1792 Main St
Wailuku, Maui, HI 96793
(808) 243-9560
Parking: in parking lot and street parking
Last Visited: July 8, 2003
Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
A Saigon Café is known for being difficult to find. Everyone seems to know it by the large satellite dish that is next door. At the time of my visit, they had the neon ‘open’ sign on, but still no main sign. I asked the waitstaff about it and they said the sign was in back, but they hadn’t put it up yet. I think they like being a little mysterious and being known as the place without a sign.
I had a great lunch experience. So good that I went back for dinner, and that’s where I was disappointed. The food for lunch was excellent. The food for dinner was not so. It’s a popular place for locals and tourists alike.
- Sugar cane shrimp pops – Ground shrimp paste is put on sugar cane and steamed, then grilled. The flavor from the sugar cane accents the shrimp. Very nicely presented and great taste make this one definitely worth a try.
- Curry and lemongrass beef – This dish is available with pretty much any type of meat. It’s intense flavor is best with a side of white rice to absorb all the sauce. Very good.
I remember also having a noodle dish that I thought was quite good. So what went wrong? Dinner. The waitstaff was very pushy about having us try some of their crab. It no longer became a recommendation, but more of a selling experience, and that’s not my thing during dinner. Perhaps it was the selection of dishes, or the expectation, but the dinner dishes were not up to par. None of them hit the mark. All had some subtle problem, and since this review is being written at a much later date than the visit, I’ll leave it at this – try their popular dishes like the shrimp pops and curry dishes, but be wary of visiting multiple times and trying out other foods as the level of disappointment may ruin the initial sparkling impression.
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