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Category: Vietnamese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
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Tasty,
cheap,
viet food.
Dinner for 2; under 30$.
WOW, is Minh's Garden really the new Pagolac?
Uh, no...I'm sorry I got your hopes up, but life is filled with disappointment. Deal with it. Buck up. Be a man. Stop crying. Men who eat imperial rolls don't cry. Luckily, Minh's doesn't give you a reason to cry. It just doesn't give you a reason to rejoice. So put your Bibles back into your motel rooms. It's a standard-issue Vietnamese family restaurant overseen by a cordial, proud owner. Hello Mr. Minh.
It's semi-packed with what look to be regulars and young couples looking to save a buck. The menu is reasonably priced for the portions, for sure. No Pagolac-level wows here, but the $8.99 BBQ Pork and Shrimp Bowl over Noodles that Jamie W. ordered was tasty and hearty enough (see photo). Less satisfying was the $6.99 Special Beef Noodle Soup I had (see photo). It was pho with a little 'p'...no, I don't mean 'pee'...I mean it was adequate pho with the right ingredients but just a bit meh even with the beef balls and flank steak.
Spring rolls are usually a shoe-in at a Viet eatery, but Minh didn't have quite the freshness I was hoping for, that snapness to the ingredients that can otherwise turn spring rolls into something past Labor Day. Service was efficient but not as warm and fuzzy as what I saw the regulars receive. But I'm not going to cry. No. Real men who eat pho don't cry.
FOOD - 3 stars....middle-of-the-road Vietnamese
AMBIANCE - 3 stars...like a manicure salon in Hanoi...I can only guess
SERVICE - 3 stars...food came, empty dishes went...yep, I got service
TOTAL - 3 stars...plenty of choices on Clement, and you could do worse
During my recent visits to the Clement street area, its places like this that make me love the Richmond... Being unemployed I'm constantly searching for new places that are scrumptious and easy on the pocket book.
We started with Shrimp rolls (spring rolls), fresh squeezed lemonade, and pot of jasmine tea. The spring rolls were decent, but didn't seem too fresh.
For the main course we had Beef Pho and BBQ beef with imperial rolls. The Pho was very disappointing.. seriously one of the worst pho dinners we've had. As a lover of pho, it was very flavorless and boring. I would not recommend the Pho to anyone.
On the other hand the BBQ Beef with Imperial Rolls was absolutely delicious! Seriously, I could eat this everyday. The noodles and sauces were very fresh and to die for. Try this people!
To recap: Try fresh squeezed lemonade and BBQ Beef with Imperial Rolls.
Skip: Beef Pho
Our entire meal was under $30 for 2 people= great for broke ass people like myself :-)
This place could be a lot better. It's been a lot better. Writing as of November 2009, the pho is not what it has been -- the broth is still good, and the addition of cilantro to the standard sides is appreciated, but the chicken's pretty bland. The meat in other dishes often has that defrosted feel, and the Chinese-style dishes here have that slop look that suggests a lack of care -- doesn't always mean lack of care, but here it can feel that way.
After a failed attempt at Burmese Superstar (2 hour wait? oh hell to the no!), we came here.
I was craving for some Vietnamese & this place was pretty good. I mean it wasn't the best i've had....Nothing in SF so far have satisfied me when it comes to great Vietnamese food, but hey... i can deal with it since we have such a great variety of other diverse cuisines :)
We ordered one of those dinner options for 2 ppl since we were so indecisive about what to order.
I wanted the catfish sour soup which we substituted for one of soups that was already selected under the dinner option - it was good cuz i love sour tamarind soup! & i was glad they allowed us to substitute it.
It also came with chicken lemongrass which was ehh bland. & a mixed veggie plate which was okay also. Overall this place was decent.
The eggrolls - YES! it was really good :D
The bathroom was kinda weird to get to, this isn't part of my rating for my review, but just for you to know...the bathroom was weird to get to since you have to walk right thru the kitchen to get there haha. :\
Whenever my wife and I begin raising our voices because we cannot decide on a dining destination, Minh's becomes our savior. The food is great, especially for the price, the service is very entrepreneurial and the beer doesn't have ridiculous margins tacked onto it.
If I had to complain about one thing... it is the location of the bathroom.
What was it 95 degrees yesterday!?!?!? Where's my cool breeze San Francisco?
