Tamarine

10/12/2014

If Tamarine was more affordable and had friendlier service, I'd eat here biweekly.

The food itself is excellent. All of the appetizers are very delicious (great attention to detail and layering flavors)! My favorites are the duck and cassava croquettes, taro root rolls, and the corn and shrimp fritters. The sauces are amazing and really make the appetizers pop.

Tried the crab wonton soup as well (Ha Long Bay soup) - really yummy, but I wish there were more than 3 small wontons in the soup. Then for entrees, I always go with the clay pot cod (probably the best I've had in the Bay Area) - so rich and melt in your mouth good (be sure to order a side of rice to go with it - the empress rice is amazing, but I recommend brown rice to accompany the sweet and salty sauce from the claypot). I also often order the lemongrass seabass, and it's also perfectly seasoned with plenty of lemongrass and garlic.

The food presentation is really beautiful, and the food is truly stellar, but the restaurant has a slight pretentious and stuffy feel (which even comes across through the staff) along with high prices, which is why I had to knock off a star.

10/1/2014

It's kind of a pretentious and over-priced scene, in my opinion, starting with the hostess muffin.  The later the evening gets, the more A-type captains of industry seem to gravitate here.  

Wife and I stopped by to have an early dinner sitting at the bar.  Bartender was butterfingers that evening...while we were waiting for our food, I watched him drop a plate of food and then 30 min. later, hastily tip over and break a wine glass right near our neighbors at the bar.  I wouldn't have put up with any chance of shards of glass on the bar going near my food like we watched a silver fox and his lady friend do.  The solution would have been to quickly replace their main courses, at the very least.

Our apps and mains were fine.   My one observation is that we love Vietnamese food, but for $238 with one shamefully marked up bottle of wine, we could have easily saved $200 going somewhere less expensive and had the same quality of asian food without the attitude of the staff and some of the patrons who seemed to be trying too hard.  In other words, Vietnamese food is traditionally inexpensive by nature.  Here, it's needlessly marked up to pay the high rent.

9/17/2014

This is the best Vietnamese upscale fusion restaurant I've ever been. Been here 3 times.

Best if you have a reservation.

Nice professional staff.

Parking on the street can be tricky. There is a parking structure nearby.

Very good wine and cocktails.

My favorite appetizers: the tuna tartar and tamarine taste. The shrimp toast was okay.

You can't really go wrong with any of the entrees or desserts.

My all time favorite is the lemongrass sea bass with mango salad and glass noodles.

Other delicious entrees worth trying: wild boar, duck, lamb.

Side dish worth trying: empress rice.

Desserts: bread pudding was the best, chocolate lava cake...pretty much all of 'em.

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  Sherbet, ice cream. Let them know if it's a special day!

  Sherbet, ice cream. Let them know if it's a special day!
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  Duck, wild boar, sea bass, yummy. I'm in heaven.

  Duck, wild boar, sea bass, yummy. I'm in heaven.

10/16/2014 Updated review

2nd time around, tried the lemongrass seabass, and it was as soft as butter, but a bit salty. The calamari with chutney sauce was awesome, but the papaya salad was too bland, so was the crab with glass noodles. Long beans were tasty.

10/16/2014

Shakin beef and clay pot cod are what I like best. The service isn't super great and their prices are high, but it's better than getting in a car to go to the slanted door (my favorite) in San Francisco!

10/10/2014

The food was definitely good, but none of it blew me away. Unfortunately, the check did.
We went with the recommended dishes- Calamari (average), Shaking Beef (the best of the lot, actually quite good), Clay pot cod (good, not great), and empress rice. Our total for 2 people was over $100 with tax and tip and it was definitely not a $100 meal. That being said, if someone else is paying, get the shaking beef and enjoy!

9/8/2014 Updated review

Of all places to be shocked by a disastrous wine experience Tamarine would have been the last place I would suspect. But it did happen, and I was shocked.

