The noodles at the bottom of my lemon grass pork shoulder banh hoi (at lunch, $10.80) were squeezed for space. So was I: This Vietnamese takeout joint has only a few stools at a windowside ledge. With a little more room to maneuver, I might have given you a better look at the banh hoi, extruded "angel hair rice noodle[s]" that are fashioned into meshlike pads.
Traditionally, a single pad of cool banh hoi and a piece of hot pork shoulder (there's plenty, and it's tasty) would be bundled in a lettuce leaf and dunked in nuoc cham. Sadly, the lettuce provided by Saiguette wasn't suitable for wrapping — not that I had the elbow room anyway.
Saiguette
935 Columbus Ave. (at 106th St.), Manhattan
212-866-6888
