New Saigon, Denver, Colorado

New Saigon at 630 S Federal Blvd is apparently one of the oldest (if not the oldest) Vietnamese restaurant in Denver. This place was recommended to me by a Vietnamese colleague who's a native of Denver, so I was expecting something pretty good.

We started off with the nem nuong. Pretty tasty but somehow I still preferred the slightly coarser mince that gave us a heartier chew in the ones served in Vietnam. Still, it was rather tasty and our hungry party finished it in no time.

Next came a giant platter of various appetizers which we wrapped in rice paper rolls and dipped into the sweet and salty fish sauce. Great for groups, there was a little bit of everything in here. The spring rolls with minced pork and the grilled lemon grass pork chops stood out particularly.

More meat came in the form of grilled lemon grass chicken thighs. Not bad, but somehow the grilled pork chops still had a nicer texture and flavor.

The grilled mussels with scallions were a nice reminiscent of the street-side shellfish I enjoyed so much in Vietnam. These were fresh and plump.

We finished off the meal with a big hotpot seafood in a bath of sweet and spicy broth. Although this was just tad bit sweet, it went well when accompanied with rice. Thanks to JT for the recommendation, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

D

Little India Restaurant, Denver, Colorado

As with New York, there seems to be a rather decent distribution of Indian restaurants across the rest of the USA. We chanced upon this place as it was rather near the convention center an the all-you-can-eat buffet for under 10bucks seemed pretty reasonable too.

Even though the food was not cooked to order, the steady stream of clientale ensured that it was replenished constantly keeping it fresh on the buffet line. The tandoori chicken although not as charred as I would like tasted well marinated, the deep-fried veggies were tasty enough for me to finish all the vegetables on my plate and the naan had a decent balance of crisp and chew.

There was also a rather good selection of curries which was flavorsome, although none of them were really spicy enough to give me a kick. Interestingly enough, we actually came here twice in a row because we felt the first time was that good.

D