I was dining with a special guest and had brought a special and meaningful bottle of wine, a 1989 Spottswoode Napa cabernet, in beautiful condition with full neck. We told the waiter we did not want to decant the wine because of its age. He attempted to uncork it but stuck the corkscrew in along the edge of the glass and not far enough in (as I learned afterward) so the cork broke. He tried a second time but to no avail, so he said he would bring it to the bar where "they have all the right equipment". He proceeded to wait on nearby tables for about 15 minutes with no sign of the wine.

Finally, another person brought the wine back on a tray, with the cork inside the bottle and the wine in a decanter! We were appalled because we had expressly stated not to decant the wine, they should have known from the age not to decant the wine even if we had not told them not to, we were unable to examine the bottom of the cork to see if it was wet or dry, and if they had all the right equipment they could have poured the wine into our glasses from the bottle through a tea strainer to catch any bits of cork. At a minimum they should have consulted us about our wishes.

When we were able to speak to our waiter again he seemed largely unperturbed and did not apologize. The wine seemed to us to have lost its fragile fruit in the decanting but of course we will never know for sure. Only at the end of the meal when we explained politely how inappropriate all their conduct had been did he offer an apology, but where was his training on both wine and customer service? Tamarine? Shocking.

9/30/2014

A little stuffy of a place for my taste but this place has great service and tasty food.  Make a reservation because even on a Monday at 5:30, the only seats available were at the bar or communal table.  Kale & Broccoli salad was a hit.  Sea bass and shaking beef also pretty naughty.

9/4/2014

The food and environment are great, 5 stars, but the service is soooooooooo bad. I would give 0 for the service.

My friend and I went there for lunch. A very tall guy served us. We like to use the yelp pictures to decide what we order, but this server asked us not looking at the pictures because their menu changed every 3 months. But we noticed the dishes in their menu are already on yelp, so we continue with our yelp page. Then he became unhappy with us and said "I TOLD you the menu has changed!" Come on, it's our freedom to look at the online pictures instead of the boring one-page words only menu!

We ordered calamari as our appetizer. It's pretty big for 2 people and we couldn't finish it. We request to have our entrees earlier, then he got mad at our polite request. Even worse, he refused to serve our table anymore! That's so ridiculous! Another guy brought our food later....

We spent over $100 for the lunch and got such a great experience! We will never go there, EVER!

10/3/2014

I can't remember all of the dishes I have tried here but pretty much everything was delicious. I generally do not care for overpriced Asian fusion but there is something about the food here that does it for me. The ambiance and service are great. Fortunately I have not experience the bad service that many have mentioned!

8/29/2014

The location and ambience is nice and cosy. We were a group of five people.
For drinks I got the cocojito with pineapple juice which l liked.
For starters we got the duck croquettes and the Roti which were ok.
From the salads we got the papaya salad which I liked very much and the lemon kale salad which was ok.
For entrees we got the honey and five spice chicken-  comes with tomato rice, it was average.
Then we got the the Hoisin lamb chops, as was recommended by our server, these were really good- comes with sweet potato fries.
Next we got the tamarind prawns with crispy noodles - got a very tangy taste. Not bad.
We also got the coconut rice which was ok and the empress rice, seeing the other yelp reviews- it was good.
Overall a good meal, good service.

8/5/2014

Upscale Americanized Vietnamese restaurant with delicious food, genuinely friendly service, and a classy ambiance. Make sure you make a reservation, Tamarine is crowed every night.

Food rating from 0-5 being the best.

Appetizers:

(3/5) Bnah Mi Roti - Wheat roti with panang curry sauce. Not as thin and crispy as I'd prefer compared to other restaurants, but still delicious with the panang sauce.

(*) Salt & Pepper Calamari - Seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic; breaded and fried with green onions and cilantro. I didn't try this dish because I don't eat calamari, but my friends raved about much they enjoyed it.

Entrees:

(5/5) Clay Pot Cod - Alaskan black cod in a clay pot with molasses, onions, and black pepper. Loved this dish. The cod was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was amazing. I used the sauce on my beef because it was so good.

