Saigonique

was my favorite shirlington restaurant. so sad it closed.

ATTENTION Unilocal STAFF: It’s CLOSED.
Apparently this place has shut down.
I was there a few weeks ago and had very odd service (and a «special» I did not like. Shirlington has a few regularly crowded spots and the rest seem to suffer.

It’s funny — this restaurant benefitted from being next to Busboys and Poets’ poor attention to customers. We walked out after being ignored for about 5 – 10 minutes at the door. I hope B & P is really that good or it’s a simply overrated place to be ‘seen’. Saigonique was relatively quiet compared to B & P. However, it’s got a contemporary and modern feel with the richly decorated wall, fan-​shaped ceiling fans and lighting. The music selection was slightly odd I couldn’t describe you just have to check it out. It reminded me of the fancy restaurants in Bali, Indonesia. The beef wrapped in vine leave caught my eye — it’s not as common in the typical viet restaurant so it was definitely something I enjoy ordering. It was nicely grilled and topped with crunchy peanuts and fried shallots and fish sauce. There was also a side of the vermicelli served with the wraps. I introduced my friend to the ‘Bun’ salad-​like dish with caramelized grilled pork and spring rolls. They looked great except sometimes people don’t like fried food. I thought it looked great! I ordered the spicy duck in caramel sauce it was interested — the duck breast was cut in strips and stirred fried in the dark soy sauce with sugar. It was served simply with steamed rice. I was sooo hungry I totally enjoyed it! The glass of Louis Bernard Cote Du Rhone deserved an extra star because it’s one of my fav afforable cote du rhones! Give this fancy place a shot — the food is good!

I thought I was really going to dislike this place. Since I’m not too far from Eden Center, paying lots of money on good Vietnamese food just doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense.
The lunch menu starts around $ 9, and although not extensive I think it did include at least one of each of the basic phở, bun, and com dishes.
HOWEVER if you flipped to the soup section you’ll see Phở listed there as well for $ 6. It’s a medium sized bowl of Phở, which will suffice if you aren’t looking to pig out. We both ordered a bowl and were happy with the portion size.
I thought $ 15 including tax and tip for two bowls of Phở (no drinks) was very resonable. I can’t say I’m a fan, but I wouldn’t mind coming back here again… probably only for the phở though.

I would say it’s a 4.5 but it’s so good I’ll give them a 5 anyway!!!
The spring rolls were not good — stay away from these — but the entrees were delicious.
Hubby had phở (he loves it, I hate it) and I had a chicken dish off the «carmelized» section of the menu. My waiter described items in that section of sweet and savory combined — it was just that, and done perfectly. It is that yummy Asian flavor that makes you crave it — sweet, salty, savory, soy saucey, sugary, lemongrassy — just plain yummy!
Other than the spring rolls (bleckh!!) my only complaint is you can’t get brown rice, only white rice, but the food makes up for it!
Really pretty and very clean on the inside, and I didn’t feel underdressed even though I was very VERY casual!
Saw a family — so they do have high chairs if that is a concern for you.

As mentioned in other reviews, despite the bustling patio at Busboys and Poets immediately next to Saigonique, we were sharing the patio with one other couple on a Friday night.
The food was actually quite good. I ordered something off the «meat» menu and asked if it could be made meatless. they brought me out a milder version that was found on their vegetarian menu. I can only fault them so much since it was our (very sweet) waitress’s second night of work. So I am unsure if they are unable (or unwilling) to modify dishes or if she just had a hard time communicating my order to the kitchen. Either way, my food was good– I will try again next time.
The service was excellent. When questioned on the pronunciation of one of the dishes, she went inside to learn how to say it. (She was not Vietnamese) When she came back out to sing-​speak it to us, she even gave us a short lesson on the differences in Asian languages. This may be another reason I felt forgiving of my order faux-​pas. You just can’t stay irritated at someone like that.
We plan on going back frequently and are unsure why they aren’t busier. Go. just not when I want to eat there, please.

A very pretty restaurant. The service is professional, and friendly. We just had lunch there today. We shared the tofu spring roll, and had the beef in vine leaves and lemongrass chicken. The beef was a ground spiced beef wrapped in grape leaves, then grilled and served on rice vermicelli. The grilling gave the beef a green, smoky flavor. Delicious! The chicken was spicy, without being overheated.
The manager stopped at the table to tell us her computer was down, and if we wanted to pay by credit card, she would have to write it all down by hand, and input it later. We had planned to pay be cash anyway, and told her it wasn’t a problem. She then treated us to two scoops of ginger ice cream to share! She said for the inconvenience-​what inconvenience? But a lovely gesture. We will be going back, not just for the food, but because they treated us so well.

What else can I say but this is my favorite restaurant! My husband and I had friends from San Diego out last summer and we took them here for dinner. Our friends eat Vietnamese food at least once a week back in CA and they too were VERY impressed with this restaurant. The Phở soup is fantastic and my favorite dishes are the number 29 and 31! I can never pronounce the names, but I certainly don’t forget the numbers!

