Chris V.
Yelp
Vegas still doesn't know how to do Vietnamese food.
Saigon Baguette is an inexplicably well-Yelped business tucked away in the corner of a now-crowded Spring Mountain plaza containing Shigotonin, Pier 88 Boiling Seafood, Napal Baji BBQ, and other restaurants. They're also only open from the morning through the afternoon.
I wanted to try several different items which I usually like. Pate Chaud / Pate So ($3.75) is usually a good option, and it may have been the best of what I had here. The meat filling was moist and reasonably well-seasoned, albeit easily not the most flavorful I've had. The pastry shell is not that flaky and seems to coat the tongue as you eat the Pate Chaud, perhaps because of grease.
Banh Gio ($4.25) is a large pyramid-shaped rice dumpling wrapped in banana leaf. You can open it from the wide base and hold it as a cone while digging into the contents, although I recommend emptying it into a bowl at home. The best I have to say about this version is that it's clearly suitable for low-sodium diets. The entirety of the rice flour exterior isn't mushy at least, but it's bland. The interior is also pretty blandexcept for some oddly fiery note, perhaps black pepper? The hard-boiled quail egg is fine but not necessary.
The last item which I tried was Banh Mi Thit Nguoi ($7.00), which they call their "combination." I couldn't tell what they combined except maybe one slice of Vietnamese pork roll and a variety of non-Vietnamese deli-sliced hams. There is a visible pate layer, but it's so devoid of flavor that it might as well not be there. The pickled carrot and daikon also barely taste of pickling.
I keep asking myself why I keep giving Vietnamese food in Vegas more chances. Maybe it's time to stop. Not only is it subpar compared to California, but it's getting more and more overpriced.