(4/5) Tamarine Prawns - In tamarind sauce served on a bed of crispy noodles. Prawns were fresh. Tamarind sauce was very flavorful. The sauce can be a bit too strong, but easily remedied by avoiding eating the crispy noodles which soak up the sauce.

(2/5) Shaking Beef - Tenderloin with garlic, onions, and soy served with a wartercress mizuna salad on the side.  I didn't care for the sauce. Used the clay pot cod sauce to make it taste better.

Sides:

(3/5) Roasted Brussel Sprouts - Served with bacon, chestnuts, and onions. It was fine. Standard bussel sprouts that can be found at plenty of restaurants.

(5/5) Empress Rice - Sticky rice seasoned with ginger, garlic, leeks, and soy sauce. Topped with a sunny side up egg. When served, they cut apart the egg which releases the delicious runny yolk. The serving size is on the smaller size so ask your server for their recommendation on how many you should order for your party. This was one of the best dishes of the night.

Dessert:

(4/5) Lava cake - With vanilla ice cream and a sweet raspberry sauce on the side. Lava cake was perfectly moist and paired well with the sides.

TIP - There's a parking garage right behind the restaurant that you can access by driving on either Webster St. or Cowper St. You can talk the walk way as a short cut which brings you right to the restaurant.

• 

  Lava cake

  Lava cake
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  Shaking Beef

  Shaking Beef
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  Roasted Brussel Sprouts

  Roasted Brussel Sprouts
• See all photos from Nicole S.

8/23/2014

Wow some classy Asian food! Yummy! Delicious food. WOW!

The shaking beef and caramelized prawns. This place has some really tasty dishes and really great service. I highly recommend coming here and trying a variety of dishes!

8/14/2014

I'm generally skeptical of classy Asian. I think Slanted Door is more style than substance.

but I was pleasantly surprised; the food here is delicious!

loved the caramelized prawns and the sampler. Definitely try the beef wrapped in tea leaves. Shaking beef was tender and flavorful. Very attentive service. Great for business dinners. cod claypot was a little salty for my taste.

9/6/2014

Went here for dinner on a Friday night, and it took a while to be seated despite the reservation. Atmosphere was fairly nice, although our table was directly beneath an air conditioning vent, and was showering us with cold air. The temperature was adjusted when we asked, but this simply caused the air to cycle on and off throughout the meal rather than running full-blast.

Cocktails beforehand were nice, and we shared taro root rolls as an appetizer. These were extremely hot, but quite flavorful. For the main course we ordered the shaking beef and wild boar - we were surprised that these were not accompanied with sides of any sort, but this was remedied with an expedited order of the garlic fried rice. The shaking beef in particular was delicious. Asked for a wine recommendation mid-course, our waiter rattled off a list of options rather than making a suggestion.

Desert afterwards was either a bit plain (pear tart) or unbalanced (chocolate lava cake, too sweet). We'll probably give Tamarine another shot, but are in no rush to do so.

8/2/2014

We dined at Tamarine this evening and our expectations for a good meal in a pleasant environment were greatly surpassed.  This is our second time eating here.  The first time was very nice, so when we were meeting some friends in Palo Alto, this was the place I wanted to eat.  Our party was not complete when we arrived, but the hostess was very gracious and seated us immediately.   The waiter (Sam) was one of the best waiters I have EVER encountered.   And the food was delicious!  

One of the guests in our party (well okay, it was me) is on a mostly vegan, gluten-free diet (not by choice -- at least the gluten-free part), and Sam our waiter handled my dietary restrictions with great tact and understanding.  He brought me their gluten-free menu, and also went through the regular menu to point out which dishes could be prepared vegetarian, vegan and/or gluten-free.  He quickly and easily determined what would work best for all of us (so we could share dishes if we wanted), and then when the food was brought out it was announced to be vegan and/or gluten-free, which is always reassuring.  

Next time we have to eat on the Peninsula, this is where we are coming! ;-)

7/12/2014

Booo.

Two hours for us to get two drinks and entrees after being seated right away. We received our drinks halfway through our meal. Bf joked that they must be harvesting the fruit for his sangria.

