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Categories: Vietnamese, French [Edit]
Neighborhood: Civic Center/TenderloinMon-Wed. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Mon-Wed. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Thu-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Thu-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
"amour au premier morceau. ditched the DAT menu and ordered off the regular one. smoked trout salad with fingerling potatoes was divine.…" read more »
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Definitely a different vietnamese eatery joint. I decided to just order whatever my friend got and what a delightful surprise!! It was the just like my first dinner in Hanoi last summer that I had so diligently sought out -- bun cha ca hanoi. Yuuum. Sole fillets infused with lots of buttery dill. Incredibly aromatic and they literally give you plates of greens so you can devise your own little tasty morsel of heaven: vermicelli, sprouts, sole with dill wrapped up in a lettuce.
Filling and savory. One of the few (probably even the only) place I know with this dish!
Just when you thought all the vietnamese spots in TL were the same, this spot manages to bring a different flavor to the table. A little more expensive than those other spots in TL, but that comes with the more elegant dishes. I decided to come here before Wicked, and it was the perfect. A full variety meal and I left full and happy. They were so helpful with the recommended dishes and amounts to order.
-Papaya Salad - Definitely a good choice
-Roasted Squab with raisins - Raisins might sound kinda odd, but trust me, this was probably my favorite dish.
-Filet Mignon - Seemed to be a favorite amongst the other reviews and it was good, but sorry, just not as what I expected
-garlic noodles - I love how they let you order a side of garlic noodles, and WHO TURNS down garlic noodles!?? *GARLIC breath*
-chimay and sauvignon blanc - Their selection of alcoholic beverages was awesome too. Chimay is one of my favorites
Food quality has gone DOWN, and prices have gone UP.
Bún Thit Nung : pork was tough. Lots of veggies however, heavy on the lettuce, lite on the spices. Kinda disappointing. Sauce on the mark
Banh Xeo: was ok. Could have had more MEAT.
Cha Ca: was good, correctly prepared, but they could add pizazz (Sp?) by serving the fish on a grill plate that is steaming and wafting the great aroma. Maybe one of the best dishes @ Bodega B.
Service was attentive (all servers were Vietnamese, and yes they spoke Vietnamese) .... but they seemed a bit nervous. Environment is relatively clean, inviting and comfortable (in the context of the other 'Loin joints.... which is the context) This is not a "French Fusion" cuisine as some might believe, yeah since the French did occupy VN for a while they did have their "influence" on VN cuisine. FYI .... no Brie Tit Nuong is served, no Foi Gras Cha Gio, French wines are not the 'tour de force' selection for imbibers.
3 stars cos the price / value equation is not in balance.
Yup, good place when you got the yearning for a Pho' frenzy, better if you are lookin for some… Read more »
The unfortunate name makes me think of 40s and scratch offs instead of the intended translation of Beef (Bo), Lamb (De) and Chicken (Ga). Thankfully, despite being surrounded by barred window tenderloin bodegas, this place shares nothing in common. The menu boasts traditional Vietnamese fare with a focus on high quality meats and preparation. There are some French-Vietnamese fusion dishes as well as some pure Francophile cuisine, but I'd recommend sticking to dishes that have some semblance of a Viet flair as the purely French dishes are not a strong point.
Cha Gio: Though they don't call it an Imperial Roll, it is regal nonetheless. A bunch of diverse greenery is provided, but the American palate will surely treat it as a garnish since there is no need to healthify a good fried roll. Very crispy skin and juicy inner filling.
Banh Xeo: It's hard to find a bad banh xeo because most places that go through the effort to make it, make it well. This is no exception with the crispy pancake and well flavored shrimp & chicken inside. Seemed to be a VERY large portion.
Pho Bodgea Sur Demande: Normally I don't like when the pho meat options are predetermined, except when it's the combination I'd order anyway. Eye round slices, brisket and meat balls with a very large portion of meat compared to other beef phos I've had before. Very nice broth with a strong fatty tone.
