Saigon Star Restaurant

Just this past Tuesday, before the storm arrived, my wife and I headed to Saigon to relax! Earlier that afternoon, we even went out with friends to enjoy some great seafood. Look at how blue and beautiful the sky was that day! We really love Saigon. It takes about two hours to get there, so it’s quite a distance, but seeing such a wonderful environment makes the trip totally worth it. This time, we chose to have lunch at the Michelin one-star Liu Fu Cuisine! We tried it once last year and thought their food was pretty good, so we confidently invited friends to join us. We started with a pot of authentic Saigon fish soup to whet our appetites! The manager said they used many different fresh fish to make this soup, adding tomatoes and potatoes for flavor. It tasted really fresh and sweet—I ended up drinking three bowls. Each of us ordered a slow-cooked scallop in rice soup. The scallops were gently cooked in the rice broth, making them tender and sweet, with a rich rice aroma. A little bit of Jinhua ham was added to make the flavor even more complex. My wife and I both love chicken feet, so we ordered the braised chicken feet with shiitake mushrooms to enjoy! The thick shiitake mushrooms were tender, smooth, and very chewy, cooked perfectly to bring out their own fragrance—it was really excellent. The chicken feet were braised just right, not falling apart when bitten! Perfect for us older folks to replenish collagen. Here, it’s hard to miss the signature salt and pepper baked Dalian abalone! The large abalone had a chewy and springy texture, and the salt and pepper seasoning made it incredibly flavorful. Eggplant is my wife’s favorite, so we ordered the steamed eggplant with garlic vermicelli for her to enjoy! The garlic sauce was very aromatic and went perfectly with the sweet eggplant. The vermicelli underneath absorbed all the garlic flavor, which was also fantastic. While eating, we saw the neighboring table order the salt and pepper crispy tofu! We couldn’t resist and ordered a portion too. The ultra-thin crust was crispy and fragrant, while the tofu inside was incredibly smooth and tender. It was so good that even after two pieces, I felt it wasn’t quite enough. This is the Hakka-style braised pork belly with salted vegetables and black fungus! The pork belly was braised to be very flavorful, tender, and fatty but not greasy. The salted vegetables and black fungus were very refreshing—this dish was perfect with rice. Although I don’t eat spicy food, my wife loves it, so I braved it and accompanied her! The herbal spicy wine cooked sea snails arrived with a strong wine aroma. The sea snails were cooked just right—chewy but not tough. The herbal spicy wine flavor was very rich and quite spicy. I recommend soaking them in the broth for a while before eating for the best taste. Finally, we had a Saigon-style boat steamed rice to make sure we were completely full! This rice is truly magical—no soy sauce needed. The seafood flavor and Chinese sausage alone made it incredibly tasty. At the end, the manager even gave us some desserts! They were authentic Thai-style coconut sago pudding and butterfly pea flower coconut jelly cake. I personally preferred the coconut sago pudding, which was sweet with a hint of saltiness.