06/23/09

Puzzled about bad reviews - guess I'll have to try it again!

by travelchica7

Sure the parking is bad, and sure I've seen a couple of rodents by the dumpsters, but it really cracks me up when all these white folk come to the International District and complain about all the white folk in the restaurant as a sure sign of unauthentic Viet food, in the same breath as they complain about the "trashy" exterior of the Vietnamese grocer next door and the vermin filled parking lot. You can't have it both ways! Have you been to Viet Nam lately? That is as authentic as it gets folks! Rodents and all, as of this March, when I was last there. And I loved every rodent-infested moment of it! Get a grip.

Being half Vietnamese myself, with a mom who cooks delicious food, I can honestly say that I've had nothing but good, and mostly great, food here. Sure, sometimes there are deviations from "traditional" Vietnamese food, but last I checked, we're in Seattle, not Saigon, guys. The green papaya salad is delicious, especially with the lemongrass tofu, as is the bun thit nuong, banh cuon dac biet, and satays.

Regarding the service, yes they are rushed off their feet in the evenings and weekends, and I go into the experience expecting a long wait if I don't make a reservation. But guess what naysayers? You can make a reservation! Online! And choose your table! Wow! How hard is that? I've mostly gotten served promptly, I have yet to see anyone get yelled at while eating here, there is even an American server currently who speaks Vietnamese (cool!), and the restrooms have always been just fine.

My main complaint would be the price of the drinks. They sound delicious, but I usually steer clear because the prices seem pretty steep compared to the price of the food dishes. The lychee drinks are good though!

I honestly wish that all the restaurant snobs and wannabe critics would stop coming and leave the experience more enjoyable for me!

• Pros: lovely, unexpected decor
• Cons: parking

06/07/09

Restaurant really went down

by maibebi

I just went and had dinner here with a group of friends last night. Foods were so horrible and overpriced! Do not order anything from the cocktail menu! My lychee martini tasted like cough syrup! Wait staff is better, but overall, the foods were so horrible and all the sauces for dipping were overly sweet! Very disappointed and highly recommend that people go to a real Vietnamese restaurant. This restaurant is all hype and zero substance when it comes to foods.

05/26/09

Unauthentic, Bad Food; Poor Service; French Fries???

by hulapie

I was here on a lunch meeting with a business associate and our request for a large table was not greeted with enthusiasm. The stuffed squid appetizer was overcooked. When we actually ordered our main courses, I had ordered the Special Steamed Rice Rolls - one of my favorites. 15 minutes later, they bring out my colleague's pho. He politely waited for me to be served. 5 minutes later, I'm urging him to eat otherwise his pho would be no good. Still no food for me. I called the waitress - she seemed to have forgotten about my food. She leaves and comes back to tell me that they only had half a portion of the steamed rice rolls and it was not very good so they don't want to serve it. Would I like to substitute with steamed pork rolls instead. Why didn't they know this fifteen minutes ago??? Do I have choice? A few minutes later, she placed a plate in front of me that left me speechless. The plate was covered with grilled pork on one side and cooked beansprouts on the other. On the side was a whole pile of FRENCH FRIES and a lone, grilled shrimp. My first response: "What the h--- is this on my plate??" For those who don't know , this dish is suppose to have plump, steamed rice rolls stuffed with a ground pork mixture. It is served with pork roll, steamed bean sprouts, herbs, and fish sauce (dipping sauce). The special may have grilled pork but it must have banh cong ( a deep fried "shrimp bread"). My rice rolls were flat and there only 3 of them (buried underneath all that other stuff) which would not have satisfied my 5 year-old but more importantly, what the heck was french fries doing on my plate!!!!!! I am sooooo offended I took it all off my plate.

I'm grateful it was not my business associate who picked the place. I will never go back. There's just no excuse for serving food to paying customers like it was a pile of leftovers you needed to get rid of. The owners/chef should be ashamed for serving pseudo-vietnamese food. The nice decor is just lipstick on a pig.

• Pros: Nice decor
• Cons: food, service, chipped serviceware