Well as dinner time approached I was all ready for the two great looking fillets the "Lady K" took out to make with one of her famous giant salads. This was going to be another great meal.... as she reached to turn on the over she looked me straight in the eyes and said, "I dont even want to turn on the over! Its way too hot!!!"
And off we went for some refreshing Bahn Hoi. I had the beef and she had the chicken. Both were great - just as the last time.
I will note that this time we were here for dinner and they seem to do ALOT of take out business. Enjoy!
While walking in the neighborhood to get a crepe, the "Lady K" threw a curve ball and started to… Read more »
Blah. My family and I came here based on the four-star rating. We must've all ordered the wrong thing because the food was pretty bland. My sister was craving pho and ordered it even though I mentioned that it wasn't rated very highly. I tried some of her broth and it was very light, like pochero (which in a Filipino context would've been just fine). I had the bò lúc lác and it had very little flavor, with no garlic and very little soy sauce.
At least it was cheap. But if you can afford the extra $6 a head, Le Soleil is just down the street and is much, much better.
Aww. I'm saddened by the number of negative reviews, but what can you do, its Yelp!
I just want to vouch for Minh's yet again. I love how Minh is always friendly, always wears the same outfit (as if he's proclaimed it his uniform), and the food is always consistently good. I'm definitely a fan, and I love that its in my 'hood.
Since I've moved over to the Inner Richmond this has been my go-to Vietnamese restaurant.
First of…
Read more »
The Pho is ok, kind of bland. Nothing special. Really disappointing because I thought this place was legit.
Imperial rolls were really good. I recommend them.
But for the imperial rolls this place gets 2 stars.
I feel terrible giving this place two stars as it is probably family owned but seriously, its pretty bland and there is literally very little substance or even quantity to the dishes here. Its a good spot for a quick and dirty bite, I'm just not a fan..sadly enough.
The line at Burma Superstar was too long so I came here instead.
It was decent, but I like Sunflower in the Mission better. The old guy that helped run it was cute.
Nevertheless, Burma Superstar - I will conquer your line one day!
WTF? this was some of the most disappointing vietnamese food I've ever had. My friend ordered just some standard rice and bbq pork plate, and out came a plate with what seemed to be leftover chow mein.......im not kidding.
we both looked at each other and questioned if that was some chow mein from the chinese across the street??
regardless, we didn't want to question anything so we quietly ate it.
I had the vermicelli noodles with imperial noodles, and let me tell you, it seemed like they split 1 egg roll into 15 pieces.
WEAK!
This is not a pho house. They do have pho, but also a full menu.
Come here if you are looking for a *very* small restaurant with good food. It's a very good value; the prices are pretty low. If hole-in-the-wall restaurants are your thing, this is the place for you. A real gem.
Do not come here looking for anything resembling the Slanted Door. This is not a trendy place. The wine list is something you can overlook (you can get wine in a carafe if you wish - that should speak volumes).
I am a regular there. Haven't had a bad experience there. I take friends and out of town guests.
Parking can be tough because it's on Clement street.
I've been eating here for the past decade. Best pho ga i've found in SF. Cute place, family-owned. The place hasn't changed one bit.
Great spot to walk down to when you don't want to spend that much for dinner!
I didn't get to try the pho here, but my friends and I went with Dinner #4 which was an assortment of 5-6 dishes. First dish that came out was a soup thing with tons of bean spouts, a few prawns in there, tomatoes and a pineapple or two? It was an interesting flavor, but refreshing at the same time. Next up, some egg rolls cut up and vermicelli-like noodles and lettuce to wrap it around in. Put it all together and dip it into some fish sauce = yum. Then the food really started rolling in. Clay pot with pork and prawns, lemon-ginger (maybe) beef, some chicken in noodles and a bowl of rice. It was all really tasty but I think the stand out dish here was the beef, fasho!
Walked out of here with only $10 less than I started with. THere's more food to try here and I will be back!
I came here last night as part of a bribe. I got my dear friend J to help me build a new bed frame I got in exchange for a pick up from the airport and a delicious dinner.
She got some bbq chicken and I got the combo meal 1A. hers was ok but the chicken pieces were kind of thin and she kept saying she would have rather just had a huge piece of chicken on the bone.
The soup in my combo was pretty good, and the imperial roll was delicious. I kept burning my mouth on it but I was too hungry/it was too good for me to wait. The chicken and rice were only ok. Not my fave sauce. I would try something different next time.
Just came here tonight with my pal, Patty P for dinner. I had the chicken over vermicelli noodles and she had one of the combo meals which came with chicken soup, an imperial roll, and chicken.
