ambiance left much to be desired. A leaky faucet sprayed water everywhere, making the floor treacherous. Finding the restroom was an adventure in itself, with a complete lack of signage. Once inside, the heat and lack of proper ventilation made it feel more like a sauna than a restroom. This is simply unacceptable for a restaurant supposedly aiming for a Michelin Bib Gourmand award.

Skip Sao Nam, Explore Better Options

Save yourself the frustration and disappointment. There are countless other Vietnamese restaurants in Kuala Lumpur offering far superior food and service. Getting to Sao Nam is easy enough - Grab a cab or take the MLR. However, your time and money would be better spent exploring elsewhere.

Do yourself a favor - steer clear of Sao Nam.

31/03/2024 - Counter-Response to restaurant’s response.

It appears that the restaurant’s response clearly highlights the insecurities and conduct in how this restaurant operates. What is even amazing is the defamation of my character, and hypocrisy of this restaurant owner and their threatening behaviour with possible litigation being used against me, which I find utterly hilarious.

To establish some facts. CCTV recording. Why was this comment made exactly? What purpose does this statement serve?

Also, I refute your claims of being rude towards staff. Comments were made in a diplomatic manner, to where you wish to deflect and exaggerate your comments. Again, an act of defamation on your part. Also, your comments of sound recordings is illegal. Allow me elaborate, is there any signage to inform your customers that you record audio in your premises? If not, then you are clearly breaching privacy laws. I’m a not a subject matter expert of this, especially in the context of Malaysian law. Additionally, Google reviews is a platform of ‘freedom of speech’, not to be dictate or hide the truth of my experience, as also for potential customers to decide themselves if they wish to dine at your restaurant.

Let me logical with you. I am a paying customer who is entitle to tell you what I really think of its food. Regardless, if it’s been consumed fully or not. If they’re unable to accept an accurate reflection of how bad their food is. Then they are in the wrong industry and this is not my problem. Criticism is common with your industry. This I’m sure is something you should clearly know about in your 22 years of operation.

I wasn’t aware that this restaurant is an embassy and has an ambassador acting for Malaysia and Vietnam and how I should not be welcomed into these countries. I am already visiting Malaysia, so don’t see the point of this nonsensical response.

You seem to use the word ‘bullies’. Again, where is the correlation of this. This restaurant is unable to accept harsh truths then this is not my issue.

My advice to people, avoid this restaurant...

(This is a postscript, following the Sao Nam owner's reaction. To the owner: Whilst I apologise my review had caused you alarm, it is albeit just a review. My belief is that the purpose of and nature of reviews themselves are penultimately subjective. The review of my dining experience at Sao Nam is my personal expression based on my palate and past dining experiences. I do not know everything--no one can. I am not a F&B professional nor an expert. And, I am definitely not paid by anyone else to write scathing and untruths. 😂 No doubt you will continue to have great patronage at Sao Nam for years to come, but at least read into why my experience that evening at Sao Nam was less than ideal, and how you and your team could avoid them in future. Best wishes.)

Because' Sao Nam appeared and came recommended in the Michelin Guide, my better half and I had high expectations for our first visit to Sao Nam and wanted to be impressed. Unfortunately, and in the words of a previous reviewer, we were quite underwhelmed by the overall experience. 😒

Sao Nam is for less travelled, insular foreigners, and xenophobic expats living in Malaysia. Yes, Sao Nam may be prominently nestled in a row of mostly dilapidated colonial style - standing out because of its stark deep yellow shell adorned with colourful interiors and wood furniture, but that was that. Sao Nam's food offerings, had failed to particularly stand out and wow.

Starter of Starters: A bold claim, but not quite. A selection of four different starter pairs on the menu, two of them were well executed [Bo La Lot (Grilled Marinated Beef in Betel Leave) and Cha Gio (Deep-fried Chicken Spring Rolls), but two disappointed bigtime. One piece of the Goi Cuon (Fresh Prawn Spring Rolls) didn't hold shape and was served with the broken side hidden at the bottom. Both pieces of Goi Cuon were absent of the quintessential herbs commonly found in it. 🙄 As a restaurant made renown, I would not be seen dead to offer these on my plate to my patrons.

