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La Petite Camille
Category: Restaurants Vietnamese Vietnamese [Edit]
170 El Camino RealMillbrae, CA 94030
(650) 692-4978
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10:30 am - 10:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Mark H. said: "Came here for happy hour, tried some of the HH specials. All happy hour appetizers are half-off, beers are $4 and there are Sake specials from 5:00-6:00pm. The vibe was cool. The music was good and the entire look of the place was…" read more »
237 reviews for La Petite Camille
Review Highlights
"but their roasted five spice chicken is the bomb."
(in 16 reviews)
"My kiddies love shredded pork with the crab fried rice."
(in 9 reviews)
"Garlic noodles are delicious too."
(in 16 reviews)
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237 reviews in English
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Review from Mushroom K.
San Francisco, CA
This is a nice restaurant.
I came here with my friend, we ordered Vietnamese iced coffee, two kinds of Pho: Beef and tomato-crab soup.
The tomato-crab soup was pretty good. Love it! -
Review from Yaj R.
Millbrae, CA
1/30/2012
The service her is garbage.
The food is just decent.
The five spice chicken and the beef stew are fairly decent tasking.
The service is C.R.A.P. It takes them 5 minutes to get to the table to bring water and the menu. 10 minute to take the order. They won't let you flag them down, because they hide in the back and refrain from making eye contact. You have to ask for everything. Water, order, menu, check, napkins, cutlery. Everything .... wtf. And the waiters are always too busy day dreaming and doing random things.
Will I come back? Probably... when co-workers hijack the lunch and decide last minute we're making a detour. Out of my own will .... NEVER. -
Review from Ines C.
San Francisco, CA
1/30/2012
La Petite Camille is only a short drive from the airport. Perfect for a post-flight meal with family and friends! Restaurants close early where I live, so it's great that this place stays open fairly late.
Juicy, moist, tender, a piece of melt-in-your-mouth heaven. Five spice chicken, I love you! It tastes great even without the sauce. They serve you a generous portion, so don't order it with rice if your appetite is small.
I love the broth that they serve for the bun bo hue. It's delicious, and I didn't leave a single drop! It's large enough of a bowl to split between two or three people.
I was surprised by the hot and sour catfish soup. It's not so much hot, but tangy with a slight sweet flavor from the pineapple in the soup. The clear broth makes the soup very light and refreshing. They serve this in a small or large bowl.
Papaya salad with shrimp is crunchy and refreshing. I wish the dish brought a little more heat, but it's perfect if you're looking for that tiny kick to your palate.
Overall, it was a pleasant customer experience for my family. We definitely made the right choice to drive down here for dinner! -
Review from M M.
Millbrae, CA
1/28/2012
This restaurant deserves only one star. One star for the lousy service to start with. We had to call their attention for every single thing: menus (hello we are waiting for the menus), water, food, check and to top it all, we had to ask them to clear the table every time they brought new dishes. The food is very mediocre and at times bad (had a nasty crab soup that had to send back). The noise is unbelievable. Avoid and if nothing else is open go to KFC better option even if you don't do fast food like me
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Review from Joyce L.
12/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
It's not fancy, and the staff don't make small talk. But what they do well is serve pretty kickass food, which for the price they charge I'm totally OK with.
I was en route to SF after a meeting in South Bay, and decided to stop in Milbrae for a quick lunch.
It was a regular Friday lunchtime and it was packed! There was a mix of those who stopped by for a quick work lunch, and some young Moms with toddlers. Mixed nationality of clientele also.
I heeded to the warnings and did not order pho. Instead, Instead, went for the room temp rice noodles with BBQ pork chop. Prominent lemongrass flavor and the accomplishment of tangy spicy dressing was sensational.
While the waiters don't chit chat, they are always attentive and your tea or water glass is never empty. The meals also come out relatively quick.
Will visit again. -
Review from Gail L.
San Francisco, CA
1/13/2012
Came here with a couple of friends a couple of months ago. Food was great, our server was VERY friendly, and we had a good time. It's not super fancy, but that's ok since I'm more of a chill eater anyway. It gets pretty busy fairly fast, so it was often hard to get a hold of someone. But other then that would like to try it again!