Mine was pretty good, although I didn't like how the chicken was cut up and not on the bone. I loved the noodles and the sauce they serve with it.
Patty P's was not so great. She enjoyed the soup and the imperial roll, but the chicken over the rice (which came in a clay pot) was kind of dry. I did like how they added bamboo shoots, which added a nice touch.
This definitely seems like a place where you should order traditional vietnamese noodle soup. I noticed that almost everyone in the restaurant was eating soup. Next time, that's what I'll order :)
Great value!! Pho isn't great but the vermicilli is pretty good...
I usually come here when I want something cheap and quick but will satisfy me nonetheless! My usual order from here is the bbq pork, imperial rolls, with grilled shrimp on vermicilli. Always satisfied with that, generous portion for the price you pay, also full of good flavors and textures!
Dine in or take out!
Overrated. The newspaper clippings on the wall for this restaurant are mostly from 2001 and browned. There are two paintings with a Vietnamese lady breastfeeding (awkward!). I would give this place "Meh. I've experienced better", but since the nice waitress remembered that I asked for no chili for my fish sauce, she also applied that to the peanut sauce for my spring rolls (Plus one extra star for that).
#4 Lunch Special ($7 something)
- Chicken Salad: cabbage, strips of chicken breast, carrots, and vinegar dressing. The vinegar was very strong and I felt it overpowered everything. I missed the basil and mint leaves that are usually in traditional Vietnamese chicken salads.
- Chicken with Mixed Vegetables and 2 imperial rolls (See my posted picture): The imperial rolls had pork, black fungus, and clear vermicelli along with a side of fish sauce mixed with carrot shreds. In my opinion, the imperial rolls were overly crispy to the point where they were kind of hard and the pork in it tasted and exerted a very porky odor. My chicken dish consisted of strips of chicken breast along with shredded bamboo, mushrooms, celery, zucchini, broccoli, and carrots. I am not particularly fond of bamboo, so the smell/taste of it wasn't too appealing with the dry chicken breast pieces.
- Chicken Spring Rolls ($5.75 or so): I was totally thinking about Shrimp spring rolls, but somehow said Chicken spring rolls out loud. I guess it was too early for me that day (Okay, it was the afternoon, but I know you guys have those days when you think one thing and say another too). The 2 rolls (cut into 4 pieces) were very plump, but were mainly filled with bean sprouts, lettuce, and noodles. Strips of chicken breast that were used tasted really dry (Yeah, can't really complain. Healthier parts of chicken don't necessarily taste better). The peanut dipping sauce, didn't have much peanut taste and it tasted like there was too much vinegar in it.
Overall, this place is a hole in the wall, great for a quick and cheap bite to eat. Not the greatest Vietnamese food in my standards.
P.S. Add hoisin sauce to their peanut sauce for the spring rolls. Trust me, it tasted a lot better. I regret not going with my gut instinct and should have pointed to the fried rice dish that the table behind me ordered. It looked good, loaded with vegetables making it look bright and colorful.
I love Pho and being back in San Francisco I had to get some. My parents are big fans of Vietnamese food so we decided to check out this joint based on Yelp reviews. I should have realized that by the recent 3 star ratings this was not going to be all that...
I was absolutely set on getting Pho so I ordered a small beef Pho. The other items ordered aside from Pho were the vegetarian fried rice (very good), a clay pot of shrimp and pork (didn't try it but was told it was good) and a house specialty appetizer - the beef fondue. The beef fondue was basically raw meat thrown into a boiling garlicky vinegar mixture and cooked until well done. You then wrap this beef up in rice paper and add lettuce with other veggie items. Although this was a new fun dish to try I would not get it again...the meat was pretty rough and the do-it-yourself got pretty messy.
However, none of the above really matters because I came here for Pho. I was super disappointed!!! Not only was the broth bland but nothing I added to it made it any better. The jalapenos were not spicy and instead of lime we got lemon. The basil was old and didn't add any flavor. In addition, I had to specially request the hot red sauce with pepper pieces because it wasn't on the tables. The portion was also extremely small and the beef blah.
Although the owner/server was a nice guy the food was a bust and I can't ever see myself coming back here.
Minh's Garden is a great value for the price. I usually don't ever start reviews off this way, but it is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about Minh;s Garden. They have several set menus that are great deals. You usually get about 3-4 items (for 2 people) and it can start with soup, and imperial rolls, and two main dishes for like $21!
