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Categories: Vietnamese, Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mission"Tao Cafe is an amazing place in every respect. The location is nice, the restaurant is very cozy and nice, the food is breathtaking and the…" read more »
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My hubby and I stumbled across this restaurant by accident, when we were visiting the club across the street. We weren't expecting much. We just knew it said "Vietnamese" outside.
I'm generally a Vietnamese food snob, and don't try new restaurants. :( Yeah, I suck. But I'm so happy I gave this place a shot.
Inside it had really Americanized/Modern decor. It didn't look like your typical dirty Vietnamese place. It looked like the owners had some $$ to invest (cleaning dirty gambling $$ maybe?).
The waiter didn't speak Vietnamese. Normally that would raise all kinds of red flags for me.
We ordered the garlic noodles with prawns, and the banh hoi (ummm, like vermicelli noodle squares or something). Both were really good, but the banh hoi was insane. One of the best I ever had. My husband's Korean, and isn't the biggest fan of Vietnamese food and he loved it as well. I would come back and recommend it to all of my friends.
Service was good - nice, friendly wait staff.
Eggplant was tasty, although quite greasy. The Coconut Fish Claypot tasted nothing like coconut or coconut milk or anything fruit-based or even tropical. In fact, it was more like far too old fish pan fried and then plopped in a watery soy sauce.
Prices decent, but with all the competition for tasty AND cheap food in the Mission, I won't be returning.
Came here for the first time with my bf on our first date. He really loves this place. On the occasion that we went we had:
SHAKEN BEEF: this is inch sized cubes of flank steak that is marinated in soy sauce and oyster sauce. it is then it is sauteed in garlic, onions, and stir fry veggies. It tasted amazing! the sauteed garlic and onions really contrasted the flavors from the marinated meat very well. The meat was so tender that it was easy to chew and enjoy. I would definitely recommend this dish!
GARLIC NOODLES WITH PRAWNS: this dish had a really good garlic punch to it and the grilled prawns were cooked perfectly.
EGGPLANT WITH TOFU: this dish wasn't one of my favorite. it was way to saucey to me and the eggplant was too overcooked...that it was mushy and it had fallen apart into pieces. it kinda looked like a mess. the tofu was overcooked too...even though there was a lot of sauce on the plate, in the middle of each tofu bite, it was too dry. This dish would have played itself right if it eased up on the sauce (make a recommendation if you decide to order this). The overcooked part...maybe it was just a off night for the chef.
CRISPY ROLL: another name for imperial rolls...which I love! a definite recommentation.
I would definitely come back to this place. it's really good and the ambiance is very romantic. My bf and I ate by candle light and it was the perfect first date.
This restaurant has horrible service. I went there with some coworkers for lunch today, while we were seated right away, we didn't get menus or water for at least 10 minutes. Then they took our food order first and never let us order drinks and never came back for us to ask. They brought our food out all at separate times, and one of my coworkers never even got his food. After an hour and a half 3 out of 4 people had eaten with no drinks and then they ran our credit card twice and had to do a refund. The food tasted ok, but there are much better options close by than to wait for that long and possibly not get any food at all...
I never give 1 star ratings, but in a place where the chicken comes out looking like pork, smelling like pork and tasting like pork....I just had to. To make matters worse when I sent my dish back, explaining that this could not POSSIBLY be chicken, they brought me back out my exact same dish - with the mystery meat in the exact location on my plate as I had left it - I lost it. Now my dish was gross, wrong and COLD.
Only eat in this restaurant if you do not mind eating pork for poultry.
Alright, just for the record, yes I am giving this just one star. Also, for the record, I really really loved every dish that I have tried from here. So why the poor rating?
Because THERE WAS A BUG IN MY SOUP. And it wasn't some itty bitty aphid or fly or ant or anything else that might be a bit harder to see. Nope, this was a big yellowish-orangish beetle/pupa thing that at the time of it's discovery, only had 1 leg left. I shutter to think of where the other 5 ended up. Me thinks someone did not do a very good job of rinsing the basil off. (At least that's what I'm assuming it came from since there aren't a whole lot of leafy greens that go into the soup).
