The spanking new establishment at the corner of 6th and Mission, two ragged blocks south of Westfield Shopping Centre, stands far apart from its current neighbors as a full sit-down restaurant serving tasty Vietnamese fare that feels refreshingly light.
Diners choose from a sizeable menu of hearty pho, bold vermicelli soups, fragrant rice plates, crispy noodles and various stir-frys, which all come with friendly service. The offerings are known to sit on the lighter side- big helpings of romaine, bean sprouts, mint and lime and no gooey desserts or drippings soaking the fluffy rice.
The Bun Xeo is a solid example of flavor without being too heavy. The crepe arrived crisp and dark gold sparked with turmeric and a caramelized filling. Wrapped in lettuce, a few sprigs of mint and fish sauce, it makes the perfect bite.
While the spring rolls were a bit bland, the vermicelli took on a different flavor bathed in a full-bodied soup with a mound of smoky grilled shrimp atop. For a complete helping of prepared pork, the combination rice plate displays a smooth egg meatloaf, gritty shredded pork and perfectly grilled pork with glistening grill marks and narrow belts of fat. The steamed meatloaf may be the heaviest item on the menu by virtue of its density, a mixture of ground pork, black fungus, vermicelli, and eggs to bind it together.
Regrettably, the banana cake resembled a rubbery bread pudding with blank taro-like wedges. The cassava cake features a delicate balance of soft and toothy, sweet but hardly saccharine.
Guests dine in a comfortable, airy room with bright partly-clouded skies painted overhead and clean décor along the perimeter. Owner Chi Van Vo’s distinct vision for the restaurant and fierce determination helped him win the lease and carve a business out of a space that had sat vacant for the last five years.
“I love cooking. I’m happy that I can do whatever I like,” Vo said, about being a businessowner. His favorite dinner includes the traditional hot and sour soup with catfish and sea bass with a sweet tomato sauce.
Miss Saigon, which celebrated its grand opening in June, is the 28th new business to open since 2003 as part of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency’s Sixth Street Economic Revitalization Program. The program offers forgivable loans toward façade and tenant improvements which are drawn down as business owners remain open and invested in the neighborhood, according to Urban Solutions Development and Communications Director Maureen Futtner.
Vo spotted a sign in a vacant Polk Street storefront and contacted Urban Solutions, a San Francisco non-profit which distributes the Program’s loans and provides leasing services between business owners and property owners. The organization works to strengthen disadvantaged communities by increasing commercial activity. “If one person fixes a building, his neighbors will feel peer pressure or take more pride that the neighborhood is being spruced up,” explained Futtner. “Other residents and businesses will feel the desire to invest more.”
“I heard that this location was very bad before,” Vo said. “But in the last five years, the neighborhood has cleaned up very good, five businesses moved in. I can tell that it’s getting better and better.”
“For decades, half of the street was boarded up. It was a chicken and egg thing, no one wanted to move there,” said Mike Grisso, Project Manager for the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. “Eventually, we’d like to get a critical mass of businesses.”
The Agency grants two dollars for every dollar the business owner spends on façade development, and matches every dollar spent on tenant improvements.
In the absence of strong businesses, communities suffer. “Where people are coming and going from ten in the morning to nine at night, illegal activity in a corner which was formerly very dark is replaced by positive activity and excitement,” Futtner said.
Today, there are still boarded up properties lining the corridor. “The vacancy rate has dropped from 45% to 15%, which is much lower but still too high. We are hoping for less than 5%, which is typical of a good neighborhood,” Grisso said.
“We’re really happy with Miss Saigon. It looks great, it’s doing well,” Grisso said. “The success of Miss Saigon and others shows that we’re on the right track – this is an area that is crying out for neighborhood serving retail.”
