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From flavourful teas to steaming bowls of stir-fry, Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant in Rivonia serves up some of the very best Vietnamese fare in Johannesburg!

I don’t know about you, but I love my Asian food! So when I stumbled across Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant in Rivonia, you can only imagine my excitement. Saigon is situated upstairs in a little centre called Rivonia Junction on Rivonia Road (convenient, right?). The view from up there is pretty cool and the décor is just, well, stunning! Very traditional, which I love. It really makes one feel as if they’re walking into Vietnam!

I decided to visit this restaurant for the first time two Sundays ago with my dad and aunt. As soon as we arrived, our very warm and welcoming waiter seated us outside on the deck (there’s a beautiful inside dining room as well as a breezy outside section).

We were starving, so wasted no time on getting right to ordering our main meals. Our waiter made some great suggestions. I ended up ordering the tofu and lemongrass vegetable stir-fry (R77), my dad went for the caramelised pork (R94), and my aunt went for the ribs in honey (R94). None of the dishes include starch like rice or noodles, so we also ordered a plate of plain noodles (R30) to share.

Our food arrived in good time. All the dishes were beautifully presented and smelled delicious, I couldn’t wait to tuck in! My veggie stir-fry was absolutely divine – very flavourful (a bit spicy, too!) and crunchy. Just thinking back on it makes my tummy grumble! I can’t vouch for what the two pork dishes were like because I don’t eat red meat, but my dad and aunt both said their food was excellent. It sure looked great!

For dessert (because what’s a meal without dessert?), we ordered the deep-fried ice-cream (R48) and the silky smooth chocolate mousse (R48) to share. Oh my goodness… the desserts were to-die-for! The deep-fried ice-cream was sweet and nutty and just so different – I loved every mouthful. As for the chocolate mousse, that was superb, too. Its consistency was actually more similar to that of a fondant but, hey, I’m not complaining! I can definitely say that those are two of the best dessert dishes I’ve ever had!

Overall, I must say this was a very pleasant lunching experience. I’ve already been back once since then, and I’ll be going back again soon! Seriously, next time you feel like an Asian dish, ditch your regular Thai spot and try Saigon. You won’t regret it!