Hello SAIGON & Happy New Year

This particular blog entry is about two things that I have a bit of experience with - food and celebrating.

First, let’s talk food. Mother Hen and I had the pleasure of dining at SAIGON a new Vietnamese restaurant that has sprung up in Millville at Union Lake Crossing Shopping Center (close to the Target and right next to the Philly Pretzel Factory) at 2180 North 2nd Street, Millville, NJ 08332. Unlike the American invented “Chinese” take out food that we are so accustom to the food at SAIGON is the real deal – true Vietnamese cooking. I did not have all that much experience with Vietnamese cooking but our meals were simply awesome. To give you some idea about just why you should try them out I am reprinting the back of their menu…

Vietnamese fragrant and exotic: a deliciously simple cuisine. Rich in history, Vietnamese cuisine is one of the jewels of South East Asia. The style of cooking, which has evolved over many centuries, is a wonderful blend of Chinese and South East Asian spices, flavors, and techniques, fused with ingredients and traditions of classic French food. Vietnamese food is lighter and more refreshing than Thai food, using crisp, uncooked vegetables, subtle seasonings, raw herbs, and unique flavor combinations. Often described as textural with fresh, sharp flavors, it is also more tropical and fragrant than Chinese food.

Saigon Restaurant will take you on a culinary tour of discovery, exploring the history, culture, and traditions of the Vietnamese people, the evolution of their cuisines, and the dishes that have become synonymous with the country itself.

The Saigon Restaurant menu has more than 80 dishes, from National Beef Noodle Soup, Saigon Spring Rolls, Shrimp on Sugar Cane, Chicken Wrap Salad and many more which will give you the opportunity to taste Vietnamese Cuisine from our own specialty kitchen.

There you have it. We started with Spring Rolls and Dumplings, which were the best I’ve ever tasted, and then it was onto the main course. Mother Hen had the Vietnamese Steak and I had the Shrimp Clay Pot. The flavors were simply amazing. We ended the meal by sharing a Green Tea Ice Cream, which really capped off the whole dining experience. I briefly jumped off of my Atkins Low Carb bandwagon and it was worth each and every extra carbohydrate that I consumed.

So if you have a taste for something exotic you should try SAIGON. Remember that it is light, fresh cooking and not your run of the mill Chinese place. The chef is an artisan and not a short order cook. I don’t think that you will be disappointed.


Secondly, let’s talk celebration – Happy New Year; it is the Year of the Ox today! Depending on which scholar you choose to believe it is the year 4707, 4706, or 4646. Here is what Wikipedia, my favoritie second brain, has to say on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_new_year.

So Gong hei fat choi (congratulations and be prosperous) in this New Year, Gentle Reader. Gong hei fat choi.