With its powder blue and dusty-beige walls, robust artificial trees and curious red-gold table tops, Saigon Bay isn’t set to win any interior design awards. But when you’re seeking good food, it’s best to look beyond clashing colors and dusty piles of magazines, as I did at Saigon Bay, and concentrate on what comes out of the kitchen. This friendly restaurant offers a largely Vietnamese menu, with some Chinese dishes thrown in for good measure. Most popular with customers is the pho, or traditional Vietnamese noodle soup, offered in three sizes. We ordered the large ($6.75), which was eye-poppingly enormous—I can’t imagine how big the extra-large portion ($7.25) is. There are 14 pho from which to choose, and, encouraged by the owner, I decided on the dac biet, filled with a variety of beef cuts plus tripe and beef “meat balls” (that looked and tasted like sausage). The soup comes accompanied by a plateful of fresh herbs, bean sprouts and thinly-sliced jalapeno peppers, and, when all ingredients are stirred enthusiastically together, the soup becomes a savory and economical feast for the senses and the belly. The clay pot fish, com ca kho to, was fabulous, bathed in an intense and complexly sweet sauce, the chunks of fish were moist and flaky. Other recommended menu items include the B.B.Q. pork Chow Fun (hu tieu)—chewy, flavorful slices of marinated barbecued pork tossed with silky, slippery wide noodles, bean sprouts and carrots; and the mild, cleanly flavored chicken and broccoli stir-fry. Located on busy Howe Avenue near Arden Fair Mall, Saigon Bay is a family-friendly, welcoming restaurant that’s well worth a visit the next time you’re hankering for tasty Asian cuisine. — Kira O'Donnell

Insider tip: Vegetarians will be pleased with Saigon Bay’s menu selection of non-meat dishes, including the vegetarian tofu and noodle soup.

Reservations: Recommended for parties of eight or more

Payment methods: MasterCard, Visa

Alcohol: Wine and beer

Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10 a.m.–9 p.m. (one menu)
Closed Monday