As a San Jose native, I'm fairly picky with Vietnamese food... my sister and I ventured here the first time because it was close to her house, and I have been back many, many times since then, with many different people. EVERY SINGLE TIME, I am impressed with their food and anxious to return even before my meal is over.
I've tried many things on the menu... the green onion pancake (one of the most delicious things I've ever put into my mouth... and DON'T forget the sauce), the garlic eggplant, the green papaya salad, and the chicken curry clay pot are among my favorites. I've also tried the peking duck spring rolls, and several other more basic stir-frys of sorts. This is definitely a menu that begs for you to try things other than your usual... EVERYTHING is a feast of flavors.
Also, the wait staff is attentive and caring and ready to help with the menu at any time. The ambience is welcoming, and the restaurant is clean and neatly put together. My only fear is that it might not survive, because it's NEVER full. Without a doubt, though, some of my best meals in my life have been at Bodhi.
I occasionally come here for lunch. Food is pretty good and I love how you get a little bowl of soup to hold you while you order and wait for your food. The grilled pork here is most excellent and Pho is delightful. I generally have the crispy spring rolls and they are very good. My friend had the Fish and it is apparently very good as well. Service was great.
All the dishes are presented well and are very reasonably priced. I'll definitely come back again when I am in the area. I haven't tried it for dinner yet but definitely stop by for lunch.
I drank Bloody Marys at Zeitgeist , wanted other food than hamburger, this place was close.
Drank sake and had some fried vegetables, nothing special but ok.
I got a bit too drunk and lost my food somewhere, still feeling sad about it.
I also fell as I was trying to get on a stage to talk to a 88 year dirty old man.
Good night!
I absolutely love this place. I've been coming here since the new owners took over three years ago. Mama, as she likes to be called, has a great array of dishes that she has created and trained the staff to prepare very well.
Although it can be a pain to find parking in the area, the trouble is worth the wait. The ambiance is great and I've hosted a range of guest at this restaurant. I brought my gf here for our first date, I brought my entire family (20+) on Christmas day, and I've had large dinner parties and was well received every time. The staff is great and usually on top of things.
Recommendations-
The Shaken Beef- Very delicious and tender. Order it almost every time.
Garlic Noodles with Prawns- full of garlic just the way I like it.
Eggplant with tofu- Although not on the menu, I've requested in received it every time I order it. The regular dish only has eggplant.
Crispy Rolls- A must as an appetizer.
Samosas- Another great appetizer.
Clay Pot- A nice dish with a hodgepodge of meats.
Came back here again, this time with a party of 20 to celebrate two birthday boys.
The dinner was pretty good tonight. Servers (only 2) were so accommodating and friendly. Our group of 5 had banh xeo, calamari, garlic noodles with seafood, shaken beef, chicken curry. I thought the chicken curry was the most flavorful. The total came to about $30 per person.
and then comes the x-rated cake ...@rse...with hands...ordered from Cake Gallery - chocolate with raspberry filling.
Ingredients used are fresh and good quality. The ambiance is really nice. If you're craving asian… Read more »
After signing my pocketbook away on a new lease in an office down the street from Bodhi, I thought I would stop in for a little pick-me-up. What I loved the most about this place was that the food was so fresh and crisp and light, even on a day as warm as this one.
I had the tofu salad, my husband had a curry (he always orders curry wherever he goes and this was probably the best I have tasted) and we shared garden rolls. Satisfying and not more food than we could eat. Very reasonably priced. We will be back!
What is more rare than the rare beef in a huge bowl of pho? A Vietnamese place that delivers.
Luckily, Waiters on Wheels can bring Bodhi to your door.
I was feeling sick and craving pho. All I could say all day was pho pho pho. Pho you. Pho off. Phoooooooo.
