Saigon Subs: New Cuisine, Good Food

Restaurant: Saigon Subs
Address: 1809 Eldridge Parkway #109, Houston, Texas 77077
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 10/15/15

Photo Credit: https://d.zmtcdn.com/data/pictures/6/16893036/55176b697b7b2a546869f8f4020f2518_160_thumb.jpg

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Sorry I am running behind on writing the reviews. I have been really busy with school and because of school I have to constantly push back publishing dates for my reviews. Anyways, today's review is of a sandwich shop. It's not your usual Subway or a deli with vegetarian/seafood items. It's actually a Vietnamese sandwich shop. Yup another halal cuisine in Houston! It is obvious that it's Vietnamese because the restaurant name, Saigon Subs, has the former name of Ho Chi Minh City which is Saigon. I actually have never been to a Vietnamese sandwich shop, though I have tried vegetarian egg rolls and vegetarian spring rolls (the ones that are white and can see the fillings. I had a ray of belief that there would be some Vietnamese place that would be halal, but it's a challenge because of the extremely wide consumption of pork in Vietnamese cuisine. That was until I discovered that in Fullerton, California, there was a place that had halal pho! Pho (pronounced "fa") is a really popular Vietnamese noodle soup consisting of meat, noodles, and broth. It is a really popular street food item in Vietnam. I saw that it serves pho the exact same way as popular pho places serve here in Houston. A year and a half later, I discovered that this place had halal beef! I had been wanting to go ever since. The time for me came to try after I finished for the week at Prairie View A&M University. Our childhood friends and their mom, who is good friends with my mom, were visiting from Boston. I had time before going to pick them up, so I decided to give this place a try.



Let The Experience Begin!
Saigon Subs is located in the same strip mall as the relocated Crespo Pizza (I got a cheese pizza and Pepsi because I hadn't eaten anything since morning and was extremely hungry since it was around 3 PM) The ambiance was dark. The radio was playing, and there was a friendly lady ready to take my order. After confirming the halal status, I was ready to order.



Let's Eat!
I ordered the grilled beef banh mi. Banh Mi is basically Vietnamese bread, similar to a French baguette. It's a very popular snack in Vietnam. The banh mi sandwich comes with cilantro, pickled shredded carrots, and cucumbers. I also got a bottle of water. The waiting time was 7 minutes and 13 seconds.



Menu: Banh Mi, Subs, Smoothies, Coffee, Tea
This place, like the vast majority of Vietnamese places, serve pork. Pate is pork liver, so be careful. I saw them go inside the kitchen to cook the meat. They then came and put the remaining things in.

Beef Banh Mi

The Verdict:

The Banh Mi was actually pretty good! The grilled beef was really flavorful. The vegetables were fresh and the bread wasn't stale at all! The food was washed down with a bottle of water. Good job Saigon Subs!

The service was good too. The person was really friendly. I had no problems.

Conclusion:

I would definitely give this place another try, and you guys should give this place a try. It's the only Vietnamese restaurant that has halal meat here in Houston. You won't be disappointed. Now the countdown for a halal Vietnamese place with both banh mi and pho begins!

Grading:

Service: 8/10

Food: 8/10

Total: 16/20 = 80% (B)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information: 

Saigon Subs
1809 Eldridge Parkway #109, Houston, Texas 77077
Phone: (281) 759-5429
Website: http://www.saigonsubs.net/index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Saigon-Subs-659477844148045/
Timings: Mon-Sat: 10:30 AM - 8 PM; Sun: closed
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below, message me on Facebook, or send me an email!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

The Burger Palace- First Higher End Burger Experience

Restaurant: The Burger Palace
Address: 2800 Sage Road, Houston, Texas 77056
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 10/1/2015

Photo Credit: http://rdc.rdcimage.com/partner-images/55137/micrositeimage_430013photo1.jpg

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Welcome to my latest review! Today I will be reviewing a new spot for halal burgers: The Burger Palace. It was the birthday for a very good friend of mine from UH, and the next day, it was my sister's birthday. Coincidentally, I was going to attend the birthday party for a very good friend of mine at the Galleria. So this was the nearest halal place to the Galleria. After the class finished at Prairie View A&M, I drove to the restaurant.



Let The Restaurant Experience Begin!
Burger Palace is located in a really nice neighborhood. The cars surrounding it were really fancy ones, and there were places that were pretty expensive. It's also a short walk from the JW Marriott, which is a pretty expensive hotel. There were tables and chairs, like every other restaurant. After the friendly waitress gave me the menu, I was ready to order after a few minutes.



