You know you’re in Louisiana when you’re sitting in a Vietnamese restaurant that was a MetroPCS payment center the last time you drove past, eyeballing a menu that lists a possibly (but most likely not) Spongebob Squarepants-inspired dish called squid and pineapple alongside gar and buffalo fish baskets (the Houma kind of buffalo, not the Okla-homa kind). If you’re not into squid or gar, maybe you’d prefer the seafood bird’s nest ($12.95), lobster with ginger and onion ($27.95) or a Vietnamese water vegetable stir-fry ($8.25)? Or maybe just some chicken wings ($4.95)? These are the kinds of choices you’ll be asked to make at La. Seafood & Pho Sai Gon (273 E. 70th Street, Shreveport).
So far, I’ve had the baking hen pho ($7.50), which was fantastic, and I’ve sampled a combination pho that my friend ordered. My favorite part of that combination pho? Soft-boiled quail eggs bobbing around in the delicious broth. I’ve shared an appetizer plate of outrageously good chicken wings coated in a delicious, spicy batter. I’ve eaten the seafood bird’s nest, out of curiosity. That behemoth consisted of a huge nest of crispy noodles housing shrimp, calamari, scallops and more. The lemongrass chicken ($7.25) here is the best that I’ve had, and the roasted pork rice platter ($8.90) (pictured above) was probably the prettiest Vietnamese lunch I’ve eaten in Shreveport-Bossier.
Even if you already have a Vietnamese restaurant that you consider a second home, Pho Sai Gon is worth a visit. The family who run it are from New Orleans, I’m told. They’re friendly folks who’ll answer your questions about the bizarre-looking desserts in the cooler beside the register. The bare dining room has practically no decor, and your table may wobble a bit. But you’re here for the stuff on the menu – and what a fun menu it is.
Pho Sai Gon is located at 273 E. 70th Street in Shreveport, Louisiana. Menu item prices, phone number and more will be posted as soon as the author runs home and removes the menu from its place of honor on his refrigerator.
