Restaurant veteran brings Vietnamese flavor to Lodi

Lee Chau is prepared to provide Lodi diners a course in Vietnamese Cuisine 101.

After all, his Saigon Grill is one of only two Vietnamese restaurants in Lodi.

At 26, Chau is already a veteran of the restaurant business. His family runs two locations of Viet Ha in Sacramento, and before Chau was born his mother worked in a restaurant in Vietnam.

The family fled to Maylasia from their home country during the Vietnam War. After that, a South Dakota church sponsored the Chaus to move to that state. Chau was born in South Dakota, then spent the bulk of his childhood in a Montana town that he said is smaller than Lodi.

The Chaus moved to Sacramento in 1990 to be closer to other family members, and there they opened Viet Ha. Asked what his job was at Viet Ha, Chau shrugs and says, "The owners' son?"

But he was eager to step into his new role of owner at Saigon Grill. He said the best way to characterize Vietnamese cuisine is "fresh," because the dishes are prepared with fresh meat, vegetable and sauces.

Chau, who now lives in Lodi, visited the city last fall to see a friend's new home. Craving pho, a beef noodle soup, and shrimp spring rolls at lunchtime, the pair fruitlessly searched the town for a Vietnamese restaurant. Just a few months later, Chau moved to Lodi and started working to open his own Vietnamese restaurant.

Keeping in mind that many Lodians may have never tried Vietnamese food, Chau toned down some of the salty, spicy flavors found in the more traditional dishes served at Viet Ha.

Most of the clientele at Viet Ha is Vietnamese, Chau said, so the menu is written in Vietnamese with small English translations. For Saigon Grill, he reversed the menu, which is written in English.

Chau is still waiting to coordinate with the Lodi Chamber of Commerce to organize a grand opening, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. But for now, the restaurant will be open every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., so the staff can prepare for the official opening. Friday was Saigon Grill's first day of operation.

"I expect a lot of adventurous people," Chau said. "I think if they try it once, they'll try it again."

Contact reporter Melissa Dahl at intern@lodinews.com.

Restaurant at a glance

Most of the menu at Saigon Grill is also featured at the Sacramento locations of Viet Ha. Here are some of the most popular dishes at the Sacramento restaurants; Saigon Grill owner Lee Chau expects these to catch on in Lodi, too.
• Pho: A beef noodle soup that's a popular breakfast item for the crowd at Viet Ha. It's a savory dish served with bean sprouts, cilantro, hot pepper and a lime wedge. Five varieties are available, priced at about $7 each.
• Noodle salad bowls: Called bun in Vietnamese, this is a popular choice for lunch. Similar to a pasta salad with vinagrette, diners can choose from pork, chicken or beef. (Chau's favorite is the charbroiled shrimp, meat and egg roll.) Prices range from $6.95 to $8.95.
• Shrimp spring roll: This popular appetizer is shrimp, bean sprouts and rice vermicelli, and it's wrapped in rice paper. Priced at $4.75
Prices: Range from $6.95 to $12.95.
Location: 5 W. Elm St.
Hours: For now, it's 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.

First published: Monday, August 14, 2006

Reader Feedback

Delighted wrote on Aug 14, 2006 8:37 AM:

" I used to work in Sacramento and we frequented the fathers restaurant Viet Ha and the place was delicious!!! I cant wait to try this place. "

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