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Review from Traumeri L.
Burlingame, CA
12/27/2011
came here for pho, while not terrible not sure if I'd come back again with the other asian noodle places nearby. We also got the appetizers and pork plate that were also very average at best. They seem fairly popular so maybe we went on an off-day?
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Review from Robert L.
Tustin, CA
9/26/2011
I used to come here every few months when I lived in the bay and I had fond memories of their food. I was back in the bay for a wedding this past weekend and decided to get lunch there. I wasn't sure if it would live up to my memory of the place, but it definitely did.
Don't come here for pho. It's not a pho restaurant. GET THE BBQ PORK CHOP. It is the best Vietnamese BBQ pork chop I've ever had! It's thin, tender, sweet, salty, lemongrassy, perfectly cooked. You get a lot too. The dinner portion will serve 2-4 and the lunch portion is plenty for one person. Lunch also comes with a ton of rice and something else, depending on which rice plate you get. I highly recommend that the "something else" be the imperial rolls!
Yea service might not be the best, pho is better elsewhere, there are some flies, and the parking lot is kind of small, but I'm giving them 5 stars anyways for the awesomeness of their BBQ pork chops! I haven't found anything even close in Socal. -
Review from Steven L.
San Francisco, CA
8/24/2011
For a Vietnamese restaurant, this place is one of the best we've tried. The thing that sets this apart from all others in this price range is its open atmosphere and cleanliness.
The BBQ Pork Chops is the best of anywhere.
Their Camille's BBQ Chicken is moist, tasty and one of my favorites.
Camille's has the BEST Fried Egg rolls - EXCELLENT!
Deep Fried Cat Fish is very good
BBQ Beef & Shrimp Dry Noodle dish is very good
Garlic Noodles with Shrimp is very good
Pho Noodles are pretty good
The menu for both lunch and dinner is the same, but lunch is much less expensive. We of course like to got there for lunch, but if we can't we don't mind paying more for dinner.
We live in SF and frequent this place at least 2-3 times a month. Suffice it to say it's worth the 30 mile RT drive. -
Review from Beverly T.
Emeryville, CA
7/15/2011
Identity crisis. French name. Chinese workers. Vietnamese food.
It was late. Everything was closed I wanted pho. They were open. They win.
They only have two kinds of pho, chicken and their beef combo. Combo comes with rare steak, brisket, tendon, tripe. Rare steak was tender, tendon no where to be found, tripe tender, brisket pretty good. Broth was MEH. Noodles were mushy. I think it was $8. Not worth it at all.Listed in: PHO-CK YEAH!
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Review from Connie C.
San Bruno, CA
9/6/2011
I was craving pho and so my friends brought me here. They have a mini parking lot and street parking. It was lunch hour on a three-day weekend, so it wasn't busy at all.
We started off with some fresh spring rolls. Not bad, they were wrapped nicely and tight, the food inside doesn't fall out with just one bite. Almost all of us ordered Bun Bo Hue except one; he ordered this combo rice plate thing that came with soup, rice, salad, spring rolls, and meat. Looks way better than our Bun Bo Hue! First of all, the color of the soup was off. Tasted it, too bland. It wasn't spicy nor rich in flavor as it was supposed to be. The noodles was alright but the portion was too small, I felt ripped off. The meat...there were only the cha lua (the beige sausage slices) and slices of overcooked flank (I think). The last time I had a real Bun Bo Hue, it had more ingredients than that!
Onto the service. As I was saying, it wasn't even busy. One of the guys had time to eat a popsicle while serving food or preparing the table settings. For some reason, he doesn't like to clear our tables when we have a stash of dishes needed to be taken away. He would bring us our food, and ignore the dish stack. There was barely space left after our entrees came, really now? Not only that, we waited very long for our noodles. Generally at other pho places, I get my pho within 5 minutes. I waited like 10-15 minutes here. And for our friend with the combo plate: they brought out the soup but totally forgot about the rice plate. He waited even longer.
The place was not too tidy either. Flies were bugging us. Floor wasn't swept. You can see dishes racking up at other tables too. The end. -
Review from Andrew M.
7/25/2011 6 Check-ins Here
I seriously thought I already reviewed this place. I really did. Did my review disappear or am I just tripping on substance I am not aware about?