Let's Eat!
I ordered the Florence Burger, which was chicken burger with sun-dried tomato pesto, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, spinach, and garlic aioli. I also got truffle fries. I paid a grand total of $17.21. While waiting, I was busy being in contact with my parents about what my sister wanted for her birthday.



Menu (click to view): Starters, Salads, Kobe Burgers, Sliders, Chicken Burger and Sandwiches, Veggie Burgers, Gourmet Sandwiches, Sides, Drinks, Shakes
Only the chicken items are halal. On the website, they advertise it as kosher, but I had verified with them that it was actually halal.

Left: Florence burger. Right: truffle fries

The Verdict:
The burger was actually pretty good. It wasn't good as Stanton's though, but it was better than Elevation. The truffle fries were absolutely outstanding. Truffle fries are more crispier than regular potato fries. This definitely hit the spot. Food was washed down with a glass of water.
The service was good. Nothing bad about it. The person helping me was very nice.



Conclusion:
I would give this place another try, and I would definitely order the truffle fries again. If you are shopping and want to grab a bite near the Galleria and not have fast food, then you should give this place a try.



Grading:
Service: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Total: 16/20 = 80% (B)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
The Burger Palace
2800 Sage Road, Houston, Texas 77056
Phone: (713) 877-9700
Website: http://www.burgerpalacehouston.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theburgerpalace
Timings: Mon-Sat: 11 AM - 10 PM; Sun: closed
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below, send me a message on Faccebook, or send me an email!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Tandoori Garden- Another New Cuisine

Restaurant: Tandoori Garden
Address: 2002 Fry Road, Katy, Texas
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 9/26/14


Background:
Salam/hey guys! Welcome to my latest review. Sorry I have been out for a while as I have been busy with life and am currently sick. Anyways, my latest review is on Tandoori Garden. Why would I go to a place like this? It's because it features a new cuisine in the Houston halal food scene- Nepalese. Nepalese cuisine is very similar to Indian cuisine. They have various curries that are popular in both countries. One notable Nepalese dish is momo, which is essentially a Tibetan dumpling. It's basically the Tibetan version of Mantoo. They also have curries that use Nepali spices. There are some differences between Indian and Nepalese food. Nepalese food is generally less spicy than Indian food, and Nepalese curries do not have cream or curd. So the Nepalese curries have thinner gravy and is more watery. Also, Nepalese cuisine do not make green vegetable paste. The green vegetables are actually stir-fried and chopped. Finally, Nepalese food doesn't contain any sugar. Anyways, I set off to the restaurant. Before going, I called the restaurant and confirmed that they served halal meat



Let The Experience Begin!
Tandoori Garden is located next to Katy Halal Market. Inside, the ambiance was pretty nice. There was Indian music playing. I was immediately helped to a table, got a glass of water, then went to the buffet.



Let's Eat!
After seeing the options, I was disappointed. I was expecting some fresh momos, since they're the most known Nepalese dish. There was only one Nepalese dish, which was the Nepalese lamb goat curry. Everything else was the usual Indian fare. I got the tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, the kachumber salad, pulao rice, and the Nepalese lamb curry. I forgot the price, but it was indeed fairly priced.



Menu: http://www.tandoorigardenkaty.com/our-menue/
Besides the few Nepali style items, the menu is made up of mainly Indian dishes. They have the typical kababs, curries, and rice items.

The Food

The Verdict:

Overall, the food was average. The tandoori chicken was cold when I had it. The kachumbar salad literally burned my mouth. They did give out free naan, which was actually really nice was crispy. The rice was also good. The goat curry was decent. Overall, two side thumbs

The service was normal. I neither have any praises nor complaints about it.

Conclusion: 

Well, I would only go when I try their momos in the future or if I am with people. But for the buffet, I give it a pass. The food at the buffet didn't convince me to try their Indian food again to be honest. I will provide an update on how the momos are.

Grading:

Service: 8/10

Food: 5.5/10

Total: 13.5/20 = 67.5% (D)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Tandoori Garden

2002 Fry Road, Katy, Texas

Phone: (281) 579-7778

Website: http://www.tandoorigardenkaty.com/index.php

Facebook: None

Timings: Mon-Sun lunch: 11 AM - 2:30 PM; Dinner: 5 PM - 10 PM

Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below, send me an email, or message me on Facebook!

Cheers!

Zain Mohammed