Saigon Kitchen — Restaurant in San Jose

Saturday, 1/20/2024 - Ate at Saigon Kitchen. Address is 1111 Story Rd, Ste 1005, San Jose, CA 95109 (East San Jose). It's located in the Asian plaza. There a little mall here. Plenty of free parking.

Pros

1. nice staffs
2. has table covers. Clean.
3. they provide each of us two paper napkins.
4. foods are good. We got the medium fried catfish spring roll dish for $60. The escargot soup dish for $22. Kids pho for $14. Tea for 4 people for $10.00.
5. clean bathroom.
6. there's a fireplace in the middle of restaurant.
7. they were very quick to process our tab when we got to the cashier counter.

Cons

1. our waiter never check in on us. Several times we needed extra items and had to keep looking for a server. Any server. We needed the condiment for the pho, there was none on the table. We needed an extra plate to eat the cat fish, we had to look for a server for help.
2. they only provided a little cup with Sriracha sauce and oyster sauce. That was it.
3. after we ate, they never brought the tab to us. We had to look for someone to ask for it.
4. we had to ask someone for a to-go box to box our cat fish and sides home.

Conclusion Fried cat fish was good. I like the spring roll items and sauce that goes with it. Escargot soupy dish was good. But.... they don't check in on you. At all. You have to look for the server if you need anything. They don't have any pho condiments like how we're use to in Sacramento and Fresno. This place was just okay. Meh. But...

After my friends insistence, I decided to give this restaurant a second shot, hoping my first experience was just a fluke. Unfortunately, after the second try, my review has gotten worse. Let’s start with the Bánh Khọt. The presentation was nice, but that’s about where the praise ends. From the first bite, I was disappointed. Bánh was dry and lacked the usual fluffiness you'd expect, it overly greasy and just didn’t have that delicious, savory flavor that makes this dish special. Honestly, it was one of the worst Bánh Khọt I’ve had. Next up, the clams dishes. Nghêu Hấp Xả (Steamed Lemongrass Clams) & Nghêu Xào Lá Quế (Clams in Basil Sauce) while the clams were fresh, the dishes as a whole felt lackluster. There was no depth of flavor, and it felt like something was missing in terms of seasoning or spice. It wasn't bad, just pretty underwhelming. Lastly, Tôm Hùm Xào Bơ Tỏi (Stir-fried Lobster with Garlic Butter). I’ve had this dish at other places, and this one didn’t even come close to being as good. It was bland, lacking that punchy garlic-butter richness you hope for. I honestly don’t think it’s worth ordering here. Overall, this restaurant is just "alright." It's not a place I would line up for, especially with so many other better options out there. That said, everyone has different tastes, so it might be more up someone else’s alley. If you're curious, give it a try and judge for yourself—but for me, I’m not coming back...

Came here for some Banh Canh on a friend's recommendation, and tried the fried crab salad. Both were honestly amazing. The atmosphere was that of a nice quiet peaceful place even during lunch. Servers were extremely attentive refilling my water 3-4 times and even provided extra napkins without me asking once I used my one provided one.

This restaurant really is the holy grail of high end Vietnamese dinning. Their use of crab, and lobster across their menu shows a deep understanding of Vietnamese seafood cuisine. They don't just throw it in there to up the price. They throw it in there to add flavor and provide a unique experience. The banh canh I had here was like no other in San Jose. Extremely flavorful, savory while being lightly sweet with perfect hints of lobster seething through every spoon. The crab salad was really rich in flavor and had a unique texture. they battered and deep fried a shredded up soft shell crab and served it along side a combination of Papaya, mango, crunchy kelp noodles and other greens for a combination of sweet, savory, and crunchy goodness. Highly recommend...