I instantly regretted ordering the kobe pho after tasting the broth. No flavor whatsoever so I added a good amount of Sriracha to make it edible. The tender beef prevented the pho from being a complete disaster. Still, I would've preferred a seven dollar pho bo from anywhere in the city.

Tamarine prawns tasted pretty decent. They're served on a bed of crispy noodles and covered with tamarind sauce. Not bad.

We ordered dessert and after waiting half an hour, I got frustrated and asked for the check. With a pointed nose, our server said "Well, dessert would've been complimentary but never mind." How passive aggressive.

Go to Tamarine if you're in the mood for mediocre food paired with snooty service.

• 

  Sangría

  Sangría
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  Kobe beef pho

  Kobe beef pho
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  Tamarine prawns

  Tamarine prawns

9/20/2014

It's a five star for Palo Alto, but not a five because its not fantastic.  Service was very good.  Food was good, not as fantastic as the raves.  We had each of their signature dishes, cod (interesting spin with delicious crust), shaking beef (family said it was very good), lamb chops (undercooked fatty),  empress rice (kind of bland), crab with garlic noodles (bland no flavor not hint of garlic).  For the area it's a must try.

7/28/2014

Unbelievable fantastic food with a big budget. Go to this place for a hot date or a special occasion only.

As for starters we came with eight people and ordered five appetizers: salt and pepper calamari, tuna tartare, shrimp toast, Banh mi Roti, and Taro Root Rolls. The Banh mi Roti had a fantastic sauce that I dipped in everything. The tuna tartare was incredible fresh and tasty, and the taro root rolls delivered fantastic flavor with the plum-chili sauce. We also tried the Green Payapa Salad... man was the dried sesame beef add juiciness to the entree. We also tried a Ha Long Bay Soup that filled my belly with gladness!

I haven't even gotten to the entrees! I ordered the Hoisin Lamb Chops... perfectly cooked all around with sweet potato fries and bulk choy. We shared family style, so, other entrees included Tamarin Prawns, Mango Roast Duck, Lemongrass Sea Bass, and Honey and Five Spice Chicken. All were fantastic, especially the lamb and fish. Caramelized Cauliflower was also ordered... highly recommended!

For dessert, I do not remember what I ordered, but my co workers ordered pudding, lava chocolate cake, ice cream, and something else. All I remember was that it was not sweet, but it still was fantastic. That's what I enjoy in a dessert!!!

Service and atmosphere was top notch, nothing terrible to describe both.

Overall: Fantastic food, fantastic service, fantastic envrionment

9/4/2014

Kobe beef pho. Walking distance from my hotel. Alberto the bartender was the perfect host. They even turned me on to a great new beer. Half-price appetizers at happy hour during the week, too. If you're in Palo Alto, definitely give this place a try.

7/2/2014

I don't have an expense account so this place is super expensive for lunch. The portions are tiny. It is definitely a power-lunch place for VCs or people who drive luxury sport sedans. Not for Joe Shmoes.

Cost and portion size aside, the food is elegant and tastes fine.

6/15/2014

The real Vietnamese standbys are the best. Don't order anything too elaborate or Californian style because you will be disappointed.

That said, Tamarine is somewhat overpriced, but a very nice atmosphere, and a very satisfying overall experience.  I recommend it as a place for a nice, romantic date-night as well.

9/5/2014

Best pho in a sit down place! Very good service. Kind of dark inside, but not loud.

6/14/2014

Don't come here if you have kids with you.
Last week Monday, we were hungry and step in to this restaurant at 5 o'clock afternoon, the website advertised opening time. Upon entering we were greeted. Thats the wrong word. She more or less made a face at us.

We told her there were four of us, to which she said they opened at 5:30. When we asked about the website opening time, she said: "That's the bar only".

OK. Ok. So we proceed to take a step towards the low tables in the bar, upon which she stopped us and told us that because we had a six year old with us, we could not sit at the bar. With her snottiness, we left.

Now, my husband is in the industry and of course we cannot put a six year old at the bar bar, but dining table in the bar are perfectly fine. She should have known this.

