Pho 9N9

Finally had a chance to go to Pho 9N9 after I started this blog! I've heard from Vietnamese acquaintances that this is one of the best places to get pho and such, so I'm pretty excited to give it a review.

It was quite a warm day, however, so I actually decided against ordering the pho and went with the grilled pork over vermicelli instead - shown below.

Grilled pork vermicelli, served with fish sauce

Grilled pork on top, vermicelli, and hidden below the vermicelli noodles is a layer of bean sprouts, sliced cucumbers, pickled radishes, etc. Add the fish sauce, and you can imagine that there is plenty of flavor in this simple bowl. However, I will say that Saigon Grill beats Pho 9N9 in the grilled pork department...

Seeing as it's getting colder outside, I will most likely be reviewing 9N9's pho sometime soon.

Pho 9N9
Price Range: $8-10

Saigon Grill, Part II

Another visit to Saigon Grill, and this time, a Vietnamese friend recommended the egg noodles. I ordered the "special", which is egg noodle soup with a pork broth base, char-siu style sliced pork, shrimp, squid, and imitation crab. They also provided an additional plate of sprouts, jalapenos, cilantro, and lime for you to add if you want, just like pho.

I liked their egg noodles better than their pho - the noodles had the right texture, and the soup had more flavor than their pho soup (I think it was from the celery). I'm not a big fan of squid, but the char-siu style sliced pork was very tasty.

If you're in the mood for noodle soup, then you should definitely try something from the egg noodle section of the menu over the pho.

Saigon Grill

I've heard from a friend that Saigon Grill in north Durham is a pretty authentic Vietnamese restaurant, so we gave it a try today for lunch.

The menu featured pretty tempting things like frog legs and rabbit, both of which I wanted to try, but since I wanted to compare its food to other Vietnamese restaurants in the area, I decided to go with the "bun" - vermicelli noodles with grilled pork, shrimp, and egg rolls, which is what I usually order.

The grilled pork was the best part of the entire bowl - the flavor was done just right (not too salty, not too bland), it was very juicy and not dry at all. The grilled shrimp was also pretty good. The egg rolls weren't the best - I thought the dough was a bit overfried, and there wasn't enough filling, and the vermicelli noodles lacked chewiness. However, their "special fish sauce" was one of the best I've had: it didn't have the strong "fishy" smell that most other restaurants' fish sauce has, and they added some hot sauce, which is always given a plus in my book.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal - it was good, and it was cheap. Compared to Pho 9N9, another popular Vietnamese restaurant, I would say that Saigon Grill has better grilled pork and fish sauce, whereas Pho 9N9's noodles are better. So it depends on what you like to eat, I suppose. If you like pho, Pho 9N9 would probably be a better choice, whereas if you're more interested in the rice plates or vermicelli, like me, I'd choose Saigon Grill. The fish sauce and grilled pork have won me over.

Restaurant: Saigon Grill

Price Range: Around $10

- Don't miss this if you like Vietnamese. Make sure to try their grilled pork or shrimp, though, and preferably with rice than noodles.