Saigon Restaurant Rivonia - Johannesburg — Restaurant in Gauteng

Worst Restaurant Experience of my life!

I had the unfortunate experience of dining at Saigon, Rivonia last weekend, and it was nothing short of a nightmare.

Despite informing the front of house that my mom and I were not big eaters and needed something light, we were misled into ordering a set menu. We asked if one set menu could be shared and the front of house agreed. Again, we specifically requested one to share, but were served two without our knowledge.

To add insult to injury, when the bill arrived, we were shocked to find that we had been overcharged by the waiter. We charged for two when we only asked for one.

The floor manager's behavior was appalling. Instead of addressing our concerns, he was incredibly rude and even resorted to shouting at my mother when she tried to explain the situation.

Even the waiter joined in on the hostility, shouting at myself and falsely claiming that he had clearly explained the set menu thoroughly, which he hadn't.

It was only thanks to Mr. Dereck, another manager, that the situation began to improve. He took responsibility for the restaurant's mistake and acknowledged that they failed to communicate the requirement of ordering a minimum of two set menus. This was never discussed with us prior by any staff members nor written anywhere on the menu.

Throughout the ordeal, which lasted a painful 1.5 hours, Mr. Dereck displayed warmth and understanding, earning commendation for his professionalism.

However, the floor manager's behavior was disgusting. His rudeness and lack of empathy make it clear that he has no place in the hospitality industry.

I would strongly advise the management to train the floor staff, especially this floor manager who lacks problem solving skills and customer care! Their lack of transparency, overcharging, and disrespectful treatment of customers suggests that visiting this establishment could be considered a scam. I am even wondering if perhaps they commonly use underhanded tactics such as this to achieve their daily sales targets. I will not be returning...

This is probably as close to Vietnam as you are going to get without leaving South Africa.

The food was not what we expected. Obviously Vietnamese style food, but everything was amazing quality and oh so delish. The sharing Pho Bo soup, the Ostrich Fruit Curry and yes oh yes the Peppered Prawns was some of the best prawns we ever had. Not joking about this. Next time we will probably just order 12 Peppered Prawn plates. The Deep Fried Banana was a tad of a letdown, as the batter was tasteless and the plate was soaked in rum. It was supposed to be flambéed, but the waiter kind of dropped the ball on lighting the alcohol.

The waiting staff are all dressed very formally in native Vietnamese wear, which really adds to the theatre of the restaurant. It felt as if we were in Vietnam, everyone was helpful, friendly and seemed very chilled, it was so authentically Vietnamese that we could barely understand our waiter, as his English skills were quite poor.

The place is perfectly decorated in our opinion. All the furniture is wooden and there is Asian style art hanging from the ceiling, a little streaming fountain filled with fish in the middle of the restaurant, and statues all over. It felt peaceful, yet moving, as if you are in a tropical spa of some sort. Which makes sense as there is a massage parlour downstairs that they also own. The part that was not so great was that the music completely stopped and then you only heard how the staff was cleaning cutlery in the kitchen.

All in all, it was a great experience with mouth-watering food, friendly service, and a wonderful environment that really didn't cost too much.

TTT’s rating out of 5: Food - 4 | Service - 3.5 | Atmosphere – 4 | Value - 4

Saigon gets a 'Fist Bump' from Two...

My boyfriend and I where feeling for Vietnamese food and we figured let’s do Saigon, as we both have eaten here before and has never failed.

Atmosphere and ambiance is spot on the dot! Hostess is very welcoming at the door. Parking right outside. Accommodate for smokers, there is seating outside for them. As well as an outside area inside for non smokers but people who want to enjoy the fresh air breeze.

Food was absolutely Devine. As a starter we ordered beef that was juicy and cooked to perfection in the most delicious sauce I regret not remembering what it was called and then as a main we ordered the mixed seafood spicy wok with a side of noodles mixed with veg, which was perfect for 2 to share, still took leftovers home.... The waiter was very friendly and helpful, (he knew his stuff) as well as he didn’t overload us with food as some do “(bigger bill, bigger tip)”... Not only did he deliver great service and tasty food but he “put the meal together himself as our entertainment” which I thought was very cool.. I had as well TWO kiwi cocktails cause they where so damn delicious.... my boyfriend had 2 glasses of wine. Out bill came to just less of R600.

Value for money,...