335613 Thu Oct 19 23:26:55 -0700 2006 25 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 1958886 On some days, only an icy Vietnamese lemonade truly hits the spot. However, it's difficult to find an excellent version with the right balance of sweet and tart. I'm stuck hanging around the financial district for an appointment after work and would love a good lemonade. Any recommendations in the FiDi/Chinatown area? Thu Oct 19 23:26:55 -0700 2006 19097 pane 1 1959039 Have you tried Sai's? I don't know if the lemonade's good but some of their stuff is. http://sanfrancisco.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?restaurantid=31577 Fri Oct 20 00:39:03 -0700 2006 1958886 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 1960939 Thanks for the rec--I ended up going to Sai's before reading your post. The lemonade was very good (crushed ice!) and the chicken curry soup was even better (though my favorite version is still at Yummy Yummy on Irving). Fri Oct 20 19:12:24 -0700 2006 1959039 19097 pane 1 1960978 Pardon my ignorance, but what distinguishes viet lemonade from "regular" lemonade? Fri Oct 20 19:24:19 -0700 2006 1958886 17737 Hunicsz 2 1960982 Mint, less sugar. Fri Oct 20 19:25:37 -0700 2006 1960978 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 1961028 Huh, for some reason I associate lemon, salt, and soda water as Vietnamese lemonade. Maybe it is a different drink entirely but it's the only Viet lemon drink I have had. Hung Ky and Will's are very good versions. Fri Oct 20 19:38:17 -0700 2006 1960982 10896 chaddict 4 1961134 You're right, I was thinking of something else. The Vietnamese drink's usually lime rather than lemon, no? Fri Oct 20 20:10:33 -0700 2006 1961028 11369 Robert Lauriston 5 1961536 maybe but I have only had lemon. Fri Oct 20 22:44:06 -0700 2006 1961134 10896 chaddict 5 1962335 I've had "soda chanh" w/ both lemon or lime. I prefer lime, and my favorite is at Vung Tau in San Jose (sorry, don't have recs for SF). Lime juice tastes really fresh, sugar is incorporated well (perhaps simple syrup), and the soda water has very fine, silky bubbles. Sat Oct 21 09:29:20 -0700 2006 1961134 10371 Carb Lover 4 1961307 Although it doesn't help here, the best Vietnamese lemonade I've tried has been at Bui on Solano in Berkeley. Fri Oct 20 21:02:21 -0700 2006 1961028 10264 rworange 1 1960987 For what it's worth, I love the lemonade at Slanted/Out the Door. Fri Oct 20 19:27:03 -0700 2006 1958886 14041 Debbie M 1 1964334 is one able to buy a bottled version of this stuff? would be nice to have avail in my fridge. maybe order a gallon? Sun Oct 22 19:09:31 -0700 2006 1958886 19880 wchane 1 1964428 Okay...just to clarify....Vietnamese "lemonade" is often made with limes, has sugar.. SALT! and soda water...so it is in effect a salty lemon/lime soda? I think I would prefer Roberts' version with mint, sugar, lemons... and saltless.. Sun Oct 22 20:15:04 -0700 2006 1958886 10485 ChowFun_derek 2 2569541 There are 3 different vietnamese lemonade versions: -Soda chanh=lime with soda and sugar -Soda chanh muoi= salted/brined lime with soda and sugar -Da chanh=lime with ice, sugar and water Many restaurants in the US use lemons now since it's more available but there's no lemons in vietnam as I know it. Also, in the authentic version, no mint is added. You can buy the salted/brined limes at Ranch 99. Soda xi muoi (soda with salted plum which had been rehydrated with hot water, sugar and ice) is a different animal altogether. Mon May 14 17:03:21 -0700 2007 1964428 18141 KathyM 3 2571350 That's a very good summary. Tue May 15 11:06:38 -0700 2007 2569541 72348 nicedragonboy 1 1964442 Is this the same as the drink made with salted preserved lemons? (plus sugar and carbonated water) Sun Oct 22 20:23:53 -0700 2006 1958886 19542 Karen_Schaffer 2 1964492 No, that's "xi muoi", which can be very stimulating but a little too salty at times. To ChowFun_derek: I've never had Viet lemonade w/ salt in it. I believe that I've had a version w/ lime, sugar, mint, club soda, but I'm blanking on where. Mint isn't common though. I had a Viet lemonade in San Jose yesterday and it tasted like a mixture of lime and lemon. Lots of sugar at the bottom that had to be stirred in and included the pour-at-the-table Canada Dry club soda. Sun Oct 22 21:04:11 -0700 2006 1964442 10371 Carb Lover 3 1964500 That's interesting. Nearly every one I've been served has salt in it. Sun Oct 22 21:09:05 -0700 2006 1964492 10039 Melanie Wong 4 1964502 Really?! Have you had the one from Vung Tau San Jose? Does that have salt? Maybe I've just never noticed... Sun Oct 22 21:10:07 -0700 2006 1964500 10371 Carb Lover 5 1964511 Nha Toi's in SJ has salt in it to cite a recent example where we might overlap. Also Hung Ky in SF. I don't find it overwhelmingly salty as ChowFun seems too, but maybe it's not an unusual taste for me. I think the touch of salt highlights the tart flavors more. Sun Oct 22 21:16:42 -0700 2006 1964502 10039 Melanie Wong 6 1964523 Haven't had the versions at Nha Toi or Hung Ky, but I'll pay extra attention the next time I have one of these drinks. I think I'm just used to the salty flavor such that I don't even notice! Sun Oct 22 21:25:03 -0700 2006 1964511 10371 Carb Lover 4 2568430 My fiance's (Vietnamese) mom makes the lemonade at home -- she packs thin-skinned lemons in very salty brine and leaves the jar out in the sun for a few weeks to ferment. To make the lemonade, she'll put some of the salty lemon into a glass with sugar and muddle them together before adding ice and either water or soda water. Whether the lemonade tastes salty or not obviously depends on how much sugar is added. Mon May 14 11:37:45 -0700 2007 1964500 13179 PekoePeony 1 1965811 Wow, until Melanie spoke up I (like CL) never thought there was salt in Vietnamese lemonade/limeade (Soda Chanh). Sorry I didn't believe you Derek! I'm confounded that I never tasted the salt. I haven't had it at Nha Toi, but will definitely order it to see if there's salt next time. I like places that give you mix-yourself soda chanh, which allows me to use only half the can of club soda to make a strong version, hence I don't like ordering it at Vung Tau. Mon Oct 23 15:44:41 -0700 2006 1958886 10961 Alice Patis 2 1965853 Some places have salt, some don't ... or use it so sparingly you don't notice. I'm far from a Vietnamese food expert but I'm interested in different ethnic drinks and the first thing I'll order in any Vietnamese place is the lemonade. Not all versions are salty and most use lemons which probably has to do with econmics since that is the cheaper fruit in this area. Mon Oct 23 15:56:03 -0700 2006 1965811 10264 rworange 2 2563791 The places that have both usually call one "fresh" and the other "salty" Sat May 12 00:31:43 -0700 2007 1965811 40489 P. Punko 1 2571430 Also worth noting that club soda generally has salt in it. Some are saltier than others. I have generally ordered this as a lemonade soda or soda lemonade. Tue May 15 11:24:15 -0700 2007 1958886 10966 Windy