Generous Helpings of Comfort at Miss Saigon
Closed on weekends for pedestrians, bikers and outdoor restaurant goers, Amsterdam Avenue has a festivity that is salutatory during these dark pandemic days. The huts and lean-tos are strung with party lights. At Hungarian Pastry Shop, wooden tables and metal chairs turn the street into a Parisian cafe. As you know, the Chef and I frequent The Dive Bar, which now has heat lamps. We go every Friday evening with two friends so the amiable owner, Howie, refers to us as “The Committee.”
While at a committee meeting back in December we noticed the crowd (a little dangerously crowded) of people waiting outside of Banh Vietnamese Shop House. This new Vietnamese in “soft opening” (weekends only) mode had just gotten a rave write up in Gothamist, so excited New Yorkers were waiting like piranhas to chow down on the likes of Phau La, a hearty stew full of all types of offal, and Banh Chung Chien, crispy sticky rice cakes, filled with pork and ground mung bean and steamed in banana leaves. I’ve felt so cheered by the opening of new restaurants in the midst of our pandemic, as I said in my writeup of Zaad, just across the street from Banh. Starved for a new dining experience, and one so close to home, we secured a seat there during a soft opening Saturday. Sadly, none of the items recommended in the Gothamist shout out were available, and the collective opinion of the Chef and me was “Meh!” Caught by surprise by the review, the little shop house couldn’t cope with so many orders, and we waited over an hour to eat Phos that came with meat that was tough, grizzled and bony. One appetizer, though, was a standout. Crispy pork belly served with squishy, satiny rice noodles, crispy fried shallots and with a wonderfully flavorful dipping sauce. I’d certainly go back and give it another try now that the hubbub has died down. And their generosity over Christmas, giving out free meals to those in need, is commendable!
As it happens another Vietnamese restaurant opened about the same and a few blocks south. The name Miss Saigon certainly doesn’t conjure authenticity, and indeed the place looks cheesy as hell, with its black lacquered facade. gaudy red letters and car dealership pennants. The tiny dining space inside looks, as a friend said, like a prison. But here’s the thing: the food is excellent and what it might lack in inventiveness (no tripe specials here) it makes up for in generous portions and tastes that both comfort and offer a fillip of surprise. Lunch specials, served Monday - Sunday 11:30AM - 3:30PM, are all $9.95 and include bottled water or soda and white or brown rice, except for noodle dishes. I had the L8 “Còm Gà Nu’ó’ng or “Lemongrass chicken/beef, shrimp or squid.” My shrimp were ample and so plump and all the vegetables were so fresh, especially the mushrooms, also plentiful. The sauce was light and fragrant with lemongrass but still had that slightly inauthentic but comfortingly familar Asian Fusion feel. As you see in the picture, there was enough for two to share, so this makes for a $4.50/ea snack attack!
My daughter Julie, now a Barnard senior, whose apartment is near Miss Saigon, was the one who told me about the to-die-for soup: Soup Cari Tôm, a curry noodle soup with chicken or shrimp. With Julie home while one of her roomies was quarantining in the apartment and the Chef up at the earth science lab we indulged in a Miss Saigon takeout lunch. When Julie brought it in the apartment, I was surprised at how large and heavy the bag was (see photo!). Again, Miss Saigon doled out such a generous serving, what seemed like a quart of soup and, packed separately, a tangle of rice noodles, the chicken and cilantro. Cari Tôm has a tomato rather than coconut base, and it was surprisingly spicy with a tangy sweet and sour vibe. Again, at $9.95 for two, with a small serving left over for the Chef, that’s a real genuine Snack Attack! Of course, I have to add that Amsterdam Avenue has another Asian fusion venue that gives us high quality fare for nothing: Julie has developed a flare for cooking Asian dishes over the past six months. Here are some of her forays into Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese cooking. I think she takes after the Chef!
Miss Saigon
928 Amsterdam Ave (btw W.105th and 106th)
212-810-7995