By: Rut Labrada, Staff writer 

Promenade Shopping Plaza has always been a center for restaurants and stores within the city of Valdosta, featuring places such as Books a Million and Mori, but a new restaurant opened in the plaza three months ago, calling for all foodies to stop by and have lunch: Saigon Corner. 

Saigon Corner is located right next door to Books a Million, and it is open every day except for Sundays. 

The restaurant prides itself on its Vietnamese dishes, serving various types of pho, banh mi, stir fries, boba tea and more. 

Upon entering on a Tuesday afternoon, I was greeted warmly by the staff, and I was struck by the relaxing ambiance. The interior used the colors white and brown to create a very cozy yet modern environment, and calming elevator-style music rang throughout the restaurant. 

As an appetizer, I ordered the $9.99 beef ball soup, which had a nice fragrance of fresh herbs. The soup itself had a very mild flavor, perhaps a little bland, but it served well to whet my appetite while still leaving me room for the entree. 

After the soup, I had the special hot plate sandwich, priced at $17.99, a type of banh mi featuring tender beef steak, a fried egg, and a Vietnamese pate, a banh mi essential often made from liver. 

The entire dish was served on a skillet plate in the shape of a cow, which added a lot of fun to the experience. 

The first thing I noticed when I saw the dish was the bread, or banh mi. It was a perfectly cooked loaf, and when I squished it, it made the perfect crunching sound, almost reminiscent of the famous bread scene from “Ratatouille.” 

The dish itself was wonderful, and the savory flavor of the meat and onions was perfectly complemented by the cilantro garnish, making for a well-balanced meal, although I would have liked more of the bread to match the abundance of meat. 

Compared to Stone Pho, the other resident Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon Corner is more affordable with its prices, although the difference in food quality would need further testing before a solid comparison could be made. 

Altogether, Saigon Corner is a bit pricey for the average college student, but its high-quality dishes and tender meats make up for the fact, and it is a worthwhile location for Valdosta residents to visit and enjoy Vietnamese cuisine.