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Saigon Sisters opened their standalone restaurant today (Fri, Oct 1). It's located right around the corner at 567 W. Lake Street from their stall in the French Market--which is still open. It's a nice clean, modern looking storefront. It's pretty small (about half the size--or less--of the Belly Shack). Maybe 6-7 tables and a counter with seating. You order at the register and then wait for them to call the number on your receipt. There's not really a good place to stand and wait for your food that's out the way. If/when it gets really busy that's going to be an issue. It would be nice if they brought your food to your table if you were eating in (ala Belly Shack or Milk & Honey).

Everything you can get at the French Market stall --the excellent, though pricey, Anthony Bourdain endorsed Banh Mi sandwiches, the salads and spring rolls--are available plus some things that are only at the new restaurant like Banh Bao (steamed bun sandwiches), Cafe Du Monde coffee and some pastries. One thing that is NOT available is free validated parking. Which you can get with a $20 purchase at the French Market (you can even combine purchases from different vendors to come up with the $20). Street parking by the restaurant is a budget killing $2.50 an hour. Gulp!!

So how was it?? The food was the same. I like their sandwiches a lot. I prefer the cheaper sandwiches on Lawrence when I'm having a traditional Banh Mi, but the Porky, Meatball and Sun Drenched Cow at Saigon Sisters are all pretty special and worth the extra money (at least from time to time as a treat). The Banh Bao (they had some sampler sized versions to try) were good--though the memory of the ones I had at Sun Wah a week ago with my Peking Duck made them seem less special. The service was polite and friendly, but even though they weren't that busy when I went for lunch (around 2:30PM) I still had this rushed feeling I couldn't shake. And the lack of ANY kind of side dish that comes with your sandwich (which is $7-8) stuck out. I seem to recall that I get SOMETHING with my sandwich at Belly Shack even if it's just a small container of kimchi or cole slaw.

After I ate my sandwich, my lunch partner and I strolled over to the French Market (we still had time on the meter) and got some Belgian fries (and a beer for moi). If I want Saigon Sisters in the future I think I'll take the lackluster atmosphere, free parking and the availability of Belgian fries as a side at the French Market stall over the new standalone location. But for people in the neighborhood for whom fries or parking is not a concern, the standalone place is a nice place to eat with a somewhat more extensive menu.

Saigon Sisters
567 W Lake
Chicago, IL
312-496-0090
http://www.saigonsisters.com/

--Dirk--

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Dirk van den Heuvel

The standalone will be serving additional items for dinner as well. There is a preview of that this Friday for invited guests (complimentary - their email list) to sample (and review) the dinner dishes.

I'll try to post something next week on them.

...........

How do you know the people at Saigon Sisters? I mean, why did they choose to send you an invite initially? Did you request it from their website or do you know someone there? THht will determine the likely answer.

If you made an out of the blue request, they probably were inundated with requests for free food on their "soft" opening which they smartly realized they could not handle.

If you know them somehow, well, they most likely had a triage list of -actual- close friends/family who they gave the available spots for, (remember now) their SOFT and unofficial opening which they foolishly advertised and were overwhelmed with requests for free food.

In either case, no harm done*, kudos to them for actually taking the time to think about who might show up and making a thoughtful plan of attack. Unless of course you would have rather shown up and been told that there was no room or food for you, it sure would have made for better copy!

*although I'm sure there are those who will work diligently to find harm and take offense and let everyone know about it loudly.

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I used to think the brain was the most important part of the body. Then I realized who was telling me that.

I was on their email list and received an invitation by email, to which I responded. I did not solicit them "out of the blue" for an invite.

I am not at all offended that there is no room for me at the soft opening. I understand that the restaurant is small and of course they should invite their actual close friends and family first. If they had sent me the quoted email instead of a confirmation email, I would have understood 100%.

But to confirm a guest and then un-confirm them 48 hours before the event is what created a bit of a hassle for me. I had to apologize to my friend that no, we couldn't actually go to Saigon Sisters after all, and find another venue for dinner. That is all. I was just wondering if this happened to any other LTHers. I'm not trying to start a ruckus or anything.

I'm headed to their preview dinner tonight... was able to snag an 8pm reservation. As a regular lunchtime customer at their French Market location, I'm curious to taste their dinner menu at their new location. Will report back.