The Pho is pretty good but also very basic. The broth has a very clean taste, and the noodles are always a great consistency. But since Pho Clement is down the block, I'd probably go to Pho Clement if I had a Pho craving.
Like I said its a bang for your buck so if you want cheap eats on Clement, this is the place
I'd been planning to dine at Minh's Garden for quite some time. When I got there I stopped and stood in front of the restaurant to study the menu for a long time. The menu offers quite a bit of selection. I peered through the window. The restaurant was empty. The waiter was sitting inside reading newspapers. An empty restaurant at 6:15 on a Friday evening? I hesitated before I finally went inside.
Minh's Garden has complete dinners also. I figured that was the easiest way to sample the food so I selected the dinner 1B for $10.50. The dinner combination includes a chicken vermicelli soup, a shrimp & pork roll, chicken with broccoli and steamed rice. There were no brown rice options on the menu. I ordered a fresh lemonade (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) and in addition, the waiter brought me a glass of ice water. The lemonade was nice and tart. I only wish it was served cooler. As it was it was served almost at room temperature.
Since I was the lone diner the service was very fast. The chicken vermicelli soup came right out of the kitchen. It's a semi-clear chicken broth with hand-shredded chicken white meat and golden glass noodles which had sank to the bottom of the bowl. The broth was very good, the chicken meat was bland and tasteless, but the crunchy, chewy texture of the glass noodles made me realize this soup was quite similar to a shark's fin soup without the shark's fin of course.
Shortly after my soup arrived the shrimp and pork roll (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) also made its way onto the table. Three medium sized shrimp, some lettuce, some mint, thin rice noodles and what appeared to be thinly sliced boiled pork are tightly rolled in a chewy, translucent rice noodle wrap. The roll comes with a plum-like dipping sauce garnished with chopped peanuts. The roll by itself was bland and tasteless. The only flavor that jumped out was the mint. The pork was just dry and awkward; it really didn't need to be in the roll. The shrimp while tasteless were firm to the bite. The sauce definitely saved the roll.
By the time I got to the chicken and broccoli (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) the bowl of steamed rice had begun to go cold. The chicken and broccoli is all-white meat chicken combined with broccoli, celery and a little white onion in a light soy sauce gravy. This dish had very good flavor and the still-hot gravy helped in warming up the rice just a bit.
As I dined the restaurant began to fill up leaving just two tables unoccupied. That's when the service disappeared. Between taking orders and answering the phone the lone waiter seemed to have his hands full. I sat and waited a good fifteen minutes after my dinner, and when nobody came to handle my check I just walked over to the cashier station and waited there. The waiter apologized, but I could see that he was busy. I left him a hefty tip anyway.
Service: The staff was friendly and quick. My gf asked for no chili in her sauce and the waitress remembered to take it out of all her other sauces. 1 out of 1 star.
Food: I ordered the lunch special which came with a small portion of chicken salad, 2 imperial rolls, and bbq over rice. It was flavorful but I had better. 1 out of 2 stars.
Price: Prices are normal for Vietnamese food, which is always a good things. My lunch special set me back about $7. 1 out of 1 star.
Wow factor: A small hole in the wall that looks a lot better inside than it looks outside. There's a lot of breast feeding artwork in the restaurant for some reason. Other than that, nothing that special. 0 out of 1 star.
This place is a couple of blocks away from my house, and the wife and I ate here tonight for the first time. The food was good, and the man that waited on us (the owner I presume) was a pleasure.
Friendly service, personable, and a real mom and pop kind of feel
that I love.
This kind of atmosphere really makes the food that much better for me.
Okay, so I was walking down Clement St today while doing laundry and I needed to change my $5 that the quarter machine wouldn't take, so I figured I'd also get something to eat while I was at it...
I felt a strange pull to this place, even though it looked small and easy-to-miss... I took a look at the menu to see their vegetarian options and they had a good lunch special with tofu curry and vegetarian imperial rolls... Yay!
I decided to go in and even though it was almost 4 PM, they still let me order the lunch special! I was pretty impressed with the generous portions; there were delicious shiitake mushrooms in the curry and the imperial rolls didn't disappoint. The curry was a bit mild even though I said spicy was okay, but it was still flavorful.
Definitely hit the spot for under $10 and they also take card... I'll definitely be hitting this place up again when I make my way down to Third Ave. A tentative 4 star rating until then!
