Saigon Munchbox — Restaurant in Chichester

Just miss the train. Get the next one, hell, miss that one too… give some thought as to what’s going on during the rest of your day that could be better than eating this food. If you’re at home, open just-eat and order it. This food is wrapped tight, will suit being thrown around on the back of a bike and should arrive hot. Or go pick it up and be tempted by the spring rolls and the other Vietnamese dish you nearly went with.

Stayed 20 mins. Ate Phở (pronounced ‘fuh’) - Chicken broth noodles, Bánh mi - Saigon Special BBQ Pork baguette, Spring Roll, Coke and M&Ms. All under £15.

A friendly smile and welcome from people who not only look happy to be there but as if they’re genuinely pleased to see you and have you eat what they make - something not seen and felt in England as often as I’d like regardless of whether I’m eating on a train station platform or in town.

This place packs in more value and taste than one would initially expect.

Insulated from the comings-and-goings of late morning travellers. There’s a faint hum and clatter of a kitchen kept busy with orders, local radio playing at a level that could easily be drowned out by a book, daydream or thoughts of writing about how truly wonderful this is.

The food is incredible. It tastes of… well, actual food! You’ll get chilli heat and warmth from the Phở and they’ll be only too happy to help you ramp it up a bit with more chilli should you like the feeling of your lips tingling after you’re done and on your way.

Everything works great in isolation but the Phở followed by the Bánh mi was enough to keep me going for the rest of the day.

Other than the Vietnamese dishes this place is known for, you know what you’re getting, you’ll her orders of coffee and pastries to go from hurried commuters. They have done a great job to make a space that you want to sit in and enjoy as much as the food. Clean and tidy is a given, not a selling point or benefit. Food was served as quick as it could have been, fresh and delicious.

This place rightly deserves to be as busy as it wants to be. I went there on a recommendation and had another friend echo how great it is.

This is my recommendation. The best place I’ve eaten from for a while. And they do takeaway. You can find out that Vietnamese food is your thing and all for...

Edit: following the original review (below), where I originally gave the place three stars, I decided to give them another chance considering it had been good before. However, upon going again and politely asking for the baguette (which is on the menu on the wall), they took my money and gave me something different. The lady behind the counter started making a ciabatta. I then, very politely, asked whether that was mine and she said it was; I then mentioned that I thought it was a baguette. She then snapped “It is Sunday, this is all we have!”. I then politely pointed out that I asked and paid for a baguette, she then got even more defensive and said “Don’t be miserable” (which I wasn’t at all in any sense of the word) and I said I’d like my money back. I then said that if someone asks for the “baguette” on the menu, then they are rightly going to expect that. Due to this, I have reduced this review to 1 star due to the exceptionally rude and defensive staff despite giving the benefit of the doubt and trying the place again. Spend your money elsewhere or gamble it on whatever they decide to serve you in this place, with self-entitled people. Please also note: the service was great when the guy was there (who seems like the owner), it’s when he isn’t there the staff are truly rude.

Original review: Third time opting to use this place as opposed to the usual coffee shop on the other platform. First two times were good. Unfortunately, when I asked for an Americano the lady mixed milk and hot water then added a coffee shot. Tasted watered down and cheap. When I asked whether that was an Americano she exclaimed it was. Unfortunately, it seems you cannot reason with people....

I was so excited to try out this place as I love bubble tea and Vietnamese banh mi, but unfortunately it was a huge disappointment for me. I can even go as far as saying that I make better bubble tea and banh mi myself!

Perhaps it is perfectly acceptable for someone who hasn’t had bubble tea or banh mi before, so wouldn’t know what to compare them to.. but sadly it was way below average for me.

Milk tea with tapioca pearls - it tasted like it was made with 20% black tea, 60% whole milk and 20% tapioca pearls. The milk tea itself was overly milky and was not sweetened at all. The tapioca pearls were overly sweet and did not have the classic chewiness to them - they were either chilled (they should not be chilled otherwise they go hard and lose their chewiness) or the ice had been in direct contact with the pearls which hardened them.

Saigon BBQ pork banh mi - the marinated pork tasted nice, but it was rather dry and overcooked. I expected pickled daikon/mooli but it was just a few strips of barely pickled carrot along with cucumber, red onion and coriander stuffed in an aprox. 6inch tiger bread baguette. Also shockingly, they buttered the baguette… I mean, who butters a Vietnamese banh mi?!?!?!

The wait was quite long - about 15-20 minutes for 2 bubble teas and 2 banh mi’s. Doesn’t really fit in with their ‘grab & go’ slogan.

I can’t comment on their other food or drink items, but I can certainly tell you that if you’re a bubble tea fan and foodie like me, then this place will be a huge...