VIETNAM ON VENTURA SAIGON ANNIE'S HOMETOWN FAVORITES ADD NEW FLAVOR TO THE BOULEVARD.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic 'ARE YOU Saigon Annie?'' I ask the blond waitress. ``No,'' she answers with a grin, ``I'm Saigon Sharon.'' Later in the meal at the new Saigon Annie restaurant in Studio City, the real Saigon Annie emerges from the kitchen in an apron and asks us if we're enjoying her food. As she chats, she deftly spices up a bowl of bun bi (shredded pork with extra thin rice noodles Rice noodles are noodles that are made from rice. Their principal ingredients are rice flour and water. However, sometimes other ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are also added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the , $5.50) with some of the handy condiments on the table along with a few drops of Vietnamese sweet and sour sweet and sour adj → agridulce sauce. The svelte Annie with an engaging personality recently opened the first Vietnamese cafe on Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is the oldest route in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. . Replacing Thai Cottage, Saigon Annie presents much of the fare that similar Vietnamese restaurants in Van Nuys and Reseda serve up. But probably because the rent is higher here, so are the prices. Not much, though, with the majority of the dishes going for well under $10 each. Annie's house specialty, a quartet of deep-fried, cha gio spring rolls ($5.99), are delicious, crunchy goodies that can be wrapped in lettuce leaves with mint and dipped in the appropriate sauce. These are much better here than the more traditional see-through, rice paper-wrapped rolls, one with shredded pork ($5.99) and the other with both pork and shrimp ($4.99). Soups can be had as starters or main courses. I like the sweet and sour catfish soup, served here for two ($7.99). Naturally, there are the traditional pho beef and noodle soups. These arrive in bigger bowls and can be had with varied beef parts ($5.99) for a gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. meal. But my preference is for the extra-thin rice noodle bowls called bun, particularly the bun bo xao ($5.99) with sliced, garlic-flavored beef, lemon grass lem·on·grass also lemon grass n. A tropical grass (Cymbopogon citratus) native to southern India and Sri Lanka, yielding an aromatic oil used as flavoring and in perfumery and medicine. Noun 1. , onion, lettuce, cucumber, mint leaves and roasted peanuts. The cool and refreshing saladlike mixtures can be tossed as desired with condiments that are on the table (hot chile sauce, hoisin sauce hoi·sin sauce n. A thick, sweet, pungent sauce used in Chinese cooking. [Chinese (Cantonese) hoísin, seafood, equivalent to Chinese (Mandarin) h , Vietnamese fish sauce fish sauce n. See nuoc mam. , soy sauce and vinegar) along with the delivered sweet and sour sauce. One of them, bun thit nuong ($5.99), contains crispy grilled pork slices that taste very good with the noodles noo·dle 1 n. A narrow, ribbonlike strip of dried dough, usually made of flour, eggs, and water. [German Nudel. , mint leaves, cucumber, lettuce and bean sprouts. Tender pieces of wok-cooked, cubed filet mignon ($10.99) also come up in a salad-type presentation on lettuce and mint leaves et al. with rice on the side, though it's listed as a rice plate. Numerous sweet beverages and fruit shakes are available to soothe the palate in case you've daubed daub v. daubed, daub·ing, daubs v.tr. 1. To cover or smear with a soft adhesive substance such as plaster, grease, or mud. 2. To apply paint to (a surface) with hasty or crude strokes. too much chile sauce on your dishes. One of them ($2.99) is made with that peculiar durian durian, the highly esteemed, edible fruit of Durio zibethinus. The edible portions are the seeds found inside the large spiny fruits, which may weigh several pounds. fruit of very refreshing taste but terrible smell. No wonder there's a law in Singapore that puts offenders in jail for leaving durian in hotel rooms. At Studio City's Saigon Annie, however, you may order it without worrying about getting arrested. Just don't sit near me. SAIGON ANNIE Food: Three stars. Wine: Two stars. Service: Three stars. Where: 11266 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. Hours: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily except Monday. Recommended items: Catfish sweet and sour soup, deep-fried spring roll, shrimp and pork salad, thin rice noodle dishes, combination pho beef noodle soup Beef noodle soup is a Chinese noodle soup dish composed of stewed beef, beef broth, vegetables and Chinese noodles. It exists in various forms throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia. It was created by the Hui people (a Chinese Muslim group) during the Tang Dynasty of China. bowls, diced filet mignon with rice. How much: Starters from $5 to $8, entrees from $6 to $15, sweet fruit shakes $3 each. Beer and wine. All major credit cards. Wine list: Short, single page, 19-label list of wines from $15 to $35 per bottle and nine by the glass from $4 to $5.50. Reservations: Taken. Call (818) 769-4653. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Ann Nguyen, below, co-owner and namesake of Saigon Annie in Studio City, offers Vietnamese dishes that include spring rolls, crispy egg noodles with beef or seafood, left center. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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