The go to fail-safe dish?
Assuming you like fish sauce, get the Vermicelli noodle plates. DO get it with the imperial rolls. Their imperial rolls are good.
The service here is kind and attentive. The restaurant is kept clean. The prices are right. And they're open sorta late-ish, which is always appreciated for the late diners like me. -
Review from kat s.
South San Francisco, CA
12/14/2011 6 photos
I'm not a fan of Vietnamese Food but LA PETITE CAMILLE? Ah, I love!
Thier Catfish Hot & Sour Soup is so good! Another fave of ours also are their Pork BBQ, Imperial Rolls & Catfish Clay Pot! I love their Guyabano Shake too! -
Review from Christopher L.
Millbrae, CA
10/28/2011
This is the best Vietnamese restaurant I've ever been to. This is in terms of the environment, service, and food. I'm pretty surprised that I live in this city and never found this place earlier, so it's a hidden pearl to me. Although it's a tad more expensive than other places, it's worth it.
Upon arriving, we were immediately seated and brought hot tea. Food was brought out fairly quickly and one of the waiters was constantly going around to make sure everyone's tea cups were full. I'm glad we showed up around 11:45am for lunch, because halfway through our meal, we noticed the place was full.
We got the green papaya salad, which was very fresh and yummy. As other Yelpers say, the grilled pork is delicious! I ordered the spicy beef and pork pho. It's usually what I get at other places and I found it well portioned and the stock was amazing. I would definitely come back to try other dishes!Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Alan M.
Santa Cruz, CA
9/14/2011 1 photo
This was one of the better Vietnamese restaurants I have been to in California. Most of the Vietnamese food I have had has been in Seattle/New York.
The Pho Ga here was okay. I was hungover and looking for something to feel better while waiting at the Millbrae Caltrain station. I wouldn't say it was bland, but it didn't seem to have the same amount of Umami-depth I am accustomed to in Pho Ga. I would definitely come here again and order the same thing.
Service was quick as I was rushing, and I came in around 2:30 in the afternoon when there wasn't much of a crowd (although a notable one for that time of day; I would imagine it probably gets packed at times). I paid for my bill before I finished because I was rushing and I had two glasses of water with my soup. The price was reasonable (I think 7.55 dollars (after tax, before tip) for Pho? I'm used to paying 5 at most places in Seattle/NY so this could be seen as "steep") Anyways, I'd come here again if I was on my way to/from the city. -
Review from Michael L.
San Mateo, CA
11/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
I just had dinner here tonight. I was about to give it two stars and call it overrated because the service was sub par and the spicy beef noodle soup was way weak, but (along with my dine-in noodles) I ordered bbq pork to-go because I'm fat. I just took a bite and wow... i just had an orgasm that would make any scene that Tori Black has ever shot look noob. Obv order the bbq pork here and nothing else. Order it take out unless you want to dine-in and watch the lazy ass waiters sit together at the corner table swordfighting each other while you're waiting for some damn water.
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Review from Happy L.
Burlingame, CA
6/21/2011
I always get good service at La Petite Camille. They always call me pretty girl and so on and so forth. Haha!
Anyway, two visits ago I ordered chicken noodle in tomato soup base (the tomato soup base is usually used for escargot noodles, I believe) and it was pretty good. Even though their chicken constituted of suspicious-looking slices of white meat that looked as though they had been cut by hand with a knife, the meat was soft and tender. The soup was sweet and dense and flavorful.
However, this past weekend when I went, that same dish was a complete nightmare. They used a slightly different soup base with minced pork (?) that could only be described as nauseating... I had to force myself to finish it.
Their egg rolls are good, but those are hard to mess up.
Lastly, they need to turn on the AC or something. It is so hot in that small restaurant and that's just not a good environment to eat steaming bowls of noodle soup in. -
Review from Derick G.
Daly City, CA
6/6/2011
First off, great food, but the service is terrible. If you want a long winded explanation, keep reading.
