Review: Saigon Sally

We went to Hanoi Hannah on a Wednesday night and it was packed with a 40 minute wait time, that was really more like 20, but we couldn't be bothered waiting. Who knew they'd be so popular on a week night, yet they still don't take bookings :( We decided to try their sister restaurant Saigon Sally instead, seeing as it wasn't far and still Vietnamese. They definitely were much emptier, with heaps of seating around the bar and a few free tables. Saigon Sally is finer dining than their hawker, street food vending sister, but boy do you get great food for the price.

Fresh Drinking Coconut - $7.50
Most expensive fresh coconut I've had, but I just
love it so much and was really craving it.

Cut open to eat the flesh, haha you can see my straw marks.

Fried Chicken Ribs - $10
I was so curious as to how they made chicken ribs edible, as
they are so small and barely hold any meat. However, this was
amazing. Not the best fried chicken I've had but still up there.
The meat was really tender, and the batter crispy and light.
The chilli mayo really made the dish, lovely consistency and flavour.

Saigon Chilli Crab -$28
I chose this dish, but was quite disappoint with the flavour.
The portion size was ok, and the crabs cooked well,
with a crispy, light shell. However, the sauce they poured
over the dish just did not please my taste buds. It had a strange
sour flavour and was just too pungent. I preferred the crab
with the sriracha mayo from the entree.

Braised Pork Belly - $26
This dish was the star of the night.
The black sauce, reminded me of this braising liquid my mother
uses at home, but with less spices and more sugar.
Although the sauce was amazing, it was quite thick and concentrated,
making it really salty. The waiter did suggest eating this dish with rice,
and I now know why. The pork itself was braised well,
but some smaller pieces were a bit tougher. The fat:meat ratio
was good too.

Tira-Mi-Sally - $12
A refreshing finish to the night.
Simple presentation, but really tasty dish.
The thin macaron wafers were of excellent texture and sweetness,
with a nutty flavour. The brittle wasn't so much a solid brittle
as it was a caramel to me, but it added nice sweetness to the dish
and balanced with the vietnamese coffee which
really shone through, but wasn't bitter at all.