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Sunday in Saigon, Vietnamese from the Owners of Caphe Banh Mi, in the Former Old Town Teaism Space


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It's hard to believe Teaism closed a year ago. The new tenant - Sunday in Saigon - is still in the slow/soft opening phase, but we had a very pleasant and flavorful meal at the bar last Friday. They were quite busy and it was on the later side, so an item or two wasn't available. They currently have a short but interesting beer menu - including several Hitachino selections and a rice beer from Colorado on draft, along with a few specialty cocktails and wines by the glass. There is also a several-bottle Enomatic station, for which wines were still being selected at the time of our visit. We were told customers will be able to purchase a card and make their own selections shortly.

There is nothing on the menu from Caphe Banh Mi (they share the same owners). We started with the Chinese sausage and shrimp roll with egg, jicama, and carrot - a nice change from the standard rolls you find a lot of places. We were quite happy with the Huế noodle soup ( Bún bò Huế) and the grilled eggplant stir-fried with pork and shrimp (cà tím nướng). The noodle soup included pork hock which had been soaked in coconut milk and cooked separately with a variety of spices (I hope I'm getting the details right). I'm not normally one to gnaw on skin/rinds, but was very glad that I was encouraged to do so - the flavor was incredible. If you prefer, you can order the soup without the hocks. The eggplant was generous, well-prepared and seasoned, if a touch oily for me. A nearby diner ordered the deep-fried whole red snapper - it was an attention-getter, but also looked like something I'd order next time out. The menu has a variety of dishes, with prices ranging from $8 for a few smaller dishes to $28 for the snapper, with lots of options in between.

The space has been somewhat reconfigured from the previous Teaism layout (bar moved, some interior features removed, fun custom wallpaper installed, entrance shifted). The room has a nice ambiance (as it did before). My - the owner and chef - is very much involved in every aspect of the operation, from the interior design (and exterior - the umbrellas over the patio tables are stunning!) to the recipes. They will be serving brunch soon, too.

I hope they see crowds at Sunday in Saigon similar to their other business, which is always packed. I'm not a Vietnamese food expert but the care and attention that have gone into both places is evident. I'm happy to support another tasty, local, woman-owned business in the former location of one of my other favorites that fits that description!

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Just a note that Sunday in Saigon has opened, in the former Teaism space by Trader Joe's, and operated by the same folks who own Caphe Banh Mi.  I haven't been yet, but Yelp reviews seem to suggest a pretty space, sometimes confusing pricing or mysterious upcharges, average to good food, with service glitches

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I went here a few weeks ago for dinner with a friend. I am always eager to try new Vietnamese restaurants in the DC area hoping to find a good one that doesn't require me to go to Falls Church. Unfortunately, this place disappointed me.

In general, I think the food tends to lean toward overly sweet. I tried the following dishes:

1. papaya salad - swimming in the dressing and overly sweet. The beef jerky was nice, though and added a good contrast.

2. pork belly slices - This came with a soup/sauce in a separate bowl that were too sweet to really finish

3. cellophane noodles with crab - This was the only thing that wasn't too sweet but it also lacked any flavor.

We also ordered another dish but I honestly can't remember what it was. The food really did not make much of an impression.

I hope this is due to the kitchen staff not quite hitting their stride yet. 

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I have eaten here a couple times, once for dinner and once to grab lunch.  We liked the rolls, bahn mi, and I had a couple good noodle dishes for dinner- stir fried egg noodles, a bun dish.  Happy to have this place in the neighborhood.  I haven't really gotten anything not fairly pedestrian, and I knew they would likely have good bahn mi and rolls because I like them at their other space.

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