Bo Luc Lac: "Shaking Beef" as some other places call it, you gotta love how tender each fine piece of filet mignon is. It may be a celebratory dish rarely eaten in Vietnam, but I could chow on it daily. I was disappointed that the salt & pepper dipping sauce wasn't as potent as I've had at other places. However, given how naturally flavorful the meat was with the nice marinade, I dealt.
Agneau: I was excited to order this because lamb is rarely spotted at most Vietnamese, or even just generally Southeast Asian, restaurants. The lamb chop was a mediocre chop with not enough of rareness covered in a bland champagne sauce and it sadly had nothing in the preparation that screamed Vietnamese. Being of French descent I almost feel like going on a diatribe about the disappointing rendering of this dish by people from the opposite hemisphere just as those of Asian descent would berate pot stickers at T.G.I.Friday's.
I would give BB 4, even 5 stars. I used to go once a week about 4, 5 years ago, because they have a wonderful chicken pho (pho ga). It's free-range chicken and the cleanest tasting chicken broth. The noodles are fresh and wide. The beef pho is not bad either, and there's some other dishes that are quite good too. It's a fun place to go with a group and order a variety of different things.
But starting 3 years ago, I would go for dinner and they would suddenly be out of their customary wide noodles for the chicken pho. Sometimes, they'd even be out of chicken pho. I understand if they want to serve non-pho dishes more at dinner time, but don't put those items on the dinner menu then.
Because it was so unpredictable, I've stopped going unless I can somehow get lunch there on a week day (very rarely). Yes, they're even out of the wide noodles at lunchtime on weekends too! They only seem to have it on weekdays at lunch.
So I used to be in love with BB, but it broke our hearts with its flakiness.
Alas.
Bun cha ca Hanoi is what the fish dish is called and it is excellent.
We have since ordered it to-go a few times and have never been disappointed!!! Grab a baguette from Lee's Sandwich across the street and you are set!
Oh yeah, the pork egg roll with the dipping sauce is FANTASTIC! mmm...savory and just a hint of sweet in the sauce. Very good.
The Pho Tai was pretty good but what was really good was this fish dish that my fiance looooves that… Read more »
My girlfriend and I were in the mood for some Vietnamese and we chose this one due to the good yelp reviews. Ooooh, were they wrong. For appetizers we ordered the Potstickers. They were burnt on one side, making that side very tough, while the rest of it was soft.
We ordered the Pho Bodega sur Demande as our main course - the meat was all fat, it was disgusting. I had a whole plate left over showing all the fat. Disgusting. Stay away.
Very ambitious menu, great presentations, eight of us ordered a variety of different dishes, yet the flavors fall short, I assume the safer bets would be some of the more traditional dishes, but there are so many places in the city that offers excellent choices; I am in no hurry to return again.
This place gets 4 stars for the mere fact my darling friend Lily loves it and can order off the menu. The foods were fresh, flavorful and light. Sorry that I don't know the names of what were order but here's a brief description.
For starters we had a yummy pork egg roll with a dipping sauce, a delicious thin vermicelli noodle and a beef veggy mix with a thicker noodle. Last but not least we had a yummy crab pho' in a tomato based broth.
All very good, will come back but only with Lily, now it's our place.
This place was alright. I went in today for lunch around eleven and it smelled like a bathroom - you know, that Lysol smell? Anyhow, the food was alright.
My family and I shared a spring roll and pot stickers... both were forgettable and a waste of calories in my opinion. I had the pho ga (chicken pho) and it was okay, though not really worth the drive from my house (sunset to the tenderloin??). Maybe I should've tried something else, but this place was fairly pricey for food pretty bland.
I'd rather have gone to PPQ on Irving/19th.
Rarely has Yelp led me astray, but there's a first time for everything.
I'm a 2nd gen Viet-American who grew up on her mother's cooking and the many delights that are found in Little Saigon. I may not know the ins and outs of Vietnamese cuisine, but dang it... I know it when it doesn't taste right.
As an appetizer, I ordered the potstickers. They were a bit on the greasy side, but at least they were edible. Maybe at best... forgettable.