Mr. S searched around online for what seemed like hours. (pho!) Finally, he found Bodhi, and a mere 1.5 hours later the food was at our door. The beef comes raw so you have to heat the soup up and let it cook a little.
Duck summer rolls were good, too. But it was the pho that hit the spot. All of the necessary add-ins (basil, sprouts, peppers etc) were packed in a little baggie, so nice and neat.
Pho me, that was good. So good that I had it again the next day. Sometimes a girl has needs, you know?
i had to join yelp just to express my love...
i went here last weekend randomly- i had the garlic noodles with prawn and i have to say, they were the best shrimp i've EVER had in my life!! by far.
wow.
it was decently priced (maybe a little higher than i'd like), my portion was pretty big, though my friend got a fish curry clay pot (which i hear was also delicious) and that looked pretty small. the service was also pretty fast and friendly. There were plenty of other people in the restaurant after a while since we went a little early, and they definitely take credit cards! (to clear up some past reviews)
Truly delicious food, especially their clay pots, love the yummy yellow curry one that's not on the menu. Crab is always available and there's never a wait. Don't let this sway you from giving it a try, they do a crazy to-go business from what I can tell. I love that they offer a mix of Thai and Vietnamese dishes so everyone is happy. I am really picky when it comes to SE Asian food, Bodhi never loads down their dishes with cabbage and serves up a ton of tofu in all their vegetarian plates.
Review #300!!!
Bodhi has been hit or miss for me. Their saving graces are speed and convenience. Both dining in or ordering out, the food is ready in 10 minutes. Not quite sure how they make it happen but it is always appreciated. I had a terrible experience once with take-out where the shaken beef and basil chicken were both dry and tough. It's been much better since so I'm not sure if there was just a full moon out that night or what. House favorite is the basil chicken with eggplant (we ordered 4 of them last night!). Crispy rolls are very good. I tried the pan fried rice noodles for the first time and I was satisfied. It was on the lighter side and not drenched in sauce like chinese restaurants like to do.
Note: Their website was broken last night and their menu isn't posted on menupages. Almost in a panic with many hungry stomachs waiting to order, I thankfully stumbled upon Priscilla L.'s review that had the entire menu listed. THANK YOU PRISCILLA!!!
Really uber yummy, great service. My fish was plentiful and delicious. A great find for pescatarians. The papaya salad, crepe, and green onion pancake were all tops. Even the tap water, infused with mint and orange, was exciting! Service was attentive and friendly.
I was debating a 4 or 5 star review for this place. The food is a 4, but the service, above and beyond a 5. We were a group of 6 without a reservation, and they had no problem seating us. We started with appetizers which were about average for Spring Rolls and Samosas, but my dining companions raved about the onion pancakes.
I had a really good eggplant entree, and I was totally drooling over a friend's crepe. Nice big portions, lots of vegetarian and vegan choices. We were totally stuffed by the end of the meal and then they told us they'd bring a dessert for the table on the house!
Fried bananas which were heavenly, mango and sticky rice, and some ice cream. It was a really pleasant surprise. I've always walked past this place but never tried it until last week. Now I will definitely be going back and telling my friends about it.
a fairly disappointing meal. friend made reservations for 8 on a saturday night for 6:30. by the time we arrived, there was literally no one inside, generally not the best sign. we decided to order family style, and got 7 dishes - calamari as a starter, pineapple fried rice, curry chicken claypot, bbq roast chicken, 2 plates prawn fried noodles, a hk style dry fried noodle, and a tofu stir fry. after tax and tip, the total came out to 15 dollars per person, which wasn't terrible, but the portions were very small, so it definitely was not worth 15 dollars per person, minus a star for the price.
