Saigon Chef — Restaurant in South Hadley

HIDDEN GEM.

The Springfield, MA, "X" does not offer Vietnamese cuisine that touches the quality of Saigon Chef. Out East, from Pho Pasteur to Pho Viet to the limited options in Boston's Chinatown, I've not found any Vietnamese dining option comparable to Saigon Chef.

I could go on, city by city, town by town, but there would be no point -- this is the finest Vietnamese food within reach, and can vie for the best restaurant in the Valley.

Order freely, anything that catches your eye, because the prices are fair, and you'll be hard pressed to be less than enthused by any selection. I found the fried spring rolls somewhat doughy, with a mushy filling; my only true complaint but still satisfies a craving. Enjoy a slightly richer beef broth with my pho, but now I'm simply being choosy; the soup was very well balanced, with super fresh ingredients, and delicate.

Fresh rolls, papaya salad, combo pork chop rice plate, banh hoi dac biet (absolutely star of the show & must-have), banh mi? SUPERB. And the beef skewer appetizer is far too good for this world. Opted to have the ca phe den iced (Vietnamese Iced Coffee), and it was a perfect and refreshing palate cleanser between divine bites. The clincher - the rice noodles and wraps somehow stayed moist and tender all through the next day.

Recommending this transformative dining establishment to anyone who will listen; five stars, all day long. Do yourself a favor, or live a life less complete.

Some photos of my take-out order. Can’t...

Great new Vietnamese spot in South Hadley!

Things to come for: Pho and Vermicelli dishes you'd come to expect, but the fresh spring rolls were easily 2 to 3 times better than the closest competition in the valley! (Pork AND Shrimp!) Boba is made at the front, we had banana. It was a little too sweet, but on the second day of opening I wasn't worried. We both had beef pho, it was easily on par with the best bowls in the pioneer valley. We're excited to come back and try more.

As this was only their second day, we wanted to try a bigger variety of offerings, but they had just a limited menu while they get started. All the food was fantastic, and I'm sure the service will even out as they...

We started with a Thai and Mango tea and it was beautifully presented. I requested the Thai tea not as sweet and it was delicious. They add the chewy boba but you can request it without. Pho Ga soup was a nice size portion with good size pieces of chicken and came with sprouts, basil and lime on the side. I liked the pepper added and that it’s wasn’t overly salted. They didn’t bring out both dishes at once so I had to wait a bit for the Pho soup. Goi Ga salad was chicken with shredded cabbage, carrots, mint and ground peanuts and the flavors worked great together. I hope to go back and try more when they have the full menu out as they...