I got the invite and then was disappointed when they said I did not get in. I don't blame them and was happy to be considered. I'm looking forward to their dinner menu as I was thinking of taking a friend there for dinner next week.

How was the dinner, whoever was the lucky one with the complimentary invite!

So I did attend the preview dinner at Saigon Sisters last night... had an 8pm reservation and they sat us right away. The space is fairly small, with maybe 30-40 seats. There is a wood banquette that runs along the two walls with windows, lined with 2-tops. There were a few more tables in the middle of the room as well. And a counter behind the hostess with seating for 6-7 more. Kind of an industrial feel, but warmed up by the liberal use of walnut wood on the banquette, tables and wall above counter seating area.

My wife and I were each presented with a different three-course menu. Each listed to appetizers, three entrees and then the same two desserts. My menu had a papaya salad and pho as the appetizers, longneck clams, beef wrapped in some sort of leaves & shrimp over noodles and a short rib dish. My wife's menu includes a shrimp spring roll and bahn bao for apps, and I can't remember the entrees other than the lobster fritters on sugar cane sticks she ordered. I think maybe one was a lamb dish?

The spring rolls and pho were both dishes I was familiar with from their French Market stall. Neither is particularly memorable. I kind of wish I'd gotten the papaya salad instead, but I'm not a big "salad" person, my wife isn't a big papaya fan and she wanted to taste their pho.

For the entrees, I had the leaf wrapped beef & shrimp over noodles. The meat and shrimp were well cooked and flavorful, but the noodles were a bit bland. They could really use some sort of broth to give some moisture and flavor. My wife got the lobster fritters, which were fluffy fried balls of lobster and rice, I believe. Each came on a sugar cane stick. There was a dipping sauce of lime, ginger and cilantro with them and a salad of pickled veggies on the plate.
For desert, my wife ordered the che I had the trio of ice creams (from Ruth & Phil's) -- black sesame, vietnamese coffee and white chocolate/coconut. In hearing descriptions when other tables got their desert, they were sampling lots of different ice cream flavors. The black sesame was refreshing and not too bold flavorwise. I don't normally care for cold coffee flavor, but I actually did like the vietnamese coffee ice cream. The coconut/white chocolate was maybe a tad sweet for my taste and I'm not a particular fan of either flavor to begin with, but my wife loved it.

At the end of the evening, they presented a bill to show what the meal would have cost -- it seemed a high at $59 before tip. The pho was the same $8 they charge at the Market, but 1/2 the size. The spring rolls were 6. The lobster fritters (there were 3) were $15. The beef/shrimp noodles were $12. Deserts were $6 each, I think.

Overall, my take on the Saigon Sisters restaurant is the same as I think about the French Market stall. It's OK if you have a taste for Asian/Vietnamese and you happen to be in the immediate area, but it's nothing special and it's overpriced. I'd much rather go to Tank or someplace else on Argyle for good, affordable Vietnamese food, and if I wanted something a little nicer than the typical Argyle location, the food is better, the space nicer and the prices cheaper at Hai Yen on Clark in Lincoln Park.

I went to the invite only dinner Friday as well. I think the poster above got the decor and atmosphere right, but I disagree somewhat about the food. We (me and my friend from work who normally goes to Saigon Sisters for lunch with me) had a 9PM reservation. We were seated right away (there were only two open tables at the time, but the place thinned out a bit while we were there). We got the same two menus as above--though we found out later there was at least one more. My companion is a vegetarian and neither of our menus had a vegetarian entree. That was one of our complaints--not enough vegetarian options. So to give him something to eat we ordered two vegetarian apps--the tofu spring rolls and the papaya salad. I thought both were good, but pretty standard. The Papaya salad didn't have as much going on as the one I get at Spoon Thai, but I liked that it wasn't spicy. Those who like the spiciness of the Spoon Thai one would probably complain (perhaps rightly) that it was bland. The serving size was also a little light. The chef came by later and explained that the papaya salad was being used as palate cleanser or amuse bouche, so they didn't want it to be real spicy.

