To help prepare our palates for the lighter fare of summer, the Family Chow decided to take a trip to Vietnam the land of lemongrass, mint and basil. We ended up choosing Saigon Spring restaurant on Route 9 in Halfmoon. After experiencing many delicious eateries in out-of-the-way places, we were willing to overlook Saigon Spring’s boring strip mall location. Inside, we found a bustling, open space with minimal decor and soothing blue-grey walls. We arrived on a midweek night for dinner, without a reservation, but waited only a few minutes for a comfortable booth.
1683 Route 9, Halfmoon
Food 4.5 C’s (out of 5)
Service 4.5 C’s
Family friendliness 4 C’s
Our server, Hui, greeted us warmly and quickly brought menus and water. In addition to the savory menu, we enjoyed perusing the expansive drink menu that included several fun-sounding cocktails (with apropos ingredients like lychee and ginger), beers and wines with helpful descriptions and several kinds of tea. The kids couldn’t resist trying the avocado milkshake, and Mom ordered a pot of Lychee black tea. For appetizers, we settled on an order of summer rolls and boneless wings.
The menu is helpfully arranged by protein with several options in each category. There are nine different soup options and a half dozen rice noodle dishes. While we were deciding on our main courses, Hui delivered our drinks and appetizers. Daughter was first to try the avocado milkshake and pronounced it “confusing.” Son took a sip and enjoyed the subtle avocado flavor and creamy, fluffy texture that we were told took a special technique in order to get just right. Mom loved her wonderfully aromatic Lychee tea that needed no sweetening. We took a moment to admire the beauty of the summer rolls as they arrived pink shrimp peaking through delicate, translucent rice paper wrappers. They tasted as fresh as they looked with perfectly cooked shrimp mixing with bean sprouts, lettuce, mint and noodles, enhanced by a delicious peanut dipping sauce. Son gravitated toward the boneless wings that he described as “a meatball on a stick.” The crispy skin of the wing covered a flavorful crabmeat and shrimp stuffing. One part of the wing was left to serve as a handle for dipping into the sweet nuoc cham sauce.
Feeling a bit under the weather, Dad ordered the chicken noodle soup. Mom settled on the sliced beef, Daughter the chicken curry and Son the shaking beef. We didn’t have long to wait between courses, as Hui brought out our entrees and refilled our water glasses. Dad immediately commented favorably on his huge bowl of soup, with bean sprouts, Thai basil and two sauces on the side. Expecting the usual salty broth, he was surprised to find a perfectly balanced soup with excellent flavor and tender chicken. Mom also loved her dish of expertly charred slices of beef, julienned carrots and chopped peanuts over steamed rice. The side sauce had just the right amount of kick. Son also enjoyed his beef dish cubes of filet mignon over rice with garlic and onions. Although he avoided the watercress that graced his dish, he did like the “sour-saltiness” of the lime-dipping sauce. Daughter’s chicken curry would have been enough to feed her several times over, so it was a good thing that she liked the not-too-spicy, yellow curry and “perfectly tender” pieces of chicken.
We let Hui pick our dessert, and since we were in the mood for something authentic, he steered us toward the Vietnamese Rainbow Drink. It was unlike any dessert we’ve tried a tall glass filled with ice, coconut milk, sticks of green Jell-o, red beans and yellow mung beans. Hui provided a bowl for easier sharing and we went about mixing the different ingredients and sampling with spoons. Though it might have been more successful with shaved or crushed ice instead of cubes, we enjoyed the different textures of the beans and Jell-o against the sweet backdrop of coconut milk.
We definitely plan to return to Saigon Spring whenever we crave simple, clean flavors with fresh ingredients and warm friendly service. Overall we give Saigon Spring 4.5 C’s for service, 4 C’s for family friendliness and 4.5 C’s for food.
The Family Chow hails from the Capital District and will be contributing regular reviews of area restaurants based on service, food and family friendliness.