the curry chicken claypot was easily a standout as it was mildly spicy, but also sweet due to the surprising addition of shredded coconut. even though it was the best dish of the night, that's not saying much as it was an 11 dollar dish that was too small and very light on actual content, other than what i'm guessing what a curry made from powder. all the dishes were pretty heavy on fat, though not salt, and skimpy on actual food. the curry chicken for example was supposed to have sweet potatoes and carrots. it had perhaps 5 small pieces of regular potatoes, and maybe 3 small sticks of carrots. i also found some unadvertised eggplant in there, which was not a pleasant surprise because i'm allergic to it.
the best part of my meal was a new beer that i tried, 33 export, which was very flavorful and light, almost a stronger and more carbonated version of tsingtao. the waiter service was very friendly, but the lone waiter couldn't really speak english, and after we ordered, he came back and checked our order again. it turned out he had forgotten to write down 4 of our dishes.
my advice, save your money, and go somewhere in the tenderloin to get some authentic vietnamese food for dirt cheap. you'll be much happier, and your wallet will thank you too.
There's a reason this place is always empty. Mediocre food, served by well meaning but uninformed servers. Skip this place and go to one of the other fabulous vietnamese places in the city.
I adore Bodhi. I have been eating at Bodhi since they opened; the food is fusion, and delicious! My favorites are Bodhi Crispy Rolls and the Lemongrass Chicken--everything I have had there is great, but this is what I order when I can't bring myself to cook and I want something yummy, comforting, and fast. Thankfully, I live just around the corner! The soups and claypots are not to be missed, and the staff are friendly, considerate, and attentive.
I went for lunch with a couple of friends who had been there before. The ambience was nice a tad bit barren.
Ordered:
Thai Tea- tasted the way it is supposed to
Banh Xeo- Vietnamese crispy crepe- authentic and even had the mung beans inside. Very tasty.
Clay pot with chinese sausage- very fresh tasting, with hints of ginger and lemongrass. Nice sized shrimp. Generous portions.
Clay pot with braised pork- Didn't seem salty enough, but my Vietnamese mother thought it was very authentic and tender. Even had the slow cooked, whole egg.
Short ribs- Korean thin cut ribs marinated in the same marinade as the Vietnamese pork chops- sweet, savory, delicious. Generous portions.
Exceptional service.
Too full for dessert.
Would recommend and will definitely go back.
Very good Vietnameses cuisine. If you feel like having Pho, clay pot, big dungeness crab, or even family style then this is a great place to eat.
Its right on Valencia so finding a parking spot can be a challenge. Very inviting atomsphere with orange, green, blue decor. Don't be intimidated by the lack of customers if you walk by in the evening hours. It's a very nice and quiet restaurant where the waiters are attentive and funny.
Look for the waiter with the 6th finger! Yeah really. We saw him and he is really funny!.. Don't forget the dessert. Try all 3: mango coconut rice pudding, tempura deep fried ice cream, fried bananas ala mode.
MY PINEAPPLE DIDN'T TASTE LIKE PINEAPPLE.. IT TASTED TASTELESS!
Banh Xeo I didn't order but it was okay. ... not bad.
Food ..... cash only THAT SUCKS. very Asian Fusion; my type because I'M EUROASIAN :D
.. but its run by vietnamese people, except it doesn't feel authentic I would prefer to go to Tenderloin where real vietnamese food are.
I have to say this place really surprised me. I had just left Zeitgeist and was thinking about going to Conduit, but walked by this place first. The service was excellent, and the food was really good too. We had the samosas, hot and sour shrimp soup and a mixed veggie plate.
Next time I am in the area I will definitely be coming back!
Sensibly priced, flavorful dishes and quick service make Bodhi a gem when you're in the mood for Vietnamese. I went with a group of 8 coworkers for lunch. It was very busy, but we had wisely made reservations. The lunch menu is very, very extensive and most items are under $10. Complementary soup was served. Hot and sour start to the meal. We began with the fresh spring rolls. They were very fresh and loaded with succulent (and de-veined!) shrimp, veggies and sprouts. The peanut sauce wasn't sugary sweet, and instead was muted and earthy.
