Saigon Bay, Tampa

Welcome to restaurant reviews by go gin chow this is the  food ninja.  I have some insight on a Vietnamese restaurant called Saigon Bay in Tampa close to the USF campus. It really is a nice restaurant. From the outside you could not really see the great decor inside. The outside is really deceiving. I was impressed when I walked in with my family. It was like wow! They kept it modern, but authentic, with all the bamboo they used in different ways to dress up the place. They did a great job and the food was spot on in every way. The broth in my pho soup was really an awakening to my taste buds and the vegetables were fresh and crisp. The service was up to par. I'd say this is a great affordable place to get some great food for families and students. So please keep an eye out for this great little place in Tampa if you are anywhere near the USF  campus. Take from the food ninja look for this place and stop on in and please enjoy. You will not be disappointed.

This is Shadow for Go Gin Chow.  Definitely one of the best things about this place is its atmosphere.  Walls are decorated with bamboo poles giving the illusion that you are dining in the middle of a bamboo thicket, very cool.  Food is decent.  Soups come with a complimentary side salad, which is nice, salad dressing was good.  Respectable bowl of Beef Pho, broth was good, variety of meats, though meatballs are not included in the Special Pho and had to be ordered at an additional charge.  Seafood Pho was good, nice jumbo rings of calamari.  Shrimp and Crab with vermicelli soup broth was a little bland, but the crab claws were definately a nice touch.  Service was pretty good, though there may be a bit of a communication barrier (as they do not speak English very well), they were still very friendly and did their best to try and understand you.  Clean bathrooms.  Will definitely be back.

                                                           Saigon Bay
                                                           2373 E Fowler Ave
                                                          Tampa, FL 33612
                                                          (813) 971-0854

Complimentary Salad

Herbs that Accompanied the Soups

Pho Dac Biet with Meatballs (extra)

Seafood Pho

Shrimp and Crab Soup with Vermicelli

Close-up of Crab Claws in Soup

Saigon Bistro, Lakeland

Restaurant reviews by the food ninja for goginchow reporting on the Saigon  Bistro in Lakeland in Lakeside Village Mall. Great hospitality, good food,  nice decor, and good prices. Friendly servers seat you as soon as you enter the door. They are attentive and polite and the owner treats you like family when she does her rounds to make sure everyone is happy and satisfied, as she has a nice little conversation with you. Now the beef soup or pho is great. A lot of heart went into making it and a lot of good ingredients as well.  The bahn mi sandwiches could use a little work  but not bad. The herbs and vegetables that come with the soup come out fresh and crisp they have a great menu there that I am sure will have something that appeals to everyone. so you will be happy the prices are reasonable, I didn't complain. The inside decor is warm and welcoming. It also has an open floor plan so you don't feel packed in and the bathroom is clean. So if you are just shopping around that area or coming out from just watching a movie, this is a great place to hang out with friends or family to get some great chow within your budget. I would highly suggest going there. This is the food ninja, you wont be disappointed. Well as  I always say please enjoy.

Greeting folks.  This is Shadow.  Thank goodness for this place!  I am a happy man.  Recently opened in the middle of the mall right next to the movie theater, excellent location.  The decor is very hip and modern like a college cafe.  Everything is very clean and brand spanking new.   They have bright flat screen  TV's on the walls and stylized lights hanging from the ceiling.  Not your typical looking Vietnamese place, you would not expect to get authentic food here, but yet the food is pretty authentic.  The best thing on the menu by far is their Beef Pho.  The broth is flavorful and tastes freshly made, the clove and cinnamon are definitely there, just slightly too sweet, but I cannot complain, you will not find a better bowl of Pho anywhere else in Polk County.  Almost all the cuts of meat can be found here - Beef Eye of Round, Brisket, Meatballs, tendon, and tripe.  Portion size is generous.  The Pho is served with a side of basil and bean sprouts.  I did feel like the bean sprouts could be fresher especially since they are served raw.  I really did not enjoy anything else on the menu as much as the Beef Pho.  Pho Seafood was ok, but really nowhere near as satisfying as the beef.  Their Chief's Famous Soup was not bad, but the menu promised enoki mushrooms (my reason for ordering it) and they were nowhere to be found in my bowl.  Fried Spring rolls were pretty good, I liked how they served them with fresh mint.  Bahn Mi was disappointing, but was not far off.  Their rice plates with grilled meats look very appetizing as the plates are garnished well.  I really did appreciate that the owner always makes an effort to stop your table and say hi, thank you for coming, and even offer to show you how to eat the food if it is unfamiliar to you. Definitely make an effort to check this place out if you are in the area.  Happy Eating!