My wife and 2 kids arrived, we got seated relatively quickly. But something was missing. Oh right... menus! We waited about 10 minutes and my wife finally got up to go get 2 menus at the serving window. She was escorted back to her seat by a waiter (older gentleman) carrying 2 menus to bring to our table, but he placed the menus (which were old/gross looking) on my wife's CLEAN plate. Wha!? I immediately asked for a new plate. -1 STAR! I also like to observe... so I noticed the bus-person who wipes the tables with a wet towel and spray cleaner is the SAME person that gets the food from the serving counter and brings it to your table. He doesn't wear gloves nor did he go to the back and wash his hands off before handling the serving dish. -2 STARS for cleanliness.
We decided what we wanted to eat, but then we waited a bit craving for some attention so we can place an order. Not sure how long but it was a while so we had to raise our hands up like school children asking the teacher if we can get a hallway pass to use the restroom. Wow. -1 more STAR.
Finally, we placed our order. Our 2 appetizers came, then our meat entrées - but our crab rice and garlic noodles didn't come after - figuring let's just be patient. We waited...and waited (for me I need rice with meat or it wasn't happening)... meanwhile, we waited some more... and waited (pattern here)... at this point, after about 20-25 minutes, we figure we should raise our hands again like school children. We got some attention and told them they forgot our rice and noodles. Wow. If someone would simply walk by and do their half their job to come over to check up on us, they would have known we were missing part of our order. Just poor service. At this point I already lost my appetite being so sick of waiting. I was ready to walk out of this place and not pay. Minus 2 STARS for forgetting our food and me losing appetite = 5 STARS OFF!!!
Each time we go I swear service's gotten worse and worse! If I could leave 0 stars, I would.
We'd probably be back because the food's good, but it'll be take out and it'll be awhile, and I hope they improve by then. -
Review from jenny h.
San Francisco, CA
5/7/2011
Yum Yum Yum~
thank you so much for opening late so i can pick up yummy delicious food :) and thanks x 2 for so AWESOME~
their grilled chicken and pork over rice is always FANTASTIC and there's a parking lot so you never have to worry about finding parking on the street! The owners are always super friend and offer you hot tea while you wait for your food. THANKS LA PETITE!
OH! sorry...-1 star for their pad thai...it was "meH!" -
Review from H K.
San Francisco, CA
10/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a nice Vietnamese restaurant with tablecloth. I've heard good things about it from others I know. I finally went out there last Friday for lunch, but unfortunately I was by myself. Therefore I settled for their beef soup noodle not knowing for certain what other items may be good. The noodle itself was good enough, with plenty of peppers on their side plate, as well as the option of ordering it with tendon and tripes. Hopefully I can go out here again with someone who can show me what else here is yummy.
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Review from cecille p.
South San Francisco, CA
Updated - 6/27/2011
Always accessible to eat on Sunday lunches. You can't go wrong!
but just be patient service can get slooowww....1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/19/2009
great place for big group and can accomodate well. Food is tasty and enjoyed it more with friends… Read more »
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Review from Don m.
San Francisco, CA
11/15/2011
My favorite Vietnamese restaurant since Hop Sinh in Hawyard closed.
They can get busy though. We went there last Friday at nearly 2 pm and they were crowded with mainly Vietnamese customers, which is always a good sign.
But I like the dinner menu better. More choices. The food tastes fresh, the service is fast - especially if you order an appetizer. I'm not a fan of pho, so I prefer the ala carte non-pho items.
When this restaurant first opened they would have sizzling pots where you cook the meat on your table. The fire alarm keps going off summoning the fire department! But it was a tasty and fun way to eat.
Interesting dishes with a variety of flavors. -
Review from Liza T.
San Francisco, CA
6/13/2011
It was 9:15pm on a Saturday's night. We were looking for any restaurant that is still opened. Thanks god La Petite Camille was opening late.
We arrived there around 9:30pm and the restaurant was packed. The service was quick and friendly.
We ordered:
Fresh spring rolls - it was pretty good. The rolls were very fresh and the portion was decent.
#65 Egg Rolls and Grilled Pork over Vermicelli. Again the portion was was good. The egg rolls were crunchy and the pork were moist and seasoned well.
Also get the Plum Soda and it was very refreshing.
Definitely go back there if I want some Vietnamese food in that neighborhood. -
Review from Jon K.
