by Stephanie Argy and Alec Boehm

SAIGON FUN (722 Ninth Avenue, between 51st and 52nd, 212-581-3810). Vietnamese cuisine reflects both the country's proximity to China and the long period it spent as a French colony. Saigon Fun offers numerous variations on pho, which is Vietnamese noodle soup, as well as many entrees ranging from Bo Luc Lac (beef cubes with French butter) to Muc Chien Don (calamari squid fried with butter, salt and black pepper). The Ca Salmon Nong (salmon in garlic sauce) is tender inside, yet crispy, almost blackened, outside. The crunchy Goi Cuon Chay (vegetarian summer rolls) and Rau Muong Xao Toi (Vietnamese water spinach delight) are light and flavorful, while the Banh Xeo Chay (Half Moon Vegetarian Pancake) is a disappointment, a tofu-studded omelette filled with watery sprouts. But on a hot summer afternoon, the best reason to visit Saigon Fun may be its list of beverages, which includes cooling shakes made from tropical fruits such as guanabana (soursop) and jack fruit, freshly squeezed lemonade (with or without club soda) and the highly caffeinated Ca Phe Phin Sua Da, sweet iced coffee with condensed milk, freshly brewed right at your table in an individual carafe.

ARIANA AFGHAN KEBAB (787 Ninth Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd, 212-263-2323). A cursory glance at the Ariana menu reveals several dishes that will sound familiar to an aficionado of Indian cuisine: Chicken Tandoori, Lamb Tikka Kebab and Samusas (not samosas). But on closer inspection, the Afghani food served here turns out to be quite different from that of the sub-continent -- more strongly flavored with cinnamon, more based on yogurt. In addition to its wide selection of meat entrees, the restaurant serves vegetarian curries such as zucchini, okra, eggplant or potato, as well as the more exotic pumpkin, which is tangy and sweet with a drizzle of yogurt on top. Meals are accompanied with a spiced brown basmati rice, as well as a buttery, segmented bread that pulls neatly apart and is perfect for sopping up the gravy. Lovers of cardamom will be pleased by Ariana's green tea, which is heavily laden with the spice; other beverages include dough (pronounced "dohg"), a

Turkish Cuisine, NYC

homemade yogurt drink with mint and cucumber. Firnee, a sweet milk pudding sprinkled with chopped almonds and pistachios, makes a cooling end to the meal.

TURKISH CUISINE (631 Ninth Avenue, between 44th and 45th, 212-397-9650). Turkish food is often consumed in the form of appetizers, or what a friend of ours calls "activity food." Although there are entrees, many involving lamb, you can have a lot of fun ordering a slew of appetizers instead. Some of these, such as Hummus and Babaganush, will be familiar to those who regularly eat Middle Eastern food, but the versions served here are especially well made, particularly when slathered over the restaurant's homemade pita bread. Other appetizers are unusual, including Ezme, a pleasantly tangy chopped vegetable melange that resembles a very thick gazpacho, Patlican Soslu, chunks of eggplant in a light tomato sauce, and Cacik, a thin yogurt, cucumber and garlic spread, drizzled over cooked spinach. The restaurant's stuffed grape leaves are dense, studded with pinenuts and slightly redolent of cinnamon, and its Sigara Borek, a savory pastry filled with cheese, is more delicate and lighter than you might imagine. The restaurant makes its own cherry and peach juice, and its thick, sweet Turkish coffee perfectly compliments the desserts, including a tender, juicy baklava that puts to shame the leathery so-called pastries too often sold under the same name.