Monday, February 21, 2011

Little Saigon Cafe

The combination nail salon/restaurant deterred me from trying the Little Saigon Cafe. The neon Pho sign in the window of the nail salon didn't exactly inspire me to slurp noodles.



However, after a few Lawrence chefs recommended the restaurant, I decide to visit Little Saigon Cafe this week. I enjoyed my first experience so much that I returned later in the week. I can't recall the last time I visited a restaurant twice in one week.
I still have a lot to learn about Vietnamese cuisine, but this restaurant is a good place to learn. The staff was extremely helpful and friendly, and I'm eager to return so I can sample the entire menu.

So far I've sampled two soups:


Jjam Bong, which is a Spicy Seafood

and pho


Both soups were amazing. There was tremendous depth of flavor. At this point I would say the pho was my favorite. Its aroma cleared my head and was the perfect aromatheraphy for a stressful day. There were layers and layers of flavor in this soup: salty, citrusy, beefy, minty, and earthy flavors mingled to make a perfect bowl of soup. At the time I had a sore throat, and this soup cured it. Coincidence? Or is this a miracle soup?

Eating soup always changes my state of mind. For me everything slows down when I eat soup, and I find myself living more in the moment. This might sound like New Age mumbo jumbo, but for me it's true. I know I come across as a loon, but I'd have it no other way.

My visit to the Little Saigon Cafe reminded me that this is a big ol' world with a lot to experience. I walked out the doors of the restaurant with a lust for life, which is what good food should inspire.



dancing with thunder,
muddywaters

PS. . . What foods have the power to change your state of mind?

3 comments:

Jenni said...

The fumes from the nail salon must not have been too bad. I can't stand to step inside one of those places for a second (or walk past the one in Walmart) because the fumes kill me.

Both of those soups look divine. There is something very comforting about a bowl of soup. Potato leek soup is one of my favorites. This week I tried a recipe from Simmer Till Done that I printed off a while back, French onion cider soup. It has since disappeared from her blog, and I feel fortunate to have printed (and not lost) it. Those two and a few sweet potato soups definitely have the power to change my state of mind.

Anonymous said...

Thai and Vietnamese rule of thumb:

Neon signs advertising the food: good sign

Photos of the food taped to the window: no good

Plastic replicas of the food on the counter: stay away

Anonymous said...

We all understand the stories about USMilitary in Vietnam who killed entire villages including women and children, toddlers and infants.
Unashamed vet in the public sector, SUPPORTED BY YOUR TAX DOLLARS, earning six figures/year. This history should have affected the family business as well.