Didi Saïgon, the Vietnamese and Thai restaurant that awakens the taste buds in Val-de-Marne

Looking for a good Vietnamese restaurant in Val-de-Marne? Then it's time to discover Didi Saïgon, this new gourmet spot that has set up shop in the Armoiries shopping zone in Villiers-sur-Marne. The place isn't easy to find - it's visible from the traffic circle when you come by car, but you have to go around it to park in the Bricorama parking lot to find it hidden behind Pizza Del Arte.

In a commercial zone, you might think this is a big chain restaurant. Well, not at all. At Didi Saïgon, you'll find authentic, home-cooked cuisine. The place is run by two partners: Tommy, who is also a partner in Bêp Viêt, the first vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant in Paris, and Marie, who runs the Brasserie Saigon, which has already won rave reviews in Paris's 14th arrondissement.

Why open in Villiers-sur-Marne? The Val-de-Marne is home to the largest Asian community in the Paris region, after the 13th arrondissement. Marie, who welcomes a number of associations to her restaurant in the 14th arrondissement, needed a larger venue that could accommodate more people, particularly to organize events and activities. Together with Tommy, they decided to invest in this large 180-seat restaurant, served by the RER A, RER E and soon by metro line 15, currently under construction.

As you enter, you'll discover a beautiful space divided into several sections. At the far end, an entertainment area is revealed. It's worth noting that Didi Saïgon organizes lively evenings every weekend. Opposite us, a gleaming open kitchen gives us a glimpse of the preparations.

To the left, a pretty bar serving superb exotic cocktails, headquarters. Aisles of orchids, large picture windows, a zen atmosphere and tables of all sizes to accommodate both large groups of 30 people and romantic duos. All this to say that if you're looking for the perfect place for a family celebration or a group of friends, Didi Saïgon has plenty to offer.

In the kitchen, we find Marie, with 23 years' experience in the restaurant business. After working in French restaurants and opening her own Vietnamese restaurant in Reims, she moved back to Paris for her children's studies and to be reunited with her family. She then opened her own restaurant in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, which proved to be a great success, before looking to expand her horizons. She inherited her know-how and recipes from her mother. There's nothing like the good cooking of a Vietnamese mama.

On the plate, Marie likes to combine aesthetics with beautiful flavors. Indeed, her dishes are as pretty to look at as they are good to eat. She loves, she tells us, to decorate her plates to seduce us visually in the first place. At Didi Saïgon, everything is homemade. The banh cuons, like the Vietnamese pâté, are entirely homemade. You'll find a delicious phở with a powerful, fragrant broth and good, flaky meat. It has to be said that to delight us, this broth simmers for a whole day.

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If you're a fan of Thai cuisine, note that 20% of the menu is dedicated to it. Pad Thaï, stir-fried rice and Tiger cry with ultra-melting beef fillet on a hot plate are all on the menu.

We loved the exceptionally melt-in-the-mouth banh cuons, the steamed or fried ravioli , the Bun Cha Hanoi, a local specialty combining salad, rice vermicelli, grilled pork and roll-your-own shrimp dumplings, as well as the Green Curry served in real fresh coconut, not forgetting the stir-fried rice served in fresh pineapple. The portions are generous, so you get what you pay for. All the more so as the fork is quite affordable. A €19.90 starter, main course and dessert menu is available from Tuesday to Saturday lunchtime.

During the meal, or to finish it off, we accompany our dishes with a generous three-color dessert. Fresh mango with glutinous rice and coconut, as well as an exotic dessert coffee or gourmet tea are just some of the desserts on the à la carte menu.

In short, if you're looking for an authenticVietnamese restaurant with home-style cooking, in a spacious and lively setting at weekends, you'll have to go to Didi Saigon in Villiers-sur-Marne.