Saigon on Lakeland

This little Vietnamese eatery rates high on my list of places to catch some Asian food in Jackson. My general sentiment in regards to eating healthy is that my average meal here (bun dac biet - noodles with 'everything') is a treat, and not a good diet staple, in moderation it's surely better than a lot of the alternatives, and it's still better than several varieties of deep fried boneless chicken from the steam table. Beyond that, there are certainly other menu items that may appeal and not destroy the waistline. Not the least among these would surely be their soups which most anyone with a reasonable sense of culinary adventure raves about.

Probably what I love best about the place is the down home nature of the business that translates, in a this-is-Asian way, into the food. Not your average pre-packaged, cooked to corporate direction, always the same meals, the food is 'real' in a way that even cooking at home doesn't seem to be as much anymore. The staff is friendly and willing to accommodate requests and help you find something on the menu that will suit your taste, as well as diet.

While the service may be a little chaotic at times, and I've even had to point to what I want on the menu and simply say, "I want that," to convey an order on occasion, everyone is always friendly and tend to remember those who have been in only a handful of times, gladly stopping to chat a little, give a few lessons in speaking the language, at least enough to make an order, and I even had one waitress note that a friend and I seemed more inclined toward a little adventure who offered to have the dishes we were ordering prepared more traditionally to give us that little bit more authentic home style flavor.