Restaurant: Saigon (Indianapolis)

There is very good Chinese food in Terre Haute, plus Thai and Indian food that are both pretty good. But no Vietnamese. In Austin, my house was right at the epicenter of where the Indian, Vietnamese and Mexican communities collided, which meant several things:

• Great Vietnamese food
• Great Indian food
• Great Mexican food
• Speciality grocery stores selling the ingredients to make all of the above (MT Supermarket, a Vietnamese grocery that expanded a couple of years ago is listed in the current issue of Saveur as one of the top privately owned stores in the country.)

So I miss my Vietnamese food. I miss being able to call up Sunflower and order some lemongrass tofu to go or a big bowl of noodle soup when I was feeling ill. I miss the brusk familiarity of the owner and her staff: "We know you because you come in here all of the time, but we don't really want to acknowledge that or talk to you more because of that." And the spring rolls! Rolled to order.

And when you called, she never gave you a total, told you when the order would be ready or even said goodbye. She just hung up! I miss her. So on last week's trip to Indy, I decided to try Saigon, the Vietnamese place I had read about on-line. Located in a dilapidated strip mall, it's a whole-in-the-wall place with interesting paint, strange decor and a huge TV on the wall. Above each booth, there were cutouts from the beer boxes advertising the different brews available. Oddly, they were in a different order and arrangement at each table.

I ordered:

• Spring rolls: good, but without the intense fresh flavor of the ones at Sunflower in Austin.
• Lemongrass tofu: Sunflower in Austin? What is that? This is damn good lemongrass tofu. Perhaps the best I have ever had.
• Cafe sua: delicious, cold and refreshing.

And the service? I felt like a regular after the first visit, they were friendly and attentive. There is even a small market next door. While it isn't around the corner, and I can't call for a to-go order whenever I want, it's comforting to know that some delicious Vietnamese food is just down the road.

Saigon Market and Restaurant
3103 Lafayette Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46222
Phone: (317) 927-7270