Saigon Hibachi: decent choices of Japs and Viets

Thanks to Groupon again, we manage to venture to new and not-so-new joints which we, otherwise, seldom visit. Saigon Hibachi is one of those shop that we always pass by but somehow, did not think of patronizing. With so many japanese restaurant mushrooming in Ipoh, one cant blame me of not trying each and everyone. In addition, Japanese and Vietnamese? I cant see the common ground between the two. Luckily the dining experience here is rather good and nice.

Saigon Hibachi is situated in one of the roads behind Tesco Ipoh Garden. Just drive around, and you will not miss the newly installed neon signboard. The deco is unmistakenly Japanese, with earth colour as the main theme, and the usual sake bottle as part of the deco. I could not find anything Vietnamese here though. There are notices on the board to apologize for the lack of staff, but I could say that the service here is warm and attentive. Kudos to the owner who hire and train their staff well.

The menu again focus on Japanese cuisine with a few Vietnamese selection. Luckily there are no fusion between the two. I cant imagine how that would taste like, and my try with Japanese fusion last few years ago was a disaster. The Vietnamese lemongrass grill pork (RM12.50) tasted surprisingly nice. The rice is fragrant and complement the pork well. The grilled pork, on its own is nothing to shout about, but once eaten with the lemongrass sauce, it actually lift the taste to another level. It felt like eating Thai with the sweet and sour elements minus the hot and spicy parts. The sanma shioyaki (RM6.40)on the other hand, was less appealing. It is not the cook's fault though, I did not expect the pacific saury or sanma to have so many small and tiny bones. It make the dining experience rather tiring, trying to isolate the bones. The taste is nice though, just that it did not justify the time taken trying to separate the bones.

In the end, it was a nice dining experience here. Just that with so many Japanese restaurant around, I doubt that it will stand out against the rest. The Vietnamese offering did not give it an edge but given the crowd here, they have their own following. Would I come again? I probably would, to try the rest of their Japanese offerings.

ratings: 3 poink~!
comments: yet to savor their japanese dishes, so yet to make an accurate review.

Saigon Hibachi,
23, Jalan Medan Ipoh 4,
Bandar Baru Medan,
Ipoh
05-5487118