I love my new neighborhood :)
Dinner for two for $21? Not a bad deal at all. We got the combo that comes with imperial rolls, vermicelli chicken soup, chicken with veggies, and bbq beef.
Imperial rolls come with vermicelli noodles and lettuce. Wrap the roll in lettuce with some vermicelli, and dip into the sweet chili sauce and you got some goodness right there. The noodles and lettuce help to balance the greasy-ness of the rolls, which can stand on their own if you're not a fan of green stuff.
The soup is a bit bland. Made of a simple broth with pieces of white chicken, some noodles, a couple mushroom and green onion slices. Very plain. BUT add a little sriracha and you got a whole new ballgame. It adds a touch more flavor and a lot of heat = 10x's better.
The chicken and veggies, I have mixed feelings. The chicken is a bit dry and bland, but the veggies are cooked well and the chili type sauce is tasty. Comes with pieces of broccoli, mushroom, onion, bamboo shoots, and celery. Nice with rice.
The bbq beef is great. Very flavorful and Korean-esque. Sweet and tasty throughout.
Drink glasses are small, so ordering a thai iced tea for just under $2 is a bit of a rip. Though their lemonade is freshly made (I watched him squeeze the lemons just after we made the drink order!), it's still a bit pricey. Opt for a can of soda instead.
I'd do 3.5 if that were possible. Not amazing, but a strong candidate for our Saturday night rotation. Small and mom-and-pop type spot, no frills. Once featured in the NY Times! (back when ethnic food was a trend piece).
I ordered the raw beef salad, and a bowl of pho here. As a Vietnamese restaurant, I would have expected a decent plate of raw beef, but no. The "raw" beef slices looked cooked. The color was no where close to red, and it was chewy. Like, rubber band chewy. This was a huge disappointment.
And I have never waited over 25 mins for a bowl of pho. EVER. The restaurant had about 5 people eating in there at 4pm. They couldn't have been stormed.
When the pho got to me, it had like, half a meat ball, some tripe, and the raw beef I requested on the side. The beef on the side was the exact same beef they gave me in the raw beef salad. I can honestly say that the beef slices they used didn't taste fresh, and the cuts were way off from other Vietnamese restaurants. For the most part, it's supposed to be thinly sliced beef. The beef here looked like red playdough.
I'm never stepping foot into this restaurant again.
i can't praise minh's garden enough, i swear! in a world where consistency is few and far between, i am grateful for a restaurant that delivers kick a$$ vietnamese food each and every time i go. now don't get me wrong, this place is a no-frills, "hole-in-the-wall" but don't let it fool you, they do it up right!!!
Good food at a good price. Huge selection to choose from, and very friendly wait staff. I had a cold rice noodle dish and while I've had better, it was still pretty tasty.
check it out if you want safe-bet Vietnamese place to eat, but there are better vietnamese places out there.
Amateur. Amateur. Amateur.
I ain't no foodie, but I've been around. I dare assume that even Tiger Woods whiffs the ball once in a while?
Like so many bad reviews, my story begins in a familiar way. MC Grump and crew added our name and mobile number to the seemingly endless waiting list for Burma SuperStar. It was 6:30, and we were all starving. We were told we had over an hour wait to be seated. So...we ventured down the street a few clicks to the 4-5 star rated Minh's Garden Vietnamese Restaurant.
Rookie Move #1.
Saturday evening. No diners in the restaurant. (See Burma SuperStar line across street.)
Rookie Move #2.
Never ever eat in a restaurant that uses festooned Xmas lights as the only form of decoration (in April).
Rookie Move #3.
Never. Never. Never. Walk through a filthy kitchen to get to an even filthier restroom.
Rookie Move #4.
Never eat in a restaurant after seeing a pyramid of 300 "pre-cooked" spring rolls in a pan sitting outside kitchen, directly adjacent to restroom. (see #3)
Rookie Move #5.
Never partake of three noodle dishes served luke-warm (supposed to be hot) .
Rookie Move #6.
Gristle pork. Mystery chicken. Sea Monkey shrimp. All of which were obviously cooked earlier in the day, only to be placed atop the noodles prior to serving.
Rookie Move #7.
Getting back home and not popping large doses of Ciprofloxacin.
BTW. Sitting at home at 9pm. Phone rings. It's the lovely Burma Super Star lady. Your table is ready.
i'm a big fan of minh's... been going there for years. the food is always of good quality and pretty substantial for the price.
One of the best vietnamese places!!