Isn't it great how finally it's starting to feel like Winter with the dry spell just having ended these past couple days?! Well I'm excited because it means more days that'll cause Pho cravings!
As usual I ordered an extra large #12, their combination noodle soup along with an entree portion of pork. The grilled pork here is so tender and moist that yes, I had to share a plate with my mom or else both of us wouldn't be satisfied.
What I like best about this restaurant is that time and time again the way in which the food is prepared has never dropped in quality. Sure I think it's great when I order pho from other places and get in within 30seconds, but then I start eating and wonder "how long ago was this already prepared..." The owner is always open to sharing how he preps his food and to any suggestions. So when ask him what he does different he casually answers that aside from the broth they don't prep it until you order it.
So it takes about 5 minutes for my bowl of pho to arrive and it's piping hot. Unlike most other pho places, the noodles aren't thick and sticky; they're really easy to separate to make sure you get all those extra goodies like bean sprouts and such in without messing up your dish. As usual, I taste the broth first and am always welcomed with the welcoming taste of fresh chicken broth. With a dab of sriracha I didn't hold back, my pho never had a chance ;D
A little while after our noodles arrived so did our porkchops on a bed of always fresh green lettuce. The moment the dish hit the table I could see eyes moving towards our table's direction as everyone finally located the amazing aroma of grilled pork. As always each bite was tender and flavorful! My only gripe is I had to share with my mom, otherwise that plate would have had my name all over it!
If you've read my other reviews about this place and still haven't gone you are totally missing out! The cold weather is back both of these dishes will warm those cold cores of yours and I swear you'll be converted to La Petite!2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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12/10/2010
Rainy seasons finally started!? Good now I can actually be okay with myself ordering pho now that it… Read more »
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Review from Joanne H.
San Francisco, CA
4/19/2011
When it's a cold gloomy and rainy day, with a side of being really sick, pho here was great.
- large selection on the menu
- reasonably priced
- parking lot
- fast service -
Review from Terrine B.
South San Francisco, CA
3/7/2011
Two words you need to know about La Petite Camille. "Garlic Noodles" well maybe I meant four words, "Garlic Noodles with Shrimp".
They have a lot more than just this one dish, also check out their five spice chicken or their beef with eggplant dish, but the Garlic Noodles with Shrimp are done just right. Not spicy, just garlic, with a nice addition of lightly breaded shrimp and sliced cucumbers. -
Review from S D.
San Bruno, CA
5/27/2011
This has been my go to place for Vietnamese food for well over 10 years now. I love their five spice chicken (super moist, juicy, and you get a lot of it), beef stew (awesome flavor with just the right amount of spices and kick), and pork chop over rice.
Do try their soda lemonade as well. Very refreshing with just the right tinge of lemon flavor. -
Review from Sarah A.
South San Francisco, CA
2/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
4 stars mainly because of the size of the restaurant and the parking lot. It's a small place so if you decide to eat here on a Friday night or Saturday night, expect to wait. The parking lot is pretty small so you might have to look for parking on the main street - El Camino.
Food-wise, pretty damn good. My favorite thing to order here would be the Chicken Salad. Its very tasty and healthy! My family usually orders the Chicken in lemongrass but I think the beef on lemongrass is way better. The sauce they usually use on every single dish is a sweet fish sauce which is pretty good but if you're not into that then you probably shouldn't eat here.
Also, don't get the thai iced tea here its not really that great... they put too much milk in it. :) ENJOY -
Review from Jerry C.
2/23/2011
I don't really know if this place is a "fusion" place, just because they have a fancy name vs the typical PHO HO HIEP name or variation thereof most vietnamese pho places have.
It actually looks pretty clean inside, and the parking lot holds some cars, but street parking is all around this area. First, let's talk about pho. The chicken pho ga was good, very clean tasting, no MSG, but also not as much taste perse as some of the other hole in the wall joints. but their roasted five spice chicken is the bomb. It is so good you want to go to Saigon and beg those old mommas to give you their ancient recipe. I practically ate the whole dish, plate included. We also made the mistake of ordering their "crispy" noodle and chicken dish, not because it was a bad dish, but it wasn't really vietnamese, more like the typical fried noodle dish you can get at any old HK place. -
Review from Tram N.
