The Vietnamese Mistress: Saigon Subs and Rolls

The world is rife with temptation. Just when you think Cincinnati has enough Vietnamese restaurants, another one enters the radar. Most reside downtown within a couple miles of one another. There's even a fine dining Vietnamese fusion variant slated to open early next year. But for right now, Saigon Subs and Rolls on 4th St. is the newest option, open since 2016.

Saigon Subs and Rolls resides in the former home of one of two defunct "It's Just Crepes" restaurants, if anyone can remember that far. Its interior and ambiance come off as upscale, which is a markedly counterintuitive philosophy given that their menu's origins reside firmly in the pedestrian, street-food arena.

That doesn't mean the food isn't delicious, of course. On the contrary, some of the city's best cuisine was birthed in the streets of some faraway land, brought back to the States by families fondly yearning for their own special brand of comfort, selflessly sharing it with new neighbors. There's little doubt that was what Chef Thao Phan had in mind when she and her business partners and family members opened Saigon Subs and Rolls more than two years ago.

Fresh spring rolls

Despite its exotic birthplace, Saigon's menu will feel right at home for downtowners already familiar with one or more of the other nearby Vietnamese restaurants. Its centerpiece is, of course, Pho, the steamy, brothy, often meaty rice noodle dish filled with aromatic basil leaves, onion, bean sprouts, jalapenos, cilantro and a squidge of lime. The runners-up are no slouches: Saigon's Banh Mi sandwich, with its crunchy French bread and beef, chicken, pork or tofu options, is among the best in the city. Rounding out the menu are the Bun (a cold, Vermicelli noodle salad topped with a choice of the aforementioned proteins), fresh spring rolls, fried spring rolls and rice bowls. Diners can wash it all down with the uber-strong Vietnamese iced coffee, bubble tea or other fountain drinks.

Most of my lunch visits to Saigon Subs have entailed a miserably cold, wintry day as I sat wrapping my chilly hands around a piping-hot bowl of beef or chicken Pho. Their version of Vietnam's signature street food dish is what you'd expect for $8.50; I only wish sometimes that the bowl were filled near the brim as it's clearly designed to hold more than the standard portion size. The broth is really what makes or breaks a good Pho, and Saigon's definitely holds its own, with very markedly strong lemongrass notes and a soothing fattiness that only patience and time can afford.

Beef pho

Pork banh mi

The pork Bahn Mi I enjoyed still ranks among my favorites, with a very pleasant and very piquant marinade that caramelized lovingly around the meat, with equal hints of spicy heat and citrus aided by the satisfyingly crunchy daikon, carrot, jalapeno and cucumber toppings.

There's no question that Saigon Subs and Rolls offers nearly all one could ask from a Vietnamese restaurant. But there's something rather sinful about my "cheating" on a Vietnamese hole-in-the-wall that has been for years and remains my one true love, a place where my face and exact order was long ago seared into the owners' brains. Will they accept that my occasional absence only helps make the heart grow fonder?" Only time, and prodigiously lusty helpings of broth and French bread, will tell.