As the school year approaches, so do hungry masses of students. I understand the desire to stretch your dollar when hangovers, messy roommates and busy schedules necessitate going out to eat. Calories per dollar aside, can you get an affordable meal that’s also tasty?
Enter Saigon Cafe, located next to Whole Foods at 1046 Lakeway Drive. It’s nestled within the student housing center of Bellingham, but it’s also an easy option for anyone. A glance at the menu confirms that the price is right — but how about the flavor?
I went right for an order of vegetable pho ($13.50). Fried tofu noodles ($14.00) closed out my sampling of vegetarian options.
The pho was delivered in a hulking bowl, piled high with noodles, vegetables, the traditional accoutrement of bean sprouts, limes, chilis and Thai basil riding sidecar. The broth is fragrant and deeply flavored, a sign of some talent going into the making of it. Without the natural flavoring muscle of pork, beef or chicken, achieving a complex broth requires some intent.
The fried tofu noodles came in a similarly generous portion, with large chunks of tofu studding the heaping plate of noodles and onions. Savory, sweet, and resplendent with the decadence of a mushroom based “oyster” sauce, you’ll find no complaints from me. The tofu is clearly marinated prior to cooking, proven by the color penetrating the surface like bark on barbecue.
Vegetarians: Skip to the last paragraph for my thoughts. Omnivores, you stick around.
The House Special Vermicelli ($16.00) came with luscious barbecue pork and marinated shrimp, atop a bed of vermicelli rice noodles. Here I must leave behind the noodles (which were nice) to wax poetic about the pork. It’s downright incredible. The depth of flavor left me positively stunned. It’s redolent of fish sauce, dark soy sauce and brown sugar, absolutely nailing the sweet and savory mark. Photos don’t do it justice.
The house special plate ($15.50) comes piled high with a pair of pork chops, a fried egg, rice, and a side of vegetables to keep things healthy. The pork chops were tender and succulent, and the runny fried yolk of the fried egg blended into the rice and a chunk of pork makes for a perfect bite.
Rounding out the absolute mountain of food I’d tried already was a classic BBQ pork bàhn mi. For $8.50, you can be out the door with one of these for a $10 bill. It’s spicy, tangy and sweet, the crispy exterior of the bread playing off the tender pork and the snap of pickled daikon and carrot. This may not be my absolute favorite bàhn mi in Bellingham, but that doesn’t make it any less delicious.
Even having skipped breakfast and lunch for this review, I left Saigon Cafe weighed down with takeout boxes full of leftovers. The damage for five dishes, two Vietnamese iced coffees and a tip came out to $100 and change. Looked at differently, five people could dine for $20 each and most likely still walk away with leftovers for a late-night snack. Saigon Cafe provides a screaming deal, and with everything we tried being delicious, it’s downright irresistible.
Saigon Cafe is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday at 1046 Lakeway Drive.
Mark Saleeb is a frequent enjoyer of food. Find him at instagram.com/eats.often.