For lunch I shared three dishes with co-workers: coconut tofu curry, spicy eggplant and rice and shrimp and rice. The coconut tofu curry was rich and plentiful and the tofu was firm and a bit crispy- not mushy at all. The spicy eggplant was a bit sweet, with a good amount of heat thrown in. The shrimp was the least favorite dish- there weren't many shrimp on the dish. The shrimp were a bit under seasoned as well.
The service was quick with only one minor gaffe: water glasses weren't refilled at all, despite requests, which was a bummer because the water was flavored with fresh mint and oranges.
This place may not be the most authentic Vietnamese, but man, it's really, really, tasty.
My recommendations:
Any Pho
Garlic Noodle Prawn
Clay Pots
Vermicelli
Appetizer:
DUNGENESS SPRING ROLLS! Always.
This place is awesome. The waiters do not speak fantastic English, but neither do you, so relax.
Don't eat here. It's not Vietnamese. It's not good. It's pricier than it should be. It's empty all the time. The wait staff has a hard time speaking English - not that this is a bad thing, but a frustrating when trying to order a meal which you are paying for.
1 star from me. Sorry guys - there are plenty of real Vietnamese places around to eat at much lower prices...
Yelp - you said it, right on brother! Meh is the word for this place. First of all, they don't really serve Vietnamese, so I just don't get where that label comes from. I've eaten here twice, becasue of it's close proximity to child welfare services office. Ok, don't even bother to ask about that one.
Anyway, the first time, they screwed up my order royally and it took 2 waiters, a manager and a cook to figure out what the hell I meant. I said, I want shrimp instead of chicken! That's all guys!
Ok, the second time I went here, I had some boring mixed up stuff on a plate with some soy sauce flavor and maybe some garlic. Now with that said, it's not a bad place completely. Don't go here expecting a fine meal, but it is a decent lunch. I would strongly advise never going here for dinner, but that's just me.
Whenever my boss and co-workers want Vietnamese food they insist on going here, but the thought of going here always makes my stomach cringe. The first time I came here I was utterly confused. About 3/4 of the menu is non-Vietnamese. When did Vietnamese cuisine consist of samosas, papaya salad, pad thai, and short ribs? This place is more Asian fusion than anything else.
My take on the Vietnamese dishes:
- Spring rolls = disgusting, tastes like licorice, makes me want to gag
- Banh xeo (Vietnamese crepe) = tastes like cardboard
- Vermicelli noodle dishes = bland and dry
- Soups = bland
- Shaken beef = rubbery texture, hard to chew and swallow
- Fish sauce = watered down
- Vietnamese coffee = messy with coffee grinds all over the place
For my most recent visit, I came with a game plan. Get a couple beers in my system and order non-Vietnamese items instead, hoping it'll make me less critical. We ordered items like basil chicken, short ribs, and mixed vegetables, all which tasted okay.
I assumed the steamed sea bass was also non-Vietnamese so we ordered that too. But it turned out to be pretty damn close to home-style cooking. Never thought I'd say that about any item here. It was actually delicious. Fortunately none of my co-workers wanted to touch the skin of the sea bass, so that left me with all the skin. Little did they know this is the tastiest part of the sea bass. A common mistake is overcooking it, leaving a soggy skin, but they did a fine job cooking it just right to be both juicy and crunchy.
This isn't a place I would ever recommend or go to on my own, but since I'm always pressured to go here, at least there's one item on the menu worth getting. The steamed sea bass is pretty much the only reason this place gets 3 stars instead of 1 or 2.
Stumbling upon this place was a blessing! The food was so good and the wait staff was SO unbelievably friendly. Seriously, the waitress waved goodbye to us after we had already left the restaurant through the window.
It claims to be Vietnamese Cuisine.. and although they do have things like pho.. it seems to be a mixture of many different asian cuisines.. Regardless it is so good!
We had crispy vegetarian rolls, tofu rice cookpot, lemongrass chicken, chicken coconut curry and some beef dish. Between the four of us - we covered many different meals and all were flawless! They brought us complimentary soups to start as well. Some crabmeat, clear brothy soup...YUM!
