Chicago: Saigon Sisters
A week ago, my roommate and I planned our Friday shopping outing downtown. Mission: shoes. It wasn't until Friday morning that my roommate thought of stopping by Saigon Sisters for lunch. Once the idea took root, nothing could change our course.
That's sardine in tomato sauce, with capers, mayo, pickled tomatoes, and vidalia onions. The pickled tomatoes added a really nice sweet touch. Definitely not a sandwich for the weak though. If you like fishiness, this is the sandwich for you. Bring some breath mints if it bothers you, otherwise embrace the fishiness like I do and share it with the world.
A cute name for Wagyu beef braised in coconut milk with kaffir lime leaf. After smelling the sardine banh mi, this sandwich just seemed to lack the punch the other one had. Still delicious, but it paled in comparison (at least for me).
We weren't expecting too much and unfortunately, the broth was everything we imagined. It didn't taste very good, but it certainly looked fetching in a little coffee cup.
Saigon Sisters recently opened their second location:
The interior was very chic and the abundance of natural lighting was a definite plus:
We went a little crazy with the ordering...perhaps because it'd been so long since we last saw any Vietnamese sandwiches. Keep in mind that all the following food was for two people.
We went a little crazy with the ordering...perhaps because it'd been so long since we last saw any Vietnamese sandwiches. Keep in mind that all the following food was for two people.
First, we started with the banh bao. Of course one wasn't enough, so we ordered 3:
A single banh bao is $2.50. You get 3 for $7. We decided to get one of each kind: caramelized chicken, hoisin glazed pork belly, and Wagyu beef in coconut milk. The pork belly was my favorite.
For some reason, it never occurred to us to share one sandwich. Oh no. Why wouldn't we order two?
When I saw the fish banh mi on the menu, I got really excited because it reminded me of my dear Vietnamese co-worker back from my summer internship in Taiwan who'd made me one:
That's sardine in tomato sauce, with capers, mayo, pickled tomatoes, and vidalia onions. The pickled tomatoes added a really nice sweet touch. Definitely not a sandwich for the weak though. If you like fishiness, this is the sandwich for you. Bring some breath mints if it bothers you, otherwise embrace the fishiness like I do and share it with the world.
Our second banh mi was the Sun Tanned Cow:
A cute name for Wagyu beef braised in coconut milk with kaffir lime leaf. After smelling the sardine banh mi, this sandwich just seemed to lack the punch the other one had. Still delicious, but it paled in comparison (at least for me).
My roommate somehow wrangled a free cup of pho broth from the chef:
We weren't expecting too much and unfortunately, the broth was everything we imagined. It didn't taste very good, but it certainly looked fetching in a little coffee cup.
I'm not usually a fan of trendy Asian places. Jacked up prices for mediocre food just don't do it for me. Saigon Sisters has good banh mi, but for $7 apiece, that's a bit extravagant in my opinion. Especially since I come from San Jose, CA, where Vietnamese food is dirt cheap and on every corner.
Saigon Sisters is planning on starting full service dining soon, but I don't think I'll be checking it out.
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