Saigon House Cuisine Pho

Post by Chiefeater VK

First lunch this trip to Penang was at Saigon House Cuisine Penang, and the beef pho was very good.

For me, a bowl of pho starts with the broth. You can put plenty of ingredients into the bowl, but if the broth doesn’t deliver, the whole thing falls flat.

This one delivered in bucketfuls.

The broth was rich and savoury, with enough depth that I found myself enjoying it on its own between mouthfuls of noodles.

Then there was the beef.

The quality was unquestionably good. It was tender and flavourful, rather than merely being something added to bulk up the bowl.

The pho noodles were another highlight. They were silky smooth, which worked particularly well with that rich broth. Put those three things together — broth, beef and noodles — and there wasn’t much more I wanted from my bowl of pho.

Jen and I also had the duck salad, which provided a very different counterpoint to the noodles.

It was appetising and worked nicely alongside the richer beef pho.

Saigon House has quite an extensive Vietnamese menu (there was a roast pork dish that caught my attention), but based on this lunch, I’d have a difficult time coming back and not ordering the beef pho again.

Pricing

Special Beef Pho Noodle Soup – RM25
Duck Salad – RM25

Service Charge (10%) – RM5

Total – RM55
Average per pax – RM27.50

MVX Summary

MVX Score: 8.3/10

M – Meal Value
Good-quality beef, silky noodles and a broth that rocks. At RM25 a bowl, it is an expected price to pay for this quality.
Score: 8.0/10

V – Venue
Saigon House occupies a restored shophouse along Jalan Sri Bahari in George Town. It’s a comfortable, straightforward setting for a Vietnamese lunch rather than somewhere relying on elaborate surroundings.
Score: 7.5/10

X – X-Factor
The broth. Rich, savoury and good enough that I enjoyed drinking it between mouthfuls. Add the quality of the beef and those silky-smooth noodles and this was a pho I’d happily order again.
Score: 9.0/10

Business Hours

Open Daily
11:00 am to 10:00 pm

Editor’s Note

Chiefeater VK paid for this meal himself