Saigon Flavor — Restaurant in Ridgecrest

I can't say enough good things about Saigon Flavor!! I discovered it by accident a couple of weeks ago, and have now eaten there (or ordered take-out) four or five times!! We've had the Pancit, Lumpia, yellow curry, eggplant and basil, pineapple fried rice and all were AWESOME!! The portions were more than generous and the meats and seafoods we ordered were very plentiful in the each dish! Of note is the large shrimp they use, they are big, juicy and WELL CLEANED AND DEVEINED!! (Nothing turns me off a dish more, than to discover black sandy veins in the shrimp. Yuck!!) But I think this review would be remiss if I failed to talk about their Satay Chicken! I have ordered it many times at other restaurants and mostly get served some degree of chicken jerky because its SO overcooked. But NOT at Saigon Flavor! The chicken is succulent and juicy, and with a wonderful peanut sauce on the side with a delicious bowl of white rice. Honestly, it's amazing and there's never any Satay leftovers!! The menu is moderately priced, the Chicken Satay is $10.99 as or this writing, and listed as an appetizer, but it is more than enough for 1-2 people as an entree!! The Pancit, Curry, and Eggplant Basil are $13.49 respectedly and Pineapple Fried Rice is 13.99, and lastly, they offer teas and soft drinks, no alcohol. So, if you're in Ridgecrest, CA, go ahead and treat yourself and I challenge you to only go...

Overall: 4.25/5 Great local Thai place with it's quircks. Try it fam.

Quality: 5/5 It's more expensive than the average Thai restaurant, but for an establishment offering great Thai food in Ridgecrest, the price is more than acceptable. From their noodle dishes to their curries, all of their entrees are packed with great flavor. Their spice range could be more diverse, I find myself wanting even at their spiciest level, but it never detracts from the flavors in each dish. I've had my share of great Thai places and this is definitely a gem to be had in Ridgecrest.

Cleanliness: 5/5 I've yet to experience an occasion where I was concerned with the hygiene of the restaurant.

Environment: 4/5 Come knowing it's a small and busy place. With that in mind, it tends to be loud at times, but the ambiance/decor of the restaurant screams great local Thai joint; not a romantic dinner location. My advice would be to arrange the tables in a better fashion, but they do a pretty great job for what is available.

Service: 3/5 This is the only thing that I see that could use some improvement. I've had everything from drinks and orders being forgotten to the staff being either completely inattentive or far too hovering making it...

Its okay. They messed up my order. They offered no apology or compensation and punished me by remaking food with half the amount of the messed up order.

UPDATE: I have been there a few times in the last few years. They aren't great, but the latest stuff has meant that I will no longer eat here. I ordered Pad Thai, medium. They gave me almost only Thai noodles. I was able to identify a couple bean sprouts. There was NO spice whatsoever (kids don't like spice and they could eat the noodles). It was dry like the noodles were old. And this was after waiting more than 40 minutes for the food. The person taking my order (dude with mohawk like hair) told me that the cook messed up the order the first time and had to remake it. I am thinking - if this is the remake, and it is this bad - why should I ever eat here again? 15 dollars? Worth an update to how bad the food was. This isn't just a one time issue where they messed up. It is a regular and ongoing expectation. And this one was more egregious than most, but I have given the restaurant multiple visits to demonstrate...