The food here is REALLY great. Fresh ingredients mixed with a lot of love. That's how the kitchen comes off as. They are very attentive toward their customers and I loved their traditional decor without the cheesiness. The location is a bit hard to find because it's at the end of street, where it gets more quiet, but the good thing is that parking is a bit easier.
The fried bananas were also deeeelicious =d
I've been looking for a good vietnamese place by my house and I think this one is my winner.
The rolls and vermicelli were really good.
The place could stand to be cleaned better but overall this place is great! I'll keep coming back.
Good hole in the wall vietnamese food right there on clement.....the place is simple and simple..that's the best way to describe it...the food is pretty solid and fresh and extemely affordable...the place has a warm atomophere and very charming owner and staff, not to mention a pretty substantial menu.
Good food, great service, good vibes, and warm friendly staff....4-stars for sure.....The price to value ratio here is really solid, great dishes for $7 and beer for $2.95...
Give it a try if you're looking a casual dining experience in a warm and friendly environment at a very reasonable price...
"With quite a number of Vietnamese restaurants along Clement, Minh's, with its smaller storefront, seems to be one of the overlooked ones.
That's a shame, because you can find some good, cheap eatin's here. The price to portion ratio was just right. Service was prompt. The veg options were adequate. Their imperial rolls were excellent, and larger than I'm used to.
Like they say, 'bigger is better.'"
I like Minh's Garden!
Finally! Fresh and healthy Vietnamese food in SF! It is so refreshing to order my favorite pho ga without an inch thick layer of grease floating on top!!! The BBQ style lemongrass chicken is tender, juicy, fragrant and delicious!
Not to mention, friendly staff and cheap! Check it out!
I've been going to this tiny hole in the wall restaurant since the early '90s. Neither the decor nor the food has changed one bit. We're talking sublime Vietnamese comfort food.
Creature of habit that I am, I always order the vegetarian imperial rolls over noodles and a Tsing Tao. Hits the spot every time.
The rolls stay crunchy even after several chopstick tossings. And yes, you do need to toss well, to get to all the crunchy toppings beneath the noodles circulated properly. Mmm. Smell that cilantro.
I've saved the best for last.
While all those other suckers are standing in line trying to get into Burma Star down the street, I'm already sipping a cool one and admiring the wonderful brushed sketches of breast feeding babies as the bowls are being filled.
Fabulous food for a hot summer night in San Francisco. The family-owned restaurant closes at 10pm, but the owner immediately accommodated us without any hesitance. In fact, another customer rolled in after 10:15pm and he was well fed, too.
We had their awesome spring rolls with pork and shrimp. The flavors were amazing. The ingredients included cold noodles which was designed to be mild and almost bland, but the mint wrapped within just melded all the flavors together. Absolutely a great experience. We also ordered their pan fried trout with Minh's special sauce. Another fantastic dish. Don't forget to order their barbecue pork chops (I recommend two orders for two people) and their chicken fried rice which had celery. Highly recommended.
For me, Vietnamese food is generally an instant pick-me-up... but this place made me feel kind of sad and depressed, even though I was eating with one of my BFF's. True I am sad that she is moving to France for a while, but a good bowl of pho ga has fixed much worse dilemmas for me in the past. What was it then? The stank of grease hanging in the air? The dingy walls and windows? The down n' out clientele? Nah, all that comes as par for the course when dining a la Indochine. I attribute my overwhelming sense of ennui to the fried veggie rolls. They were drenched, DRENCHED in stale recycled oil and while they had somehow exited the oil with a nicely crisp exterior, said oil gushed into your mouth with every bite, coating the tongue with an unpleasant greasiness.
Also, they served these rolls with iceberg lettuce not romaine, and very weak and off-tasting fish sauce. Neither of these are hallmarks of authentic Vietnamese cooking. The food took a looooooooong time to arrive... the longer I waited the sadder I got. I get the feeling we just ordered wrong, because some folks had semi-decent looking dishes on their table, for example the veggie curry.
The price was ok but the experience was very ho-hum, right down to the frightfully tiny and dirty bathroom in the back, which at least had an open window for fresh air, but had not been cleaned since lord knows when. Also the "Garden" bit is kind of a misnomer... when I think of a garden I think of abundant fresh veggies, but my pal's lemongrass chicken had nothing but chicken, a weak sauce and a few strips of onion. My pho was nearly naked and the bean sprouts and basil were far from garden fresh. The basil actually tasted bad.
Two sad hot cocks.
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Category: Vietnamese
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