I ordered the Pho Bodega sur Demande. The broth was way too oily and had a strange aftertaste that I couldn't quite define.... could it be called... "gross"? I understand that the well done beef flank and meatballs are expected to be a lil on the fatty side. However, they included rare steak that was of the lowest quality. I would consider it grade F beef. I found myself eating around the meat just to eat the noodles and bean sprouts. Never have I ever been so disappointed.
I won't return here again. I felt that I was gypped and wronged. Guys, if you want authentic Vietnamese food... I'd travel elsewhere.
One of the best Pho in the city!
Never had Vietnamese, so I was nervous, but I ordered a beef dish [No. 20?] and it was sweet and onion-y and delicious over rice. I had the [very strong] Iced Coffee and there were some decent spring rolls passed around. There was some discontent because a lot of the menu items were unavailable [no Filet Mignon, no Pork Tenderloin, no potstickers, etc.] but we had a lovely meal, really! I LOVED the dessert gelatin: Lychee, Peach, and Strawberry. I'd go back for just the fancy Jell-O. :) [4 stars namely for Jell-O]
Bodega is a great go-to place for date nights or small groups. Our favorite menu items are the special pancake (not to be missed!) and the grilled porkchop/pho combo. One of the best things about Bodega is that you can spend a lot or a little, depending on your mood, but the food is always delicious.
4 stars out of 5 for inconsistent service - we once splurged on the filet mignon/foie gras dinner but it took ridiculously long to arrive -- our friends had finished their meals by the time we got it! Also they were rude to a friend who had some diet issues (celiac disease) but oddly were really friendly to another friend with the same condition at another time.
We came here for dinner a few months ago after reading positive reviews. The place is in Little Saigon in the Tenderloin next to Mangosteen.
The place is big and it's nicer than the average Vietnamese. The interior is painted in dark purple. It's a little big dark and has a Spanish colonial feel to me.
We ordered a Papaya Salad, Banh Xeo (egg crepe with sprouts, shrimp and pork) and Shaking Beef. Everything was really good, but the Banh Xeo was a bit greasy. Service was very friendly. I would go back again to try some other items.
French Vietnamese fusion without the high French price tag and typical Pho menu associated with Vietnamese places.
Menu:
Menu was great! Along with the item title and price, there was a brief description. This was very helpful especially since many of the dishes were titled in Vietnamese or French. Not a massive menu, but a good selection. Quite a number of seafood dishes. Also, the food was not overly salty as most Asian dishes tend to be.
We ordered the following:
Cha gio (egg rolls) - Love how it was served with the traditional lettuce, mint, and sweet fish sauce.
Fritures de calmars (battered fried calamari ) - This was the only dish I didn't like. It was greasy and over cooked. Way too chewy.
Ap chow bo (beef with noodles) - Beef was nicely cooked and great mix of veggies that accompanied it.
Ap chow hai san (seafood with noodles) - Similar to the beef dish above but served with mixed seafood. I preferred the beef dish over this.
Crevettes frites (Fried prawns) - This was beautifully cooked and nicely seasoned. Large sweet prawns with loads of garlic and pepper.
Bo luc lac (Beef dish) - The beef was nice and soft with a lovely sweet salty sauce. This went really fast at our table.
Drinks:
Beer and wine served here.
Price:
Dinner prices were pretty decent. We went as a large group and only paid $20 a head and had plenty to eat with drinks.
Service:
Excellent service. Very friendly staff. Great at re-filling drinks and clearing the table in a timely manner.
Ambiance:
Nice ambiance. It has a semi casual semi bistro feel. Good size dining area, but can get pretty crowded from what I've seen.
Location:
Parking is a bit touch since this place is in the tenderloin and there aren't many garages. Located between the Full-screen
1000 Van Ness Garage and the Civic Center Plaza Garage.
Came here recently for dinner after reading all the great reviews here.
We tried their Pho, the much recommended stir fried beef filet cubes and some appetizer.
Everything was good, but I can recall having better versions of all the food elsewhere.
Their menu makes my mouth water, their food was average to good.
I don't mind coming back here for food, but not somewhere I'll have a craving for and making special trips to get to.
