I come to Saigon about two or three times a year. And whenever I do, I ALWAYS eat at Au Parc. Often twice a day. Their roasted Greek salads are great. And I always have avocado and chicken added. Chicken skewers? Perfect! Chicken wrap? Perfect! The staff and the service? Could not be better! They are always so attentive and willing to help out any way they can.
On Saturday evening November 4, I dropped in again for another delicious dinner. A roasted Greek salad with avocado, Diet Coke and their great baguettes with butter.
After dinner, I asked the waiter if I could order two pork Banh Mi's to go. I was flying home the next morning to San Francisco and I wanted to put them in the fridge at the hotel that night and then take them with me on the long flight home the next morning.
The waiter was very gracious, and brought them out and showed me that they had wrapped each banh mi in foil, and put them in a plastic container with napkins for the long journey. I was very appreciative.
The next day, at 33,000 feet somewhere abeam Hong Kong, I unwrapped the first banh mi, and couldn't believe what I was holding. It was a bread roll. Period. Nothing in it, and the bread wasn't even sliced in order to put anything in it.
How can this be? I thought.
So I took out the second banh mi, opened it up, unwrapped it, and once again a roll with nothing inside. It wasn't even cut open.
Was this a joke? I wondered. Was the chef trying to prank somebody in the kitchen and messed it up and left the empty rolls in my takeout containers by mistake?
I have no idea.
I thought of calling the restaurant at my intermediate stop in Tokyo, but I figured the person who would answer the phone probably wouldn't have any idea what I was talking about. So instead, I'm writing this review and hoping that it gets somebody's attention.
Pat Palazzolo,
Fremont, California USA