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Dining review: Saigon Deli's fare is both exotic, economical

Staff photo by JEFF HOUCK

Saigon Deli serves the best banh mi around. The vegetables are crisp and colorful, the herbs fresh, the meat bursting with flavor, and it costs only $2.99.

By ROMMIE JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2009

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TAMPA - I'm riding shotgun with a friend, scouring the same stretch of storefronts along Waters Avenue for at least the third time. As we make yet another U-turn to give it one more try, I give voice to what we're both thinking: "This place had better be worth it."

We're searching — as we have been for the past 15 minutes — for a spot called Saigon Deli, and all we know about the place is that the guy on the next barstool the night before was loudly singing its praises between sips of Lagunitas IPA.

Well, that and what we found on Google Maps — which, as it turns out, is not infallible. Our destination, we eventually discover with the help of some locals, is east of Dale Mabry Highway, not west.

Tucked inside the Lien Hoa Oriental Market, the small, eight-table deli is unassuming almost to a fault, but a bustling lunch crowd renews our hopes. All these people can't be wrong, can they?

We belly up to the counter and peruse the menu, but not for long. We're here for one reason and one reason alone: We've been told Saigon Deli serves the best banh mi around.

A product of French colonialism, the banh mi sandwich is basically a Vietnamese sub served on a baguette and topped with julienned daikon, cucumbers and pickled carrots along with cilantro and hot peppers. The deli offers four varieties: grilled pork, shredded pork skin, meatball and — for the more intrepid appetite — a combo of paté, head cheese and ham.

We dig in and find our beer-swilling sherpa hasn't led us astray. These banh mi are the bomb. The vegetables are crisp and colorful, the herbs fresh, the meat bursting with flavor. Sweet, spicy, sour and savory morsels mingle and merge into a sandwich that is undeniably greater than the sum of its parts. At just $2.99, this will be tough to beat.

Saigon Deli's Pho, however, makes a laudable effort. The rich, fragrant broth, served steaming-hot in meal-size bowls, comes loaded with rice noodles and your choice of protein (beef, meatball, seafood or — ready? — flank tendon and tripe). Throw in sprouts, cilantro, peppers and — this part is essential — a healthy squeeze of fresh lime juice for one of the world's most irresistible comfort foods.

The menu also includes a number of other traditional Vietnamese favorites, including huge prawn-stuffed spring rolls, mi xao (crispy, stir-fried egg noodles that are kind of like a Vietnamese chow mein) and a variety of bun (cold rice noodles), com (rice) and com tam (broken rice) dishes. A follow-up visit will obviously be in order.

On our second stop, we devour the bun thit nuong, with grilled marinated pork served with veggies over noodles in a delightfully savory fish sauce; it's the best version of this dish we've had since South Tampa's Dong Phuong closed its doors seven years ago. The contrast between the warm meat (you can also get it with beef or shrimp) and cold noodles adds a refreshing dimension to the meal.

Also satisfying, though not quite as special, is the com xao hai san (steamed rice with prawns and veggies), also available in pork and beef versions.

Don't pass on the boba smoothies. We tried the mango, strawberry and watermelon flavors, all delicious and chock full of sweet tapioca balls.

Service on both visits was fast and super-friendly.

So maybe finding this no-frills spot was a challenge, but a menu this cheap and tasty makes that kind of thing easy to forgive. In the end? Yeah. It was definitely worth it.