By David Nelson
SDUN Restaurant Critic

The danger in saying “Whassup?” to Saigon on Fifth chef/proprietor Hong Luu, who also answers to Patrick, is that he’ll provide the answer by sending out a procession of dishes soon to be featured on his wide-ranging menu.

It’s a delicious situation to be in, of course, provided you’ve got the appetite to handle it all. The flavors of the new dishes prove what’s been obvious for quite some time: Saigon on Fifth doesn’t merely rank as one of the best Asian restaurants in Hillcrest, but holds a special place as one of the finest eateries of any type in Uptown.

The use of herbs by the handful is a distinguishing characteristic of Vietnamese cuisine, and the medley of sharp purple mint, fresh and cool regular mint, and pungently spicy purple basil stretches the flavors of the restaurant’s new mango salad ($9.95) like a rainbow. Tender shrimp cover a mound of green mango shredded into spaghetti-like strands, tossed with sweet and tart flavorings, enriched with shredded carrot and cool sliced cucumber, and nearly carpeted with crunchy, pan-crisped minced garlic. It’s kind of a Vietnamese kitchen sink salad, with a mystery ingredient or two tossed in to make it all the more interesting. Ask for a little hot chili, too, since this bold seasoning throws the fascinating jumble of flavors into sharp relief. Dried chili flakes should be included automatically, but the kitchen sometimes frets about challenging conservative taste buds.

One “new” dish owes its novelty to a change in filling. The Imperial rolls ($5.95) now feature a subtle blend of taro, crab, shrimp and chicken. In whatever corner of the world you find a Vietnamese restaurant, you’ll find these crisply fried, sausage-shaped rolls. They’re wildly popular in places like Paris, a city that shuns spicy food but adores the temperature contrast that occurs when a sizzling “nem,” served so hot it burns the fingers, is wrapped with fresh herbs inside a broad lettuce leaf and then dipped in the cool, pungent fermented fish sauce that is a key condiment in Vietnamese cooking. Hot, cold, succulent, sweet—an Imperial roll more or less explodes with effects every time you take a bite.

“On the weekend, we sell 400 or 500 orders of Imperial rolls,” says Hong, who keeps his kitchen open until 3 a.m. nightly and adds, “It’s crazy on the weekends, when people are waiting in line at 2:30 a.m.”

Late-night chowhounds presumably down carloads of appetizers like the fresh spring rolls ($5.95), which are tender and delicate and deliciously stuffed with shrimp, lettuce, rice vermicelli and mint, along with thinly sliced pork, or shredded chicken, or simply an assortment of vegetables and herbs. The sauce with these is thicker, sweeter and more assertive than the sauces served with similar preparations, presumably to make the lightness of the rolls all the more prominent. If the pan-fried dumplings ($5.95) seem different from elsewhere, it’s because they’re marinated before they go in the pan. As an alternative to a fried starter, the steamed crystal dumplings ($5.95, and “crystal” because the little packages feature see-through wrappers) are filled with minced scallops, shrimp and jicama.

Hong provides his guests an exceptionally comfortable environment in which to enjoy his distinctive cuisine. So many restaurants currently supply such minimal amenities that a linen napkin seems almost an Edwardian luxury; at Saigon on Fifth, patrons take table linens for granted, along with little oil lamps that flicker like votives, charming service and the music of delicately plucked strings playing at the forefront of the background. On the walls, a collection of contemporary Vietnamese paintings provides plenty of entertainment for the eye.

The entrée presentations similarly divert the eye. Elegantly mounded in a broad bowl, the cubes of filet mignon that star in the 360-degree beef ($15.95) are dusted with the pungent, crisply fried minced garlic that is a recurring seasoning in Vietnamese dishes. The flavors are complicated, and while black pepper plays a strong role, Hong says that a special, imported Saigon curry sauce, which the menu doesn’t mention, contributes multiple notes. The meat is cooked to a rare finish that makes it notably succulent. A guest asked about the name, and a good guess would be that it’s called 360-degree beef simply because the flavors rush around the mouth’s circumference.

Specialties abound on this well-written menu, headed by a favorite among Saigon on Fifth regulars called fish of Hue ($13.95). Made with a choice of sea bass or salmon, the dish derives its multiple flavors from a spicy marinade spiked with ginger and lemon grass. The one vegetarian special features eggplant baked with a puckery garlic-chili-tamarind sauce ($9.95), but there is much seafood, including a one-of-a-kind smoked oyster omelet enriched with ground pork and dried mushrooms ($13.95), shrimp baked in a fresh whole coconut ($15.95), and “Shells in Basil” ($13.95), which offers a choice of clams or mussels sautéed in a sauce sharply accented with basil, chilies and garlic. If your taste buds have been drowsing of late, use this as a wake-up call.

The French make a specialty of orange-flavored duck, and so does Saigon on Fifth, with the difference that the background flavors of the roasted bird are distinctively Southeast Asian. The menu continues with a broad selection of Vietnamese stir-fries, pho noodle soups and other noodle dishes, richly flavored rice dishes and, most fun of all, “table specialties,” which are prepared at table by the guests. They’re quite traditional, and include marinated beef grilled to taste and wrapped with a wealth of garnishes, and a “fondue” of beef cooked in seasoned vinegar. Both cost $15.95. For dessert, the sticky rice is sweet, pleasantly textured and unexpectedly delicious.

Saigon on Fifth
3900 Fifth Ave.
Hillcrest
220-8828
SaigononFifth.com
Meals served until 3 A.M. nightly