                                         Saigon Bistro, Lakeland
                                        1554 Town Ctr Dr W
                                        Lakeland, FL 33803
                                        (863) 686-6560

Crispy Spring Rolls

Grilled Beef Rice Plate

Chef's Famous Soup

Pho Dac Biet

Pho Seafood

Pho 88, Orlando

Welcome to go gin chow restaurant reviews by the food ninja. I will be reviewing a nice quaint little place called Pho 88 in Orlando. Location is on very busy street called colonial drive, so it's kind of hard to find parking, but luckily we went on good day. The service was pretty good. We were able to get a seat right away. The first thing I noticed were all the big mirrors, which gave the illusion that made the restaurant look bigger. It was a little bit a distraction, but if you ever needed to check your hair, you don't have to go far. Okay, back to the food, the soup was delicious and so were the spring rolls nice and crunchy and good flavors. The soup was a very nice surprise they kept the broth very authentic and bountiful with the different kinds of meats and noodles and herbs. I can honestly say this soup was the best bowl of noodles I ever had. The server was attentive and polite. The menu had a nice selection of dishes to choose from. The only down falls was that the decor inside was dated and the bathroom needs work and to be maintained better, but other than that the food and service was spot on. So I would highly suggest to stop in if you are in the area and want to grab some authentic Vietnamese  food at reasonable prices, this is your place. For I am the food ninja enjoy.

Shadow here.  Excellent place for Pho.  Hands down the best bowl of Pho I've had in Florida thus far.  Love the broth, very fresh and flavorful.   I could definitely taste the clove and cinnamon in the broth  and it was light and not greasy.  The Dac Biet (special) Pho had all the fixings, eye of round, brisket, flank steak, meatballs, tripe and tendon (something not so easy to come by in the places we've been to so far).  The cuts of meat were not too fatty.  Tripe was tender and not too rubbery. Tendon was sliced flat and thin and was easy to pick up with chopsticks.  Egg rolls were decent, crispy and tasty but nothing special.  Seating atmosphere was acceptable.  Sadly I too regret the bathroom experience.  No customer should ever be exposed to an unflushed toilet.  Granted this was likely the cause of a very inconsiderate customer, however the establishment  should make an effort to check and maintain the bathrooms from time to time to make sure this does not happen.  Despite this shortcoming, Shadow still strongly recommends this place.  Eat well.

                                                             Pho 88
                                                             730 N Mills Ave
                                                             Orlando, FL 32803

Egg Rolls

Pho Dac Biet

Pho Quyen, Tampa, Fowler Avenue

Welcome back to restaurant reviews by the food ninja for go-gin-chow. My take on Pho Quyen Tampa.  Good location but kind of hidden because it is in this great busy strip mall, but not visible from the main road. You have to look for it. As soon as we came in we were greeted by a man who it seemed that all his job entitled was to seat you and give you your menus. It probably would of been better if he smiled more and made better use of his time than just sit there, but on to the food and other things. The server was nice and prompt. The food came out quick and hot and it was pretty good and affordable. The soup I ordered was a nice treat for my taste buds and bountiful. I can not complain, except the egg rolls were lukewarm, but I like my egg rolls nice and hot. The broth from the soup was delicious and the beef was from the thin slices of beef to the tendon was appealing, but they were not flexible about changing the soup a little such as using a different noodle in my soup that they at their disposal, but the server did apologize. The inside decor needs some work, but the flowers being everywhere helped. The bathrooms are dated and need  a fresh coat paint, but overall the restaurant was not that bad I would recommend going there, but don't be expected to be blown away. It's just all right and affordable. For I am food ninja. Please enjoy.

Egg Rolls

Special Pho

Thuy Cafe

This is food ninja giving my restaurant review for go-gin-chow on Thuy Cafe a great little place in St. Petersburg  its serves up refreshing cold beverages such as boba tea with tapioca balls, but you don't have to put the tapioca balls in your drink. It still tastes great they have a vast variety of flavors for the boba tea,  but they also have a nice little menu that has a good selection of sandwiches. Everything priced reasonably. The inside decor is warm and cozy it's a nice place to go and just relax or to catch up with some reading. Either way you will enjoy because as soon as you walk in you are greeted with a nice smile and good service. For I am the ninja, please enjoy.

Bobba Smoothies: Left - Taro, Right - Lychee

Asia Fest 2012, Tampa (April 28, 2012)

Welcome to the go-gin-chow restaurant reviews from Ninja. Lets discuss Tampa Asia Fest 2012. I enjoyed it completely. It had great entertainment with traditional dances  from different Asian countries, very nice and the food was delicious.  Still think they needed more vendors, but very good food again at great prices  and affordable. They also had dragon boat races in the channel that got  part of the crowd excited and energized. The other part was engulfed and intrigued by the entertainment being heartfully performed by the people on stage while they nourished themselves with some great food and cold beverages. Here is a helpful hint get there early and bring your own lawn chair so you  can find a good place to park and you always have a place to sit. So this is Ninja try to make the next Asia Fest,  you won't regret it. Enjoy!