11/21/2010 1 Check-in Here
For a Vietnamese restaurant trying to add a French twist, not bad in price. My Daughter wanted pho so I Yelped the nearest and got to this place. This place is nor big on pho so there aren't a lot of varieties.. I ordered the beef balls and I gave her pretty much 90% of it. I also ordered imperial eggrolls.. the presentation was nice.. came w/ vermicelli noodles, lettuce, cilantro, and spicy fish sauce.. they are mini eggrolls though.
Service was friendly and rather quick. If you want to try a variety of Vietnamese dishes, perhaps this place could be it.. I saw rice dishes, Vietnamese fusion type of dishes, eggnoodle dishes, white noodle dishes, and crepes (banh xeo).Listed in: Vietnamese Eateries
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Review from Justin W.
San Francisco, CA
4/20/2011
Came here a while ago, and forgot to yelp about it lol
My friend brought me here to grab a late dinner
And i ordered the five spice chicken which was elite -
Review from Y N.
Milpitas, CA
8/1/2011
Been here couple of times. I really like the garlic noodle. However I think they need to have additional cooks as we waited over an hour for our foods. They have one cook only.
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Review from Scott C.
San Francisco, CA
3/29/2011
Well seasoned. Big menu with lots of variety and so close to the Millbrae CalTrain/BART station. I was coming from the airport and missed my caltrain, so instead of waiting an hour on the platform, I took a 5 minute walk to La Petite Camille for lunch. It was so good and the prices were reasonable. You can get Pho or a range of vietnamese entrees. I had a combo platter with 5 spice chicken. The imperial rolls were crunchy and the chicken had quite a bit of flavor.
I wish the chicken were juicier, but given the style of cooking and the speed of the service, juicy chicken would be a tall order. There is dipping sauce to help out. Based on menu options, location and solid flavor, I am rounding up a 3.5 star rating to 4 stars. -
Review from Francesca m.
South San Francisco, CA
3/8/2011
I was craving pho and some eggrolls while I was in the millbrae area and thought about giving this restaurant a try. There aren't many Vietnamese restaurants in the Millbrae/San Bruno area besides here and Hoa Ky from what I know.
I ordered the chicken pho and imperial rolls to go. The pho wasn't that great. The broth tasted very average. I was disappointed in the bag of veggies it comes with. There wasn't any cilantro in the bag. I love cilantro in my pho and all that was in the bag was the mint, bean sprouts and lemon.
The imperial rolls were 6 mini rolls instead of your basic long ones. The rolls were pretty good. And it came with a lot of vermicelli and lettuce which was a plus. I really would recommend the imperial rolls.
The reason I knocked off 2 stars was because one, the pho was average and two, it's pretty expensive for vietnamese food. Hence the french sounding name I'm assuming.
I would come back though if I was in the area and try out their garlic noodles and five spice chicken like everyone recommends. -
Review from Angela L.
9/18/2010 6 Check-ins Here
Decent place decent location. For years now, I heard of this place and driven by it and never did I ever come to say why not try this place out. It is a Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant i am told, and you definitely get that sense as you enter and try this place out.
Located in the heart of Millbrae, my BF brought me here since we wanted a quick Vietnamese noodle fix called Pho. We both ordered the pho special which included all the fixins for a good $7.95. The portion is very large I might add and it actually tasted very good for this part of town. I was a bit surprised and amazed. I have also tried the bun bo hue as well as the bun reu which were all a big disappointment.
The mixed Chinese Vietnamese dishes were ok. They are decent but nothing special I care to mention about. Their services as well as mannerism are average. You can't expect too much from a asian restaurant even if it is in Millbrae.
For everything else, I would say it is a decent place to have your Pho quick fix or Chinese Vietnamese dishes without going down to SF or the South bay. -
Review from Andrew C.
Burlingame, CA
3/22/2011
The place was packed when I got there (Large 20+ party taking up half
the restaurant) but got seated right away.
First thing I noticed when i sat down was the white table cloths stained from previous customers. Then I noticed a child stool next to me. wtf?
I ordered a BBQ beef plate and hot and sour shrimp soup, but that was a bad choice.
