A recent find (introduced to me by Joe), Phở Green Papaya has become my absolute favorite Vietnamese restaurant. The ingredients are fresh, the atmosphere is classy, and the service is impeccable. There is an incredible variety of selections on their six page menu. Although I have by no means tried them all, everything I have tried has been top notch. Their prices are reasonable too — my most recent meal, consisting of tea, an appetizer, and a large bowl of phở, came to less than $19, including a generous tip.

When you go, start with an appetizer. Though not typical Vietnamese fare, their chicken satays are fantastic — coconutty, lightly sweet, moist and tender. I like the fresh spring rolls (Gỏi cuốn), but their crispy, deep fried rolls (Chả giò) are also excellent.

If you like tea, they have a broad selection of green and black teas, as well as a couple of herbal tisanes, all served in a cast-iron tea kettle. I am a big fan of green tea, and I always order a pot when I’m there. I especially love Chinese jasmine pearl tea (Dragon Pearls), jasmine scented green tea leaves and sometimes a jasmine flower, hand rolled into small pearl-sized balls, and was delighted to find it on the menu. If you like teas, try it — you won’t be disappointed.

The first time I went, I had the Bún bò Huế — a mildly spicy soup noodle soup originating in the town of Huế, in central Vietnam. This soup, although a Vietnamese noodle soup, is very different from phở. For starters, the broth much more substantial, red, and flavored with lemongrass and shrimp paste, rather than star anise, cloves and ginger. The noodles are different too — thicker and closer to spaghetti or soba noodles. Finally, the meats served in this soup are much different than what you would typically find in a bowl of phở. Typical ingredients include marinated brisket and slices of various Vietnamese sausages and meatloaves. Phở Green Papaya does it right though. To the usual assortment, they add a pig’s knuckle (ham hock to the Southerners) some cakes of coagulated pig’s blood, and a couple of other meats. I’m not much for the blood cakes, but the rest of it is truly fantastic. This is real comfort food.

The second time I went, I had the phở. I ordered their house special version, which included rare steak (it’s put into the bowl raw, and it cooks by the time you eat it), both lean and fatty flank, brisket, beef meatballs (bò viên), tendon and tripe. This was far and away the best phở I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant. The broth was clear and clean, with a heady aroma of star anise and other spices. The meats were perfectly prepared, with the tripe being cut into thin, lacy shreds and the tendon cut into nice, thin, manageable strips. Words (at least my words) just can’t express how good this soup was.

Needless to say, I will return again and again. If you are looking for some good Vietnamese cuisine, Phở Green Papaya is the place! Even if you are a little timid, you should try this place. Order the phở tái bò viên — phở with steak and meat balls. This is an exceptional soup, with no ingredients that would be intimidating to an American palate (such as the tripe or tendon in my soup). This is my four-year-old daughter’s absolute favorite food.

–Jason

Nestled in the seedy underbelly of Provo, Saigon Cafe is a restaurant worth avoiding. The name, and its listing in the phone book under “Vietnamese Cuisine” lead us to believe that this was a Vietnamese restaurant. Not so. This is a very dirty and greasy Chinese restaurant that happens to serve a couple of Vietnamese dishes.

Between the four of us who went, we had a plate of gỏi cuốn (uncooked Vietnamese spring rolls), two bowls of phở, a bowl of bún thịt nướng (a Vietnamese vermicelli dish which is usually quite tasty), and a plate of Singapore-style noodles. It should be noted at this point that nobody was able to finish their meal. I am usually fairly adventurous when it comes to food, but this was bad, even for me.

The noodles in the gỏi cuốn, the bún thịt nướng and the phở were very mushy and overcooked. The gỏi cuốn had very little flavor, except for that of the greasy grilled shrimp. At this point, you should be getting the picture. I don’t want to turn this into a rant, and I also feel sorry for the very nice woman who waited on us, so I’ll stop describing our experience here.

Needless to say, we won’t be going back. We also urge others to skip this place.

–Jason