Sung Son: Vietnamese Bistro

So I'd heard through the grapevine that there was a Vietnamese restaurant in Westport that was so good that America's greatest singer-songwriter, Neil Diamond himself, wrote a song about it ... Song Sung Blue.

Sure, the restaurant I'm writing about in Westport is actually called Sung Son, but I'm pretty sure Neil Diamond had the place in mind when he wrote his 1972 hit, which by the way is an incredible song. I've had it on repeat while writing this blog post, and I'm a better man for it.

I just think Mr. Diamond maybe got his words mixed up. After all, a few things do get lost in translation when you're dealing with something this authentic.

The Pitch and its readers recently voted this place the best buffet in Kansas City. While I'm not normally a fan of that publication's wannabe-muckraking approach to journalism - I do appreciate its take on local bars and restaurants. Their reporters' suggestions are good and fair, and their reviews are well written...unlike this particular blog.

Anyway, back to Sung Son...the place is legit, as long as you like that sort of thing. It's a smallish, two room restaurant with white linen and such. It's sort of a hip-looking place, except for the fact that there is a buffet right in the middle of the joint.

See what I mean?

It's located on Pennsylvania, along a neat little stretch of shops and restaurants. It's my favorite part of Westport. The place is sort of across the street from Harpo's. Good luck parking somewhere, by the way. It is a challenge finding on-street parking. And that lame circle-drive lot by the front entry to Californo's is a joke. I'm convinced that the same cars have been parked there for the past 10 years, rendering it unusable.

I'm the first to admit that my food tastes are more chicken fingers and french fries than pork and noodle soup (or whatever it is they called it at Sung Son). However, the word "buffet" tugs at my heartstrings. Some people may weep when they see that commercial with Sarah Mclachlan begging you to save three-legged dogs and blind cats. Me? Nah. I weep when I see that commercial for Dragon Inn on basic cable. There is something about a well-timed Gong and blurry pictures of pre-made dishes that makes me crave Asian food.

So, me and three co-workers climbed in the old 2-door sedan during our lunch hour on Friday and took in Sung Son's buffet, which (including iced tea) is about $9. Not too shabby. Neither was the food. The buffet had some good-looking Vietnamese fare like ... well, I can't really pronounce it. But rest assured it was good. And, if it's more traditional Chinese food you prefer, don't worry. General Tsao makes an appearance along the buffet line. General Tsao, by the way, is my hero. There are a few chicken dishes (one with curry, which was outstanding), a few pork dishes, a few beef dishes, and some tofu B.S., if you like eating made-up food.

Plus, the spring rolls and egg rolls are terrific. And the crab rangoon is extra rangoon-y. I dipped mine into some of that pink sauce that I had laddled all over my plate and into a smaller side bowl. Speaking of plates...the ones they give you are super small. However, even though I was eating with three women, I had no reservations about placing multiple plates in front of me.

Shh...Ancient Chinese Secret. Use two plates. It's a buffet for goodness sake!

In addition to the standard buffet, Sung Son also has a noodle bar, which is the slimiest bar in Westport...literally. (sorry, I couldn't help myself there.) The noodle bar is basically just a counter with a sneeze-guard and a Vietnamese soup master manning the station. He couldn't understand me, and I couldn't understand him. However, the old index finger is the ultimate international language. Point and nod ... and you shall receive. I chose a bowl of soup with noodles and pork. The broth was exceptionally good. So were the noodles. And you know how Asian soup is...I can never quite tell what else is in there. So I just worked around the mysterious stuff and enjoyed what I could.

There's like an entire rainforest in there. Are those tobacco leaves?

Before I go any further, I know what you are thinking: "Yea, yea, yea, skip to the part about the soft serve." Well, this ain't no China Buffet in Waldo. This is the real deal... There was no soft serve station. However, there was  a small table with a bowl of rice pudding waiting for me to serve myself. Alongside the rice pudding was a plastic container full of some sort of cream sauce. Yes please.

I made myself a small bowl of pudding with some cream sauce on top. It was a delectable treat. It was no vanilla/chocolate swirly cone. But it did the trick.

That's not what it looks like.

All in all, I'd say Sung Son is a terrific Vietnamese restaurant. I just wish I knew what constituted Vietnamese food, so I didn't have to fake the fact that I know what I'm talking about.

But you know who does know what he's talking about? Neil Diamond. That's who. Maybe next week I'll try out that other place he sang about: "Forever in Blue Koi" ... you know, that place along 39th Street. Man, he may be from Brooklyn, but he sure knows his KC restaurants.

- BTF