My BBQ beef plate came in, and parts of the meat were already cold for some reason. The meat was slightly bland but it was dryer than some saltine crackers. Should of gotten the pan fried noodles (that my friend got), at least that tasted decent.
Did I say I ordered soup? Because apparently my waiter (who tried to memorize our order forgot) When I mentioned it after 30 minutes of waiting, I ended up getting hot and sour with the wrong meat (scallop? I'm not sure)
When they took it back to make a new order, I was surprised it came in so fast (4 minutes), and I realized why. They just replaced my mystery meat with shrimp, but silly them because they forgot to take all of it out. -
Review from Jennifer L.
Mountain View, CA
11/29/2010
The Bun Bo Hue's broth was so fragrant and delicious. There were lots of beef and sliced Vietnamese steamed pork loaf. The beef was very tendonous and tough but was very flavorful. Even though it was missing a lot of stuff that I'd like in a Bun Bo Hue, it was sooo yummy.
My boyfriend's grilled pork rice plate was also very yummy. I stole a couple bites. The grilled pork smelled and tasted wonderful. Oh and very tender. Sort of like a bulgogi. It came with two mini (deep-fried) imperial rolls and they were gone before I could steal a bite. There was one big scoop of rice and a BIG BUNCH of shredded lettuce. Also came with a cup of canh chua (Vietnamese hot and sour soup) which is uncommon -- most places only give you a cup of chicken broth with fried shallot and chopped green onions/cilantro. The canh chua was good.
We also had Goi Cuon (aka salad/spring/summer roll). It was PACKED tightly with rice vermicelli, whole green leafy lettuce, spring salad mix (weird but I guess it's a fair substitute for traditional basil and mint), and shrimp. The peanut sauce was delicious with a tangy twist. -
Review from Ruby K.
San Francisco, CA
I felt so awkward when I walked towards the restaurant entrance. The waiter stared at me, so I smiled nervously. The cook and other workers stared at me also as my friend left me and went to the restroom.
The restaurant's decor and menu caused me feel like the food wouldn't be too good, so I immediately signed onto yelp to read reviews.
I got a pho tai, and my friend got the BBQ pork combination plate which came with complimentary soup.
The soup was very colorful and appeared appetizing (refer to photo). I imagined it to taste like sweet and soup, but it had a VERY unique flavor. My friend and i agreed that we don't know if we like it or dislike it, but it was different.
The soup to my pho tai was pretty good in the beginning until I freeloaded a spring roll, which caused the rest of the pho to taste bland.
I must disagree with all other yelp reviews and say that the spring roll really isn't that great. As in texture, I've had better, and as in taste.. it does taste more meaty, but eh I will never crave it.
I HATED the white roses ont he table. I knew it had to be picked from somewhere, and I was right the roses were all gone from the rose bush outside the window... haha I can't get over it.
I also hate that the food comes in such fancy bowls and plates, and it totally doesn't match the restaurant. I didn't know if i should feel happy and shocked that it looked so nice or just feel like "interesting."
Overall the server did his job, and i had a decent meal. -
Review from Earl G.
6/27/2010 3 photos
A step up from the typical pho restaurants both menu and interior wise, this is a safe lunch option for coworkers.
(http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
Most recently went for dinner because they're one of the few Millbrae restaurants open after 10pm.
There's only one pho option on the menu, xl- combo ($8). The broth was bland but passable for it being after 10pm (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).
A better choice would be their bun cha gio - #65 ($9), it's a noodle bowl topped with some crispy egg rolls and lean grilled pork, just toss in the sauce it comes with and you get that addictive texture and flavor contrast. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
Definitely not the best, but decent for bargain bite late night eats.Listed in: Bargain bites, Vietnamese Food
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Review from Jewel N.
San Mateo, CA
1/31/2011
1st timer - stopped by on my way home. Just a block from the Millbrae BART, it was quite convenient. The waitstaff was very accommodating to my take out order. Offered me a seat while I waited and brought over some tea. The food came out quick. It was plentiful for the price and delicious. Had a little spice to the broth which was a nice touch. And the peanut sauce was unique and spicy too.
They also use recycled boxes for the take out which I really appreciate.