It felt as though she may have, and simply was showing this restaurant to be quite non-kid friendly. In fact, my husband has hosted the two owners at his restaurants in the past and shown them industry hospitality. This really felt bad to have been "kicked out of this place". Time for a new host or at least some constructive training sessions.

7/6/2014

Decor and service is 5-star.

This food is very fusion. It's decent, but something was off about almost every dish. In general it was overly sweet.

Papaya Salad - 5 stars - Awesome, perfect beef or pork jerky on top. Loved it.

Tuna Tartare - 3 stars - Solid, but not amazing. Could have tasted brighter / more fresh.

Shaking Beef - 3 stars - Nice and tender, but a weird flavor, kind of like too much maggi sauce or something.

Claypot Cod - 4 stars - Standard fusion fare, super sweet. I generally like sweet fusion food, so I thought this was delicious, but my fiancee found it to be too much.

I wanted very much for this to be a great new date place given the ambiance, but the food was just not that good.

7/16/2014

We went here for a friends bday, and it was a huge group almost 15-17 ppl. and they handle us like pros. there were some dishes that were missed, but was immediately replaced.

Got the Lamb here and its was awesome, perfect medium rare just they way it should be. garlic noddle were great but honestly they could have used more garlic, (might just be me i love garlic).

Their ambiance is quite fancy, and they are decently expensive.

In the end it was good, their handling of large group is commendable, but i am not sure if i am rushing to come back here again. maybe just if we are walking around town and were hungry tamarine will be in the conversation, but many choices in palo alto.

• 

  Wild boar.

  Wild boar.

9/6/2014

I have loved this place for years. I recently returned to the eatery after an absence of 3 years and it was just as good as I remember. The flavors are exotic and aromatic without being spicy. I love their Roti with the sweet curry dipping sauce. I also love the Empress rice. I could just have that for dinner. No one else can make Clay pot cod like they do. It is good to the last crumb. Ok...Now I am hungry and I want to go back.

9/13/2014

Great food! Had a wonderful meal here with my husband, and we had a great time.

9/2/2014

Prior to actively using Yelp, I've been here years ago. I do remember their food being good, and pricey and it doesn't seem like those two points changed when I revisited again recently.

Service was attentive here and presentation of the food was great. Great place for a celebratory type dinner, but definitely not a regular stop unless you enjoy expensive dining. Ambiance is classy and comfy.

Here's a rundown of our menu:
Appetizer
1) Tamarine Taste- Spring roll, tea leaf beef, papaya salad etc. For $22, I don't think it was that great. It is however, good for group sharing if you want to share an appetizer with a decent party.
2) Roti: The roti itself is thick (different from others I've had), but it's not bad. The curry sauce is however, way too watery.

Entrees
1) Wok Fried Garlic Noodles ($11)- Very garlicy and I love this dish. Just as good as I remembered and I would say, a must order if you like garlic noodles
2) Clay pot cod ($25)- A chunk a fish that is not too much bigger than 2 deck of cards stacked together. The fish was really soft and smooth, and the sauce was delicious.
3) Honey & five spice chicken ($25)- Not very flavorful and I wouldn't recommend this dish.
4) Mango Roasted Duck ($29) - The duck was a tad undercooked when we went, and again, it wasn't very flavorful or unique in terms of taste. Another I would say you can pass on ordering
5) Shaking Beef ($28)- Another one of my favorites and recommended dishes
6) Basil Tofu ($13)- The taste was good, I just wish it had a little bit more sauce.
7) Coconut Rice ($2.5)- Yes rice is not free here, even if you order regular rice. But I remembered their coconut rice being quite tasty and it still is. Why go with boring rice, when you can glam it up with some coconut flakes and flavor?

Dessert
Easily jumped to one of my top favorite desserts because of unique taste, and presentation- the coconut tapioca with passion fruit sorbet. You wouldn't think that these two mix well, but it was really good. I took a picture of it because I enjoyed it THAT much. Make sure you save room for this at the end of the meal!