For entrees we had the lobster fritters and the short ribs. The lobster fritters were good, but I think there was lot more shrimp in that mousse than lobster and with three small lollipop sized pieces and just a little bit of slaw I would have been very hungry if that was my only thing to eat. At $15 I thought it was about $3-5 too pricey. The short ribs were great. They came with some sauteed vegetables in a sauce and three toasted pieces of bread (one unfortunately was burnt). The dish was tasty as can be but the three forkfuls of vegetables didn't really round out the plate the way an entree should IMHO. At $20 it seemed just a touch pricey. But mainly because there was no real side. Give me a nice bowl of coconut rice and the $20 would seem fair. For desert we both got the che --a custard with some crushed salty peanuts and a coconut cream sauce (?). We both ran out of sauce halfway through. That was another complaint we shared with the chef when he came by. Needs more sauce! The price for that would have been $6. I'd say that should really be $3-4 IMHO.

The chef came by and we filled him in on our thoughts (or most of them--I didn't mention the burnt toast) and when he found out my companion was a vegetarian he mentioned there was ANOTHER menu full of veggie options. Who knew?? He then very kindly offered to send out another vegetarian option. Next to the short ribs it was the best dish of the night. It was a bowl of black pepper tofu on coconut rice. It was a delicious. I would have gladly had that as a main course. I have no idea what the price would be as they had already given us our "sample" check. It was just rice and tofu(no expensive proteins here!) so really a $6-8 price would be fair. I could live with $10. Any more than that and I think it would be overpriced.

So the bottom line?? I had a great meal. The service was excellent, the food (mostly) was excellent and the space is nice (not great, but very nice). But our bill, not including drinks (as we just drank water) and not including that extra entree at the end, was $68 (if we had to pay--which we of course did not as the meal was complimentary). With tip that puts it at about $85. Add a drink or two and that dinner would have been $100 (or more). No way would I be back at those prices. There are just too many places I like just as well that are cheaper (much cheaper in some instances) and other places I like MORE for the same price. My hope is the 2 page surveys filled with questions about pricing and value might make them rethink some of the prices in time for the official launch tomorrow (Monday). Otherwise I won't be back for dinner anytime soon (though I still will continue to go for lunch). FYI: I think if that same meal had been around $50 plus tax & tip it would find itself in a semi-regular rotation.

We'll see what everybody thinks once the final menu and prices are set.

--Dirk--

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Dirk van den Heuvel

Actually sounds like we had a pretty similar take on the evening... food was fine, and a couple things were above average, and prices were a bit too high. While you said the meal was excellent, the critiques you made were about comparable to mine. Nothing egregiously wrong, but room for improvement -- which is why places do these test runs. I didn't have a chance to talk to the chef about the food, and the survey did seem to skew toward the service. I made my comments about my entree in the open ended comments section.

I'm regretting not ordering the short rib. That's what I was planning to get, and for some reason my wife talked me out of it. It's something I tend to order in lots of places, so I should have gone with my gut on that one.

The short rib WAS good. I did look around for some salt at first--which of course I didn't find. I don't mind Asian restaurants with no salt shakers that have soy sauce, but Saigon Sisters has neither. The toasted bread was a bit salty so the bites I had on the bread were perfect. Am I hopelessly old skool to expect salt & peppers shakers? I know the routine, the chef seasons it just so, so you don't need to. IN THEORY. And I know I could have just asked, but I prefer not to have to.

--Dirk--

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Dirk van den Heuvel

I'll toss my 2 cents in as well....agreeing with the majority above on pricing (the tofu dish is $12 - got their menu today). We had the Beef and Lobster as well - it's a good thing I'm trying to eat less, it was about perfect for a 'not too full' meal. You definitely will not be taking the raccoon bag home.

I actually thought the food was really good, the table next to us had a baby octopus dish that they were raving about as well. Our server told us the wrapped beef, lamb and ribs were the favorites from their premeal taste-a-thon. The blueberry lemongrass ice cream was outstanding.

They have 12 tables (mostly 2s) and they will be splitting them for reservations/walk ins. They have 12 reservations set for tonight. I hope they are successful, the lunch today seemed a bit tastier than the French Market - fillings were hot and juicier. They are exploring dinner take out - but worry there will be something lost without the 'presentation' - which may be why they feel they can charge the extra couple bucks.

I'll be back to try it again - if nothing else to try the octopus and lamb.

We had dinner with friends last night who also had this happen to them... wonder how many total were uninvited?

