Saigon Food (Nordstan)
“Country: Vegeterian”
Saigon Food is the restaurant right at the entrance of the same-named super market. While the super market offers you a wide variety of ingredients from Asia, the restaurant has a bit of a smaller scale. Cheap prices and typical stables can be found. But does it hold up?
The restaurant is situated right after the escalator down to the supermarket. Going straight ahead brings you there, where a variety of different Asian dishes await you. The menu is divided by countries, Vietnam and Thailand, as well as Tapas and Vegetarian. The latter are interesting countries, but hey, works for me.
In the Vegetarian section you can find a mix of Pho, Rice Noodle salad with spring rolls, red curry, pad thai and Banh Mi. So both Vietnamese and Thai inspired food. The prices are very low, between 79 SEK to 109 SEK.
Previously I have eaten the Rice noodle salad with Spring Rolls, and this time I went for a Thai staple, the red curry. One of the easiest dishes, but also one of the tastiest.
After ordering and receiving my puck, the waiting time was short to receive my food on a tray. I was greeted with a large bowl of red curry, and the children’s portion of rice. I don’t know why they always cheap out on the rice in Sweden. Just give me something to fill me up, okay?
In any case, the red curry is filled with vegetables in a fashionable cut, some puffed tofu and looking quite alright. However, after a first taste, an interesting sensation hit me: it does not taste like a red curry at all. Instead, it tastes like a pepper paste mixed with coconut milk. Faintly.
Where are the chilis, the koriander, the lime leafs, the lime or even some soy to give it some sort of taste. But nope, it’s a tasteless, oily coconut soup that could almost be made out of Gochujang.
Together with the low quality vegetables and the tiny portion of rice, this makes a horrible experience. And I am wondering: Saigon sits at the source, I make my curry with the paste and coconut milk they sell in their own store. It’s simple. My previous experience with the rice noodle salad and spring rolls was slightly better, but still underwhelming as the best part were the frozen spring rolls that you can also just buy in bulk yourself. So, together with that, I cannot recommend eating at Saigon to anyone. You will just be filled with regret - and a taste of faint pepper and oily coconut milk.
Price:
Banh Mi: 79 SEK
Red Curry: 109 SEK
Rice Noodles with Spring Rolls: 109 SEK
The Verdict
The price is quite low, but so is the quality. You will likely be able to make better food by going to the supermarket and buying some ingredients yourself. And your friends and family will be impressed by how great your cooking is, which is pretty nice. As much as I like the supermarket, the restaurant is a bust and you can easily find better Asian food somewhere else. Avoid.
1/5 Leaves
Pro
Cheap prices
A few different dishes to choose from
Con
Low quality, bland food
Portion sizes unclear (almost no rice to the curry?)
Messy environment (busy with supermarket and loud)
Location
Lilla Klädpressaregatan 15 (Nordstan)
Opening Hours
Mo-Fr: 11.00 - 19.45
Sa-Su: 10.00-17.45