Lunch special was cheap - 4 of us was about 50 bucks with the apps!
Inside decor is trying a little to hard, but with the high ceilings - it is so spacious, that it doesnt matter.
Crab butter, baby. I just learned a new food term. I always wondered what that awesome gooey stuff was in a crab head. That stuff is delectable. I can kill that alone with a bowl of rice. Crab butter, baby.
So, I was heartbroken when me and my buddy ordered the Tamarind Crab at Bodhi and flipped over the head to find the shell completely cleaned out. I mean it was bleach white under there man. Not a hint of crab buttery goodness had been left to prove its existence. What the hell man. We paid $35 bucks for a crab and they scraped away the best part.
The Tamarind Crab must of been the biggest let down in history, next to the ending of Return of the Jedi. Dude... Darth Vader is actually a pasty shriveled old white dude under that helmet?
Funny cause that crab meat resembled Darth Vader. Sort of griefstricken, I cracked open a leg to pick out the meat. That stuff was pasty and shriveled. The meat easily broke into thin shreds as I tried to pull it free from the shell. So, I wasn't paying attention to this detail but my friend caught it right off the bat. She said this crab is old or has freezer burn cause this meat is all jacked up.
So, she called the waiter over to bring this to his attention. Long story short, we were hoping they would cut down the bill because of the crab. But they ended up offering us a free dessert and a free crab the next time we'd come in.
The rest of our meal aside from the crab was decent. The combo appetizer platter was the best. It was a big serving of grilled pork, rice noodles, sugarcane shrimp, egg rolls, and spring rolls; accompanied by lettuce and assorted condiments like fish sauce, pickled veggies, etc...
The Hot and Sour Soup had a good amount of shrimp, mung bean sprouts, tomato, and pineapple. This is very different from the chinese version of the hot and sour soup. The soup was not too hot and not too sour. I tasted a lot of pineapple more than anything.
And lastly, we had the Shaking beef which was pretty good. The flavor was good. The meat was sort of tender. Not bad.
As for the service. Kind of a mixed bag. They were pretty friendly and tried to resolve the crab dilemma. Although they had to go through 3 levels of staff to take care of it (waiter, supervisor, owner). The waiter was not too knowledgable about whether the hot and sour soup was the chinese or vietnamese version, when my friend asked him.
The bill came out to a $100 total. Luckily, we had a $25 certificate. But still a little pricey for the food we eventually received.
So, my friend asked if we should take them up on the free crab offer. I said, yes if we were regulars. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to make a trip here just for the offer.
Agreed.
Thanks for the offer, but no thanks.
P.F. Chang's of the mission. Please mission hipsters, try a walk on the wild side and take a stroll down Larkin. It's only 10 blocks away and every Vietnamese restaurant there will kick Bodhi's ass for half the price. Of course, the streets smell like ass, but that's to be expected.
Reasons why Bodhi sucks:
1) Everything comes in MSG mystery brown sauce.
2) Food more resembles bad whitey-fied Chinese food than anything Vietnamese. Mmmm, sweet deep fried tofu with basil sprigs and aforementioned brown gravy.
3) Service. Waiters take 45 minutes between getting drink, appetizer, and dinner orders then try to hustle you out since the kitchen is closing, and this when the restaurant is empty.
4) Cheap dishes at premium prices. If you can substitute something cheap (rice, noodles, green beans) for something expensive (seafood, mushrooms, fresh veggies) Bodhi has done so.
The decor is nice and the restaurant is spacious. If you want fake asian food in a nice setting, try Betelnut instead.
Bodhi concept:
Good food + Clueless service = Mistaken identity (just check the artwork and general ambience or lack thereof).
Bodhi is trying really hard to be a generic pho restaurant in the sunset, but it is trapped in the mission and it's lack of character is blatantly apparent.
