The perfect opportunity to try out Sit Lo arose when my friend and I decided to catch up over lunch. Being Vietnamese, as well as loving our Vietnamese food, we were both keen to see what the fuss was all about!
Very much on trend with the decor that can be seen in basically all the new eateries opening up lately, there is a clear modern, industrial feel here.
There is a long communal table along the centre, seating by the window out the front as well as tables for two along the wall. We visited at approximately 1:30pm on a Thursday, so we'd probably missed the lunch hour rush and it wasn't too packed.
There is a large menu right by the counter which is divided into six main sections - noodle bowls, banh mi, pho, baos, cold rolls and sides. We placed our orders and were directed to a table along the wall.
Filtered Vietnamese Iced Coffee $4
Refreshing, but a tad too sweet for my liking because of the amount of condensed milk it contained. I'm sure I've had better, but it would've been either while I was in Vietnam or made by my parents at home!
Trio of Baos (steam buns) $13
From left to right:
Panko crumbed fried chicken, pickled cucumber, chilli mayo, coriander & scallions
Soft shell crab, slaw & egg chive dill mayo
Slow cooked Barossa Valley pork belly, pickled cucumber, hoisin & scallions
Next up was the soft shell crab bao. I was expecting the soft shell crab to be hot and crunchy but it was the complete opposite. The only thing that made this bao better than the pork one was that it had the mayo to tie it altogether. Yet another disappointment.
Finally, the chicken bao. I don't know if I was expecting this to be terrible as well or if it was actually good, but it was definitely the best out of the three. The chicken was still crunchy and it tasted great with the chilli mayo. Again, the cucumber was soggy and flavourless.
I have a theory about why the food wasn't too spectacular today - I assume everything is pre-prepared before their lunch service but isn't kept at their respective temperatures properly. For example, the pork and soft shell crab were serious let downs. Also the cucumber tasted like it had been left out at room temperature. I feel as though just because we chose to dine a little later for lunch, the food should be at the same standard as it would be at the beginning of the service.
Although the food this time wasn't the best, I can definitely commend the service! Everyone was super friendly and we were greeted as soon as we walked through the door. The food and drinks were ready probably within 5 minutes of ordering. I'd love to see if this is the same when they are a little busier!
Presentation-wise, I did like that everything was served in recyclable cardboard containers, although I think I'd still prefer my pho in a big bowl! I do think that the prices are a bit steep, though. I originally thought that the baos were pretty good value but they were rather small and my friend who ordered the same thing said he was still hungry afterwards!
Overall, an underwhelming first experience at Sit Lo. I might give it another shot when I reach the bottom of my list of places to dine in Adelaide, but I'm not in too much of a rush to go back.