My wife and I wanted to try something quiet for New Year’s Eve, so we tried Saigonique. We weren’t expecting a lot since it usually looks pretty empty inside, however we were pleasantly surprised.
Every dish we had was excellent, soup, appetizers, and both of our entrees. All the meat was cooked perfectly tender, and the spice was delicious. We will definetly be back for more.

When I first walked in I thought to myself… is this really a Vietnamese place? The ambiance is very nice, the purple glow of the bar adds a calming aura to the place, but I grew up on Vietnamese food in little Saigon where everything is crammed together, the waiters are bustling around, and the food is cheap.
The food as well gave off a pretentious façade. I had the pork /​spring roll vermicilli. The plating was very nice, with everything separated, and displayed on a big plate. But really when you got down to the basics, it just was not good. The noodles were mushy, they are supposed to be dry and sticky. The pork was overly sweet, but tender, not what my taste buds are used to.
Simply put they just tried too hard. I think they should get back to their roots and start from there.

This is a new restaurant in Shirlington, and due to its location on the newer side, it doesn’t get very much traffic — so it needs support! I’ve been three times, and each time my meal has been fantastic, and the service is just as great.
Tonight I went for my birthday dinner. we met the manager who explained that he has tried to set his prices low because of the current state of the economy. I had the soft-​shell crap special — which was 3 soft shell crabs on a bed of salad and sauteed veggies for under 20 bucks. I don’t know where else you will find a value like that. My brother had the fish of the day special, and he said it was the best he has had. All of our meals were under $ 20. To finish off the meal, they brought out a complimentary dessert — bananas flambé with lychee ice cream for the whole table of 6! That certainly impressed me as many restaurants in the area have started charging for that birthday dessert. I really recommend the bananas flambé whether or not it is a special occasion — delish! Entrees I would recommend: fish of the day special, soft-​shell crab special, sea bass special, and lemon grass beef. Currently they don’t have an outdoor patio — but the manager told us they will by the end of the month!

Sooooooo good. The food was outstanding, and the atmosphere was warm and tropical (in perception, not temperature…). Everything I ate — there was wonton soup, ginger noodles, beef, chicken, shrimp, fried rice, and more that I can’t remember — I look forward to ordering again, and the menu was full of dishes I can’t wait to test. Their «mild» spicy level was a bit soft for my taste, but full of flavor; I’ll have to try the spicier version next time. My only disappointment was the weak passion fruit marguerita, but that didn’t take away at all from the meal and wasn’t considered anything of a speciality anyway.
Saigonique is a smallish restaurant that makes good use of the space without diners feeling cramped. Overall the place seems to fall on the fancy side of Vietnamese cooking (for at least the places I’ve been). I’ll be interested to hear how others feel it compares to competing Vietnamese restaurants around the area. I’ll definitely be back many more times regardless, though.

Great addition to Shirlington — I forget exactly what i had, it was a special and it was soooo delicious. I cannot wait to go back and try more. The interior is one of the most interesting designs I’ve seen. Great place to go on a date!

Exquisite gourmet! Vietnam is one of the few countries I have not visited yet but I definitely want to for the cuisine! I’ve never tried home cooked Vietnamese yet, either, so I only have restaurants to compare this experience to. I’ve had Vietnamese food in Japan, Germany, and various parts of the US. Tonight’s meal was the very best! I had been waiting a year for Saigonique to open its doors. It’s in Shirlington, around the corner from Johnny Rockets, across the street from Harris Teeter.
I expected my appetizer to be derived from French influence, and bear the appearance of a baguette; boy, was I ever wrong! It was incredibly delicious though! As with all gourmet food, the serving sizes are intended for humans instead of elephants and it leaves me hungering for me!
I’m a sucker for new eggplant experiences, so when I saw it offered with filet mignon, who was I to say ‘no’? Am I not a mere mortal, after all??? The filet mignon was deliciously tender, melt-​in-​your-​mouth as to be expected, and especially delicious with the dipping sauce. The eggplant was spread out over a green leaf perhaps, with nuts sprinkled over it? It was deliciously spiced on one side, and then ran out of OOMPH at the other end — I guess they didn’t extend the seasoning all the way to the end? Anyway, dipping it into the dipping sauce complemented it perfectly as well — I’m easy to please.
The interior of the restaurant was beautifully decorated. In the ceiling appeared to be an electric fan, shaped as native tropical leaves, slowly fanning back and forth. Plenty of native statues and artwork along the walls gave the place an authentic feel. A beautiful woman sat at the bar keeping a watchful eye; I never did figure out her purpose? Was she part of the native scenery, although she was dressed American? Was she a girlfriend of an employee? Was she the owner watching over the employees? Hmmmmm… All of the working staff were males. Two men were dressed sharply in suits while all the workers appeared to be dressed in a native style shirt.
I’ll be back to sample more of this exquisite gourmet food for sure!