Had a great lunch today at Saigon Sisters. Excellent papaya salad and pho. Not really a complaint, but it is worth mentioning that the portions are not comparable to what you will find on Argyle. I prefer my Pho served Jethro Bodine style and what I got was a little more Ellie Mae Clampett.

Enjoyed lunch here today. Was somewhat surprised by the counter ordering, lunch-efficient design of the place. Does it dress up for dinner? I was also a little bummed that the lunch menu offered only the stripped down standards- bahn mi, pho, bao. I was hoping for the bun nem la lot or the op la. We placed our order and sat down. A server brought us our order and this was the major complaint, he was quite confused and paced things akwardly. I settled for pho and a bao and I gotta say it was not too shabby. As noted above, soup portions are akin to a small sized bowl on Argyle, making this soup twice the price at $8, but for that neck of the woods, it seemed appropriate. Bao was $2.50, iirc. The bao was pretty good- the bun itself pretty workaday, definitely prepackaged, hoisin was your typical Lee Kum Kee product. The pork belly was nice, tender and sticky, perhaps needing a little more salt. All in all, satisfying enough. As was the pho. The broth was really quite great, star anise shining through, not too salty, not sweet. Much better than a recent bowl at Pho Xua, though not quite to Tank levels. The noodles were a little overcooked. The beef was of high quality and quite nice. A few scant meatballs were innocuous. If I worked in the area this place would be a godsend. I met a friend coming from the central loop area and it was about exactly halfway between us, so I can see this being a future spot to meet my downtown dayjob friends for lunch.

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blog E-Dogz

I had lunch there recently when unexpectedly nearby for a work errand and it was really enjoyable. Nice setting, pleasant welcome and a good meal. Sounds like we had the same pho and bao ... I really enjoyed the bao a lot and the pho hit the spot. They also had a wonderful ginger soda with good kick.

Anyone know what evenings are like? it seemed they have an interesting dinner menu?

Pretty upsetting; I just purchased a deal through Gilt City.

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DearestChicago on Twitter

I met him a few weeks ago. I was absolutely sure he was destined for bigger and better things, especially with that award in his resume.

I am very glad for Matt.

Regards,

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Cathy2

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Had lunch here on Thursday and was pretty impressed with my wagyu bao and my traditional bahn mi. For the bahn mi, does anyone know where they get their bread (Gonella?) or if they make their own? Also, the mayo on the sandwich didn't taste like Hellman's to me so I'm curious if they're making that themselves too? If so, kudos all around.

For the poster who thought the bao buns were pre-packaged...I'm curious why?

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recently repatriated anglophile. #jetslag

Dined at Saigon Sisters last Monday (06/06/11). As I mentioned earlier, I purchased a 4 course meal with pairings prepared by Matt Eversman through Gilt City. Now that Matt Eversman has left, I was a bit skeptical as to how our meal would pan out. My fears were unfounded; we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Our menu


First Course:

Citrus Cured Arctic Char Green papaya remoulade, cucumber, apple-sake sorbet, yuzu-soy vinaigrette

Green Papaya Salad shrimp, pork belly, house made jerky, peanuts, fried shallots and herbs


Second Course:

Mussels Sake steamed mussels, garlic, cilantro, lemongrass butter, Thai basil, chili

Hoisin Glazed Quail Red Rice Fritter, Mushroom Ragout, Preserved Lemon Puree


Third Course:

Scallops

Flank Steak Grilled flank steak, plantain tostones, Thai basil aioli, spicy mango, Vietnamese herb salad


Fourth Course:

Sorbet trio Blueberry Lemongrass, Apple Sake, Dark Chocolate Thai Chili

Che Butternut squash and coconut milk custard, sticky rice with vanilla beans, taro chip, Thai basil


I wish I got a picture of our pairings; they really made some of these dishes. I don't think I would have enjoyed our desserts nearly as much if it weren't for the sake and _mystery drink_ served. First course was extremely refreshing coming out of the 90 degree heat. The mussels weren't my favorite though I think that's because I'm comparing them against my most recent (now defunct) favorite Kith & Kin. I could have also gone without the Scallops.

My clear favorite was the Quail. I wish I ordered a dish to go.

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DearestChicago on Twitter

I passed on the Gilt City Saigon Sister deal but instead bought the Gilt City Sunda deal (about 5 courses for $90 for 2). Went to Sunda earlier this week...I think you got the better deal and meal!

