Chef and restaurateur Kevin Nguyen brought 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry with him to Vancouver. Now, three years after he made the move, he's ready to share the "spirit of Saigon" with guests of his new Vancouver restaurant, Saigonville.
The Saigon native, who spent the last three years as Chef de Partie at Vancouver's Michelin Guide-recognized Lunch Lady, is excited to welcome diners to his first restaurant venture.
Saigonvile is located at 2129 E Hastings St. Fans of Vietnamese cuisine may recognize the location's address from its previous tenant, Mr. Red Café, which enjoyed a long run in the space before closing in early July.
However, as Nguyen told V.I.A. in a phone interview, it's just a coincidence that his Vietnamese restaurant is opening up where another Vietnamese restaurant had been. "We do different things than they did," Nguyen explains.
Specifically, Saigonville pinpoints the food and flavours of Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's bustling metropolis.
New restaurant's menu focuses on foods from Vietnam's capital city
Nguyen says since he came to Vancouver he has seen how many Vietnamese restaurants here fuse the techniques and ingredients of multiple regions of his native country. He set out on a mission to focus his restaurant's menu on foods that reflect the dishes that are tied to Saigon.
Among the chef-recommended dishes on Saigonville's menu are several seafood selections, like the Truffle Crab Spring Rolls (Chả giò cua), Chili Softshell Crab (Cua lột sốt ớt), and Saté Octopus Skewers (Bạch Tuộc Nướng Sa tế). The menu also features Saigon-style rice noodle soup and banh mi (the latter at lunchtime only).
Nguyen took only a short few weeks to refresh the interior of the former Mr. Red Café for his Saigonville, taking time to update the flooring, paint, and furniture.
The restaurant is in soft-open mode for dinner service from 5 to 9 p.m. on August 30, 31, and September 1, with a limited menu of dishes priced at 30 per cent off.
Nguyen shares that the restaurant will move into opening mode starting September 6. He's eager to show Vancouver's food lovers the special food of his hometown and will have a loyalty program for repeat guests with the chance to win an exciting reward.
When the restaurant is up and running in September, Saigonville will have lunch and dinner service and will be be open Sunday to Monday and Wednesday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Follow @thesaigonville on Instagram for more information and updates.
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