Little Saigon is a teeny tiny restaurant in Hauz Khas Market with bright teal walls, four small tables, the friendliest of staff and a two-page menu consisting of seafood, meaty rice rolls, pho and home-made ice cream.
They've really made the most of the tiny space. They’ve got conical wall lamps, multi-coloured chairs and tables which used to be home to sewing machines by the looks of it. The menu itself is small but in no way inadequate. We started with the Goi Cuon Tom Thit which are essentially cold rice rolls containing meat and shrimp (there’s a tofu version too). These taste refreshing and serve as a great substitute for salad.
For mains, we tried the Mon Ngon Saigon which was essentially a thali comprising lettuce and basil leaves, rice noodles and pork cutlets. (Here's a tip: if you like spice, put a generous drizzle of the accompanying fish oil with chilli on top of the rice).
We equally enjoyed the Grilled Prawn With Lemongrass. And we saw the two other tables around us greedily slurping on the Pho (soup with noodles and your choice of vegetable/meat) which we foresee being our winter go-to snack.
The star of the meal however was the Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream which was infused with fresh strawberries, cream cheese and even the biscuit-y base of a cheesecake. This is served with little cubes of jelly. We’re trying the coconut one next.
In a market which is dominated by grocery stores, tailors and the occasional stationery store, we were thrilled to find a place which serves authentic Vietnamese food and sincerely hope they’ll be around for a long long time!
PS: If you live in Hauz Khas, you can call and get the food home-delivered.
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