Saigon Sisters had a stand most Tuesdays at the MCA farmers market this summer. I tried the lemongrass tofu bahn mi today. As much as I want to support their participation at the market and broadening the palates of market attendees, I don't need to do that again. It was an expensive sandwich ($8) and didn't have much flavor. I'll need to get to Nhu Lan again soon to have a much better sandwich at half the price.

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-Mary

Had the "Haute dog" last week and thought it was pretty good. The jalapeno heat, mint and daikon added a lot of what is, at base, a rather standard wiener. Please excuse lame iPhone photo.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Two things:
1)
0I have never been up to Nhu Lan. I would like to, but work in the Loop and live in suburbs. Someday - I have heard a lot about it.

2)
I have never been disappointed by a Saigon Sister's Sandwich. I always think they are great - and I have eaten almost everything on their menu. Cannot wait to try their new hot dog.....

Maybe someday I will go to Nhu Lan and learn what a real Bahn Mi is....but until then, Saigon Sister's, five minutes from my office - is awesome.

don't dismiss ba le bakery for their bahn mi, if you happen to be on or near lake shore drive..... justjoan

Neighborhood: Uptown
5016 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL 60640
773-561-4424
http://www.balesandwich.com

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"the only things money can't buy are true love and homegrown tomatoes" (guy clark)

Had their new 'Haute Dog' and it is delicious. Vietnamese flavors, heat that lingers pleasantly afterwords, and the weird knowledge that you also just ate a hot dog.

We went for dinner last night and enjoyed it very much. Friends of ours live nearby, and they recommended it highly. The servings were not large, but they weren't teeny either. Our order of two appetizers and two mains for two people seemed perfect. I'm not sure that we've gotten significantly larger portions at places like TAC, Silom or Simply It, though I think all of those were at least a little cheaper and also are BYO.

We had the octopus, special spring rolls (duck confit and vanilla poached pears), tofu red curry, and spiced lamb (you wrap it into lettuce leaves with condiments). A neighboring table got the Black Pepper tofu which smelled amazing. It's pretty inside, and only slightly disconcerting to be right below the L with a view of the neon Dunkin' Donuts sign.

Service was good, they use nice glassware for their wine, and while it might be expensive for what it is, it's in the loop - real estate has to be expensive. We took public transit (#56 Milwaukee bus) so had no parking woes. Our last parking adventure in the loop ended up with us having to recover our car from the tow lot, which was not fun and I'm not eager to try that again.

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Leek
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Had dinner here a couple weeks ago. I had eaten lunch at their French Market post, but this was my first trip to the restaurant.

Like Leek suggested above, we each had an appetizer and main. It was definitely enough food for us, but I could see some people wanting a bit more.

We enjoyed their spring roll - the day's version we tried had lobster. My wife had the duck (IIRC) ramen . I doubt it is still on the menu; they said it was more of a winter dish. She really enjoyed it. For comparison, she didn't like the ramen at Takashi, but is a fan of it at Urban Belly and thought the Sister's version was better. I had the short rib entree with pickled purple cauliflower and puree. I enjoyed that too.

The presentation of the food is much fancier than their French Market offerings. The plating is beautiful...which leads to my quandary. The atmosphere is not as upscale as the presentation of the food food and the prices of the wine. Both the banquette and the chairs were uncomfortable. There is no breezeway by the front door and we were seated about 8-10 feet from it. For example, a bottle of Gruet Rose is $70. That seems a little ambitious in a restaurant where your sitting on an unpadded banquette or a wooden chair looking at the bottom side of el tracks.

I don't mean to complain too much; I will try the restaurant again since the food was so good. However, I will do it differently. Perhaps I'd sit at the bar and have a couple of dishes. Afterwards I'd head to Sepia and have a couple glasses of wine or cocktails.

-Matt

That is amazingly expensive for a bottle that you can get at various retail locations in Chicago for less than $18. I understand restaurants pay more for bottles of wine than individual consumers do, and of course need to mark them up to make a profit, but that seems like quite a mark up relative to other restaurants with similarly priced food.

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Anthony Bourdain on Barack Obama: "He's from Chicago, so he knows what good food is."

Don't they pay less than retail? They certainly pay less than retail for spirits.

=R=

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