But the food is freakin good. Great selection of spring rolls, appetizers, slamin pork chops, etc. Skip the salt and pepper prawns and go to little saigon instead.
Conclusion: Take out spot only, although they don't have a menu online??
We went in thinking it was a Vietnamese place but it was actually Asian Fusion. Actually I thought the dishes were true to their origin but they offered a variety of things from different countries in Southeast Asia. Nonetheless, the food was really good! The veggies were fresh and the the dishes we ordered were seasoned well. We got the Lemon Grass Beef and the Yellow Chicken Curry. For an appetizer we got the Bodhi Crispy Rolls. Unfortunately we didn't have time to try dessert ... maybe next time.
Pretty good, seems like a mix of VN + Thai, both of which I like.
They managed a large group pretty well, although were a tad slow. I didn't see a lot of vegetarian options, but really, I hear vegetarians are mentally ill.
I believe I liked the eggrolls, but I won't stake my life on it.
The place was empty when we arrived. My knee jerk reaction was to say "Ok, C'mon guys, let's just walk the 3 blocks to SunFlower on 16th.
The couple I went with say whenever they come here, its like that. How can they pay the rent with no one inside on a Friday night? That was my first question. They must have a good lunch crowd. Apparently, from another yelper, the lunch menu is cheap. Low and behold though, we must've started the trend that night because by the time we were leaving, the restuarant was virtually packed and my friends thought "Wow, we've never ever seen it this crowded before" Or maybe they just go on off days. Who knows.
The feel of the place isn't very...welcoming? I dont know how to describe it. It's just...off. The paintings/artwork on the walls are hideous. The music they were playing wasn't appropriate. It just didn't seen authentic. It's like they're trying to be some place that they aren't. The men's toilet was backed up and on the verge of overflowing. The service was bland and uninspiring. No effort on behalf od the waitstaff leaves me wondering what else is wrong with the establishment.
The food, on the other hand, wasn't half bad. I ordered the Basil Chicken with brown rice, and a thai iced coffee. The three of us split 2 orders of fresh spring rolls. Very standard fair and very standard price, I thought. I paid $16 total.
This seems like it'd be a great place to bring a LARGE group of people (to give them something to be excited about). As we were crossing Valencia to walk up Duboce I said I'd go back...some time.
Don't be scared off by the fact that there never seems to be anybody in there (it seems to be always empty), because this place is actually quite good.
I've been there twice now and was quite happy with the food both times. The service is admittedly not quite up to par, as sometimes they seem to forget that you are there, even though you may be the only ones in there, but that fact doesn't take away from the food.
Got the sampler appitizer last night and it was great! Also got the pan fried chicken noodles and that was awesome as well. Duck spring rolls are nice too. Would love to give the place five stars just on the basis of the food, but the pho doesn't quite live up to my standards and the service can take away from the experience a bit.
The pho and the coconut curry prawns are both great here. I prefer Bodhi over Sunflower for Vietnamese in the Mission. Don't know why it's always so empty inside. Maybe they do most of their business in take-out? Every time I've eaten there the staff has been quick and courteous.
Get your Bodhi over to this spot! (It's late and that's all I got up the humor sleeve right now.) We weren't sure if the place was open because it was so dimly lit- too dimly lit, in fact. Hold-the-candle-up-to-your-food-to-try-to-see-what 's-in-it kind of dimly lit. But the fare was really tasty. The Bodhi sampler proved to be a good choice- mostly meat & shrimp appetizers served with the typical lettuce leaves, mint, julienne carrots & dipping mixture like Mama used to make. We had a toasted rice clay pot too- yummy but I could have done without the "chinese sausage". We politely suggested raising the lights a tad & the treble on the stereo (only bass was audible, as is the case in too many restaurants) and our waiter brought us complimentary ice cream. If we'd have found more flaws, could we have waltzed out w/leftovers??
They're still getting the kinks out, but I'd try it again soon with someBodhi special. (Ba-dum tschh!)
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Daly City, CA
Category: Asian Fusion
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