On this episode of The Sauce Podcast, host Lauren sits down with Eddie Hsia, general manager and bar manager at Saigon Café, for a conversation about cocktail creativity, Vietnamese cuisine, Asian food culture, and the growing hospitality community in St. Louis.

Eddie shares how he helped develop Saigon Café’s evolving cocktail program — from clarified cocktails and bottled drinks to presentation-driven creations inspired by travel, flavor, and visual storytelling. He explains the clarification process behind one of the restaurant’s most popular cocktails and why aroma, appearance, and balance are just as important as taste.

The conversation also dives into the food side of Saigon Café, including the restaurant’s fan-favorite papaya salad, shaking beef, spring rolls, and the care that goes into sourcing ingredients and building flavor.

Along the way, Eddie opens up about his Taiwanese background, growing up connected to his family’s legendary restaurant Tai Ke Shabu Shabu, and how returning to Taiwan later in life reshaped his perspective on food, culture, and hospitality.

Lauren and Eddie also talk about travel, Asian nightlife and cocktail culture, pickleball, local restaurant favorites, and the community-driven energy behind the Central West End’s Red Lantern Festival.

In this episode:

•  Building Saigon Café’s cocktail program 
•  Clarified cocktails and bottled drinks 
•  Vietnamese cuisine and fan-favorite dishes 
•  Taiwanese roots and family restaurant history 
•  Returning to Taiwan and traveling through Asia 
•  Favorite St. Louis restaurants and hidden gems 
•  Pickleball, community, and hospitality culture 
•  The story behind Red Lantern Festival 
•  Cocktail presentation and creative inspiration