If you live in Edinburgh you’re bound to have seen the guy on Princes Street holding up his sign, or the A board on South St. Andrew Sq. advertising the “£8.99 lunch buffet” at Saigon Saigon. You’d be excused for thinking that it was just another cheap and greasy Chinese restaurant, but you’d be wrong. I urge you to go in, skip past the actual buffet, choose a table, ask for a menu, and behold the wonders within. This is Chinese food as you rarely see it complete with frogs legs, duck tongues, chicken feet, and tripe. Not feeling adventurous? There are plenty of ‘classics’ on offer too such as sweet and sour, kung po, black bean, and curry dishes.
While the main courses are scrumptious, the heart of Saigon Saigon is their dim sum. The large round tables which dominate the restaurant are the perfect venue to share basket upon basket of these delectable treats. Brought out as they are ready, and with surprising speed even when busy, they’re worth putting up with the crazy ordering system for (you get given a sheet of paper to list the menu item number and quantity on). The steamed pork buns are light, fluffy, and filled with sweet meat while the Vietnamese spring rolls are deep fried till delicately crisp, crunchy, and morish (we ordered 2 portions). Packed with locals at weekends, get here early – dim sum stops promptly at 8:30pm.
Saigon Saigon
14 South St Andrew Square
Edinburgh
EH2 2AZ
0131 557 3737