When I quietly informed the Maitre d that I believed my stick of Chao Tom (Minced Shrimp on Sugarcane) was undercooked (floury and tasted slightly raw compared to the other stick my other half had, I was surprised the Maitre d' said that's the way their Chao Tom is at Sao Nam, who minced away without taking a second look at it or tested it with a fork. 🥴 Avoiding a scene, I left uneaten what I considered to be an undercooked Chai Tom. Again, not a reaction I would expect from a Maitre d' of a restaurant made renown.

Ban Xeo (Crispy Pancake) Pho Bo (Beef Noodles) Bo Kho (Beef Stew) Bit Sot Me (Duck* in Tamarind Sauce):

(* corrected)

Although the rest of the Vietnamese-quintessential street food-esque dishes were well executed, they were underwhelmingly average. Nothing particularly stood out relative to the RM230++ price point, except the overabundance of thai basil, mint coriander, and lettuce leaves that came with almost every dish). Notably missing are other Vietnamese herbs such as culantro (sawtooth coriander), perilla leaves, rice paddy herb and mugwort - to name a handful - commonly placed on Vietnamese dining tables, which are available from certain vendors in Malaysia.

Disappointingly, the much-anticipated Mangosteen Salad with Prawn that we had ordered was not served. Given the already lack of wow, we didn't remind the staff, who were evidently absent busy attending to other patrons within the main, air-conditioned dining area of the restaurant. We were seated outside in the small, ambient-lit garden - because we arrived without a reservation, amongst three other tables of patrons who were equally annoyed at the lack of attention.

According to my other half, Sao Nam does not use MSG - which I cannot confirm, but between us we downed 1 litre bottle of sparkling water, and 4 glasses of water during the entire evening. 🤔 (By the way, I love the reasonable use of MSG in food.)

Will we be back at Sao Nam again? Probably to entertain or be entertained if invited, but regrettably not...

22 Jun 2025, Sunday, 6pm

I ordered Passion Fruit Seabass RM56 and it wasn't as good as yesterday. The sauce is less and more dry. Fish is a little dry, definitely not as good as yesterday. 3 stars for food.

I think the food quality varies so it depends on diners luck. Wished the food continues to live up to it's reputation.

22 Jun 2025, Sunday, 12noon

I'm back for lunch, can't wait to dry other dishes. I ordered the Squid Salad RM52 with cucumber, carrot, onion, mint, holy basil and Chinese celery in Sao Nam fish sauce. The taste was great but unfortunately some squid pieces were too hard to chew on.

My main course is Fish in Dill RM46, boneless salmon marinated in sour rice & turmeric and then grilled. The sauce is indeed very sour. The salmon was too dry, I had to pour all the sauce on the salmon to give it some juice. Both salad and main course were not as good as the previous meal.

Dessert is Banana Freeze RM18.80, ripe banana, coconut milk with grated coconut and peanuts. Frozen and served with chocolate topping. I didn't like it, probably too full to enjoy it. Hot Arabica Coffee with sweeten milk RM18.80 tasted great like coffee toffee.

Overall, food for today is 3 stars.

21 Jun 2025, Saturday, 6pm

This is a restaurant hidden away in a small lane and I would never discover it if I didn't take an evening walk near Jalan Alor where all the tourists are crowded.

The place is dim and plays relaxing jazzy music, which I love. I could drink and sit here all night if the place isn't filled.

I ordered Arabica hot coffee with milk RM18.80, less sweet, and it was perfect! Strong and memorable without being bitter, like coffee toffee. It tasted great even after it cools like. It was like drinking a sweet coffee toffee dessert.

OMG! The Mangosteen and Prawn Salad RM60 is soooooo good! It's bursting with a tangy and sweet taste of the mangosteen, topped with the flavorful chicken slices and dried squid. I love it!!

The main course is Passion Fruit Seabass RM56 and again, it tastes exceptional and unforgettable. I didn't have good appetite for the paste two weeks due to my cough but this dish makes me feel hungry again. Large serving so definitely enough for the hungry ones. Too bad tomorrow is my last day in KL. I want to come for lunch and dinner! This is my best meal in 5 days! Total bill...