Went here on the recommend of Yelp reviewers.
The service was friendly and fast. I liked how we ordered and the guy told us how to order it and in which order to eat it. That was fun.
We had the papaya salad, pot stickers, pork chops with vermicelli & mix vegetable pho.
Everything was off -the-chain except for the mix vegetable pho. I don't know, it is maybe how I ordered it but it wasn't very delicious.
This place is now on my radar for yummy food to eat in my neighborhood.
Its hard to believe, but Bodega has great raw Kumamoto oysters for about $1.50 each. Not as good as the $1 deals for HH, but at Bodega, its about $1.50 each at all hours. And, I have not had one bad oyster at Bodega. Our only gripe is that it could be a tad colder.
Vegetarian Pho is delicious.
The broth is light but flavorful.
Things inside pho: cauliflower, snap…
Read more »
Came back here and the shaking beef was NOT as good as I remember it from my first trip. Way too tough and doesn't melt in your mouth. Pho was also too oily and didn't really taste like pho.
I even told my friends that this place was awesome. They were ALL disappointed immensely (and I didn't even hype it up that much). Thanks Bodega Bistro for letting me down.
Bodega Bistro is located in the heart of the Tenderloin. I knew we were in the Tenderloin when, as… Read more »
This place is really amazing.
The price is so cheap and flavor is unbelievable!
I ordered "Grilled Pork Chop with Rice Noodle (vermicelli).
This was my 2nd time & I order the same thing again...because I was craving for it already!
The grilled pork chop was great flavored and perfectly grilled and it came with 2 TWO TWWWWOOOOO 222222222 BIG CHOPS! (see photo) and flavor of soup was amazing! not too chick not too weak not too greasy. All that for ONLY $8.10!?!? RALLY? Are you sure?
Can I please pay more?? (just kidding)
And surprisingly, this place has really great service. Usually those cheap place's service is kind of sloppy, I know they are nice people but usually they are just not up for real customer service. But this place, all the waiters actually very nice to you and seems actually care.
And it's not snobby service not sickie one. It's not super duper nice either. Regular comfortable normal people nice.
I hope they won't change.
I just went for dinner on Thursday night at 7:30pm and the place was packed!!
I am sure I will go back and try more menus.
I feel absolutely blessed to live in a beautiful city with such a diverse culture. As I've told people before, "Why move elsewhere? San Francisco has a little bit of eveything for everybody." That especially holds true with the food. With hundreds of great restaurants, you're going have some task in trying them all. And you're bound to miss some hidden gems as I learned today.
After giving my mother a lift to my aunt's I wanted to pick up some lunch before I headed into the office. I stopped by the Tenderloin as I don't often get to eat there. After walking by some store fronts I caught eye of my (law enforcement) brother with his motorcycle partner and another (animated Vietnamese) friend. I went in to say hi, and he ordered me to sit down and eat. For once listening to the cops wasn't too bad. SCORE!
Bodega Bistro is more of a French/Vietnamese place along with the likes of Le Cheval, Le Colonial, Slanted Door, and Dragonfly just to name a few. Although very comparable in flavors, Bodega has a more casual dining environment compared to its "higher-end" couterparts. And it's a bit lighter on the wallet which doesn't hurt.
Here was the lineup (haha, get it... cause I was with my... nevermind):
- Garlic Fried Black Tiger Prawns
- Braised Chilean Sea Bass
- Marinated Filet Mignon Brochette (Shaking Beef)
- Grilled Chicken
- Garlic Noodles
- Rice
Yes folks, this was lunch. SCORE! I should have been law enforcement. Then some guy walks by and says hi, and that the meal was taken care of. SCORE!
Maybe I'm biased because all I was looking for was noodle soup or sandwich, but I got gourmet-style French/Vietnamese eats that was decently priced and ended up free! Fine, I'll go back one more time and eat there like a regular joe. I'll let you know how it goes.
MUST HAVE: a brother that can give you a ticket.