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  coconut tapioca

  coconut tapioca

6/30/2014

We held a party of 20 in a private room. The wine selection was fantastic! The food was even better. They have a great gluten free menu and do their best to accommodate other dietary restrictions.

I was working with the party planner and there were some small details that really irked me the wrong way. She never confirmed we were all set so I walked into the establishment on they day of the event not knowing if we were all good. Secondly, I asked if the chef could make a sugar free dessert for my dad as he is a diabetic and if not, let me know so could make secondary arrangements. To my dismay she didnt follow up on that nor provide any feedback. I should have followed up with her however I have a life as well you know? If you are taking someone's money and planning an event, they need to be on top of it and communicate in a timely fashion and pay attention to the details in the emails.  

OK so bottom line, if you are planning a large party, get on her case and demand feedback and confirmations as its a lengthy process. You can tell the small things about the process rubbed me the wrong way as i wanted the event to be perfect for my dad's 75th birthday celebration. Overall no negative comments from the guests and my family so 5 stars is very well earned in my opinion.

From a food and wine standpoint, you cannot get much better than this place which is why its 5 out of 5. Shaking Beef, Lamb chops, calamari, garlic rice!!! the menu does not let you down!! The Pinot Noir selection is amazing!!!

This is a must try if you have not been here before. I most certainly will make an effort to return on a monthly basis!!

8/26/2014

The food here is great, which is a shame because the service is so bad.

The first time I went we were kept waiting 40 minutes after our reservation time, and not even given a place to sit down in the meantime.

Then, the second time I went we were hurried out of the restaurant as soon as we finished our entrees, without even being given the opportunity to have dessert because they had overbooked and had too many reservations waiting. On top of that, the host and hostess were quite rude about it, and did not offer anything to make up for the bad experience.

Needless to say, I will not be returning.

6/4/2014

Whenever I visit Palo Alto, I like to--no, I HAVE to go to Tamarine. It's a great mix of fun and sophistication, and the upscale Pacific Rim menu is excellent. We also tried a few of the craft cocktails and liked those, too.

There is a shared table (which you can usually get without an reservation). But the bar scene's fairly vibrant, and full of the well-heeled but low-key folks from the surrounding neighborhoods. I'm not alone when I say it's one of my two or three favs in the area, so get there early. And the Empress Rice (sticky rice, garlic, leeks, ginger & egg, and sweet soy drizzle) is a must!

6/18/2014

My friend and I walked into Tamarine shortly after opening and sat at the bar to take advantage of happy hour. There are no drink specials, but all starters are 50% off.

Taking this into account, we ordered the Tamarine Taste which comes with 4 samplers. My favorite was the tea leaf beef. It was juicy, tender, and very savory. The taro root rolls were a close second. The pastry was wonderfully flaky, but despite featuring some of my favorite things (taro root and mushrooms) it just didn't have the x factor for me. As for the papaya salad, I didn't really care for the shredded beef on top. Let's be honest...these were nuggets of beef jerky. And lastly, I found the shrimp spring rolls to be pretty bland unless you used the peanut sauce. It is more special than regular shrimp rolls in that they also wrap it with a piece of Vietnamese preserved pork...but something that would make it better was if the protein was grilled.

For my entree, I ordered the Clay Pot Cod. One word: YUM. The cod was made perfectly, but it's a little small and not really enough to eat with their heaping bowl of rice...but the remaining molasses/black pepper sauce is a very delicious sauce to mix in after you run out of fish. I also had a try of my friend's sea bass, and it was everything a sea bass should be - flaky and buttery.

To end our night, we tried the coconut tapioca...way too tart in my opinion. But the coconut sorbet/ice cream within was very tasty.

7/29/2014

* Classy and Impressive (but pricey) *

i dined at tamarine before yelp existed.  

shrimp toast (seasonal) - a flat toast with a shrimp in the middle topped with sriracha and hoisin sauce and greens. flavors are well-paired

banh roti - like chinese green onion pancake (without the onion). cut into flat triangle pieces with a light peanut dipping sauce

tamarine taste (for