I work in the Civic Center area and I would come here for the Pork chop and Noodle soup every now and then. An excellent bargain for lunch and lots of food. They offer the same dish at dinner time but at a higher price. For lunch, there are a lot of choices nearby for Vietnamese food but when I'm in the mood for chops and noodles, this is the place. For dinner, there are some good selections here but more pricey considering it's in the Tenderloin (not my choice of place to go at night). Oh, they serve wine which is a plus!!!
One of my new favorites for lunch.
I went here yesterday with co-workers for the first time. I got number 12. with seafood. YUmmm. Lots of seafood.. shrimp, fish cake, fish balls, scallops, tons of veggies and all on top of crispy egg or rice noodles.
I also tried some of a friends lemongrass porkchop.. it was great!
I would like things a little less pricey but I am poor so I am biased.
YUM.
Big group dinner, lots of food, and while not many of their dishes stand out (was too distracted with company), I do remember their crab being soft and tasty and having fingers covered in crab bits at the end.
Sorry for being a lame poster. But it's good. GO.
If you don't like it, you're dumb.
Pho was so-so. I will have to try something else to write a fair review. the broth was tasty, but not tasty enough to wait 15 minutes after you put in your order. I thought it would be quick, especially Bodega is so technologically advanced - waiting staff taking orders on a blackberry/palm TRIO and all.
I'm used to a 2 minute lag before a bowl of pho appears in front of my face. This 15 minute thing was a huge disappointment.
I'd go back for something else. you'll see this review again.
Went here because of the reviews on Yelp. Didn't know what to get because their descriptions of the menu items were obscure. So I chose to go with the pho, because it was a cold windy day. The service was great. It arrived in 2-3 minutes max. They were not full, only 3-4 tables. The basil in the veggies plate that came with pho was wilted. The bean sprouts got the heads chopped off. It made me wonder if the bean sprouts started to go bad and then they just chopped off the heads of the sprouts, or they went through extra work to make the bean sprouts look "nicer".
Now to the pho. I am Vietnamese, so I know what good pho tastes like. The broth was beefy and salty. It had no aroma/hint of star anise or cinnamon. The noodles were good - between al dente and soft. The meat was ok. Ususally tendon in Pho is soft, because it has been cooking for hours, but the tendon they had was hard, crunchy, and chewey. It's hard to do Pho right, unless that is the only dish you specialize in, like the Pho shops that just have Pho, so I forgive them for that. I may go back and try some other dishes, but not the pho again. My money would have been better spent at Pagolac or a Pho shop.
This Vietnamese place is different...
1. its clean
2. the waiter takes our orders with a PDA
3. its dark
4. there are no cockroaches around
5. there is a ton of wine
6. the pho takes the longest to make....
While these are the 6 main differences Ive noticed between them and other viet places, there are probably more.
They pho is ok... i would rather have some other place for the price I paid and the amount of time it took for the bowl to come out. They do give you a lot of noodles but I like my variety of meats in the bowl with the pho. The soup was good but not "wow" worthy.
The best part of the meal was probably the company I had and the spring rolls. I give them that much, a great spring roll goes a long way.
So for an average bowl of pho that's a bit overpriced I give this place 3 stars only... But hey, the cleanest pho place is in the dirtiest part of the city... the Ls...
This place is AMAZING! The best full meal for two people under $50 including drinks, appetizer, dessert (they just brought it out for us without us asking!) and with large portions. And did I mention healthy? Yes, the food is light and incredibly delicious. And did I mention the service is very friendly, gracious, fast and attentive?
Everything was prepared perfectly...the papaya salad was shaved so thin it was like angel hair spaghetti. I loved how our server told us how to eat everything, not in a presumptive "you're white so you don't know what to do" way, but in a friendly helpful way to help us enjoy the meal better.
The pot stickers were huge and heftily stuffed with lots of pork and shrimp...so delicious.
My Vietnamese pancake was paper thin and perfect!!! Stuffed with pork and shrimp and sprouts...really healthy actually since most of the dish was raw herbs and veggies.
The char broiled pork bun was the star of the night. It was the most delicious bun meal I have ever had.
And the thing that puts this place over the edge? The fact that the pile of herbs that accompanies your dishes includes a LOT of red Shiso. SHISO! the most delicious herb! This magical leaf makes everything taste fabulous.
The servers were all very friendly, the whole place seemed jubilant... lots of laughter from the servers, the chef who came out and talked to some of the tables, and the patrons...everyone seemed to be having a great time. It was infectious!
I could go on and on and on singing the praises of this "new favorite" but I will let you guys see for yourselves.
I'm not quite sure why this place got 4 stars on Yelp :X
Maybe SF lacks good vietnamese food, and this place stands out?
However, whatever the reason...this place is extremely overpriced!
Banh xeo for $11... that is total inflation. Every other places sells it for $7-9. The restaurant isn't very clean, so I'm not sure how it's classified as a hidden gem. Might I even add its a vietnamese/french place, yet the majority of the waiters speak chinese! and looked confused when we spoke viet... i highly doubt they even knew french!
We ordered the cha gio, ap chow hai san, bo luc lac, crevettes frittes (fried garlic shrimp), and bun cha hanoi. The cha gio was normal. The crispy egg noodles with seafood had only a few pieces of seafood. It didn't have much flavor either. The fried garlic shrimp was just like it sounds, nothing special! (especially for the price you're paying). The bun cha hanoi was also a waste of money. It was pieces of bbq pork thrown into a bowl of so-called "special sauce". It was pretty unappetizing to me! Tiny pieces of meat drenched in this slightly sweet vietnamese style sauce.
The only dish I highly recommend was the Bo Luc Lac (shaking beef). This was delicious! Although, very overpriced for the amount of beef you're getting. It was super flavorful and tender though! Yum!!
Did I mention they also charge rice per bowl? I don't know how people even say this place is filling!! I guess they were passing out complimentary jello as desert, to all their customers. However, I didn't think it tasted all that great.
Service and atmosphere were decent. Overall, I guess this place is good if you don't know or care much about having an authentic vietnamese meal or don't mind being charged a lot of money ! :P
I love this place for their food and service. They treat you so well here no matter how busy. Although it's a Vietnamese (French?) restaurant, only 1 guy speaks Vietnamese! Their food is delicious, everything on their menu is amazing from the oysters, quail, crab, shaking beef, tiger shrimp to seafood crispy noodles...I've tried almost everything! This is definitely one of my favorite Vietnamese places in the city.
Holy cow! My friend recommended this place for another friend's birthday and it was excellent. You should read her reviews because I will eat at or eat whatever Dav tells me to, she has great taste.
http://dav.yelp.com/
Back to Bodega Bistro. The food was amazing. Well priced, tasted delicious and the portions were generous. Vietnamese food is not my forte so I really didn't know what to order. in time of crisis or Asian food I turn to Dav, as usual. At this point I don't even bother looking. The waiter asks what do you want? And I point at Dav. The garlic noodles were on par with Crustacean's garlic noodles, but significantly cheaper. They also gave us a free plate of noodles. BUT, the free food didn't stop there. We also received free dessert. Three small little flan like items. I'm pretty sure we ate all of it. We also had garlic crab, papaya salad, some beef noodle dish and other items that I don't know the name of or how to spell because again, I didn't order it. I find it best to live by the advice of Grandpa Fred:
Long Duk Dong: Very clever dinner. Appetizing food fit neatly into interesting round pie.
Mike Baker: It's a quiche.
Long Duk Dong: How do you spell?
Grandpa Fred: Well you don't spell it, son, you eat it.
The restaurant is well lit, great for groups (make a reservation) and very down to earth. The staff is friendly and the food worth it.
I"m debating between a 3.5 to 4 star.... the waiters are great : ) so I round it up to 4.
My friend, who is a regular, did the order so I wasn't too sure about the name of all the dishes. but yes... the papaya salad was AMAZING! I thought it was some kind of rice noodles... but no!! it was young papaya.. it's probably the best papaya salad I have ever had!
Not sure if it's because the I had too much alcohol the night before and from the Napa trip in the morning.. I don't find the food particularly impressive. We ordered the wrap (bun?!).. not a big fan.. steak was too fatty.. but the sauce was interesting. I believe it's a french sauce (afterall it's a Vietnamese-french fusion restaurant). Shrimps were pretty big.. but nth particularly special..
Waiters are great.. very friendly (maybe because my friends are regular?)
And the neighborhood? It's pretty scary at night time...
Came here for a birthday with about 15 other people. Service was really good! The waiter even bought the birthday girl a flower from the homeless man that straggled in while we were eating. Hahaa what do you expect? We were in the TL.
I've been Yelping quite a bit today so imma keep this review short and sweet.
Garlic noodle: Realllly good.
Chicken pho: Decent.
Beef pho: Pretty good.
Pork lettuce wrap: Realllly good.
Lam chops: I don't like lamb but other people said it was realllly good.
Calamari: Realllly good.
Bo lu lac (shaken beef): The best dish I had there.
DONE. Enjoy!
This place is wonderful. Located in the cnter of SF and close to chinatown.
Very good indochine cuisine, and very well priced.
I like it because I enjoyed the diner with my cousin and family too.
I definitely will go back.
Thit Nuong, Thit Nuong,
For you I wrote this song,
If you ain't right, I'll be wrong
Come spend the night, I'll be strong,
Your meat is soft and tender,
It makes me yell surrender,
Fish sauce and you engender,
A flavor time will endure,
This Bistro up on Larkin,
Will have your dog a barkin,
For leftovers to grace his plate,
Call 921-1218.
Peace . . . and happy eating!
I got takeout from here a couple of times. Chim Quay is excellent. Great blend of Vietnamese/French cuisine. Employees are very busy and always in a hurry.
+4 for great food:
Delicious, flavorful, and filling. The filet mignon brochette (Bo Luc Lac) is my favorite.
- 2 for slow service:
Yes, they'll seat you quickly; the space is fairly large. Unfortunately, they have no concept of timing, so your partner will be done eating by the time your food arrives.
+ 1 for friendly staff:
Despite the slowness, the staff are very friendly and not at all snotty. So this makes the restaurant worth a visit.
I hate redundancies which is why I am not too enthused to write updates, that is unless there is something new that's worth mentioning.
I have to write an update on Bodega Bistro for two reasons: to chronicle my lunch date with my gf, Jax, whom I hardly get to spend time with anymore; and to talk about how awesome Bodega Bistro's rice noodle dishes were.
Date: March 6, 2009 @11:50 AM with Jax
Occasion: My Never-Ending Birthday Lunches
Ambiance and Decor: Hip minus the hip prices
Social Scene: Civic Center and TL professionals
Treats:
2 Bowls of Pork, Shrimp and Fried Rolls Rice Noodle
Tab: $23.00 (including tax and tip)
Overall:
1.They give you nice, hot and comforting tea in a clean teapot as soon as you sit down. (I always look at the teapots to see if they were clean, chipped and/or the tea was recycled--my tea pot pet peeves.)
2.The portions were huge and filling-lots of pork, shrimp and egg roll pieces. Not overloaded with noodles and veggies.
3. The ingredients were flavored well and tasty.
4. If you are going to eat good and cheap Vietnamese food, you might as well eat it at a place where it is aesthetically pleasing to the eyes.
5. This place is nice enough for hip casual "catching up" with you girls which was what Jax and I did.
Bodega Bistro was all of the above and more.
It is my little oasis in the heart of TL.
Will definitely keep on coming back as long as I work around the Civic Center/TL area.
Date: January 15, 2009 @ 6:28 PM
Occasion: Dinner with GF, Rebecca, where she came over to my new…
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Cantonese, Vietnamese, French fusion? Sounds weird but it was delicious! We got the Banh Xeo (crispy egg crepe with sprouts, pork, and shrimp inside and lots of veggies and herbs to wrap it with), roasted/fried squab with onion and raisin sauce, and seafood crispy egg noodles. Yum! The squab was different since it has some French cuisine influence, but definitely in a good way. The onion and raisin sauce was so tasty and I'm usually not into sweet things in my savory dishes, but it was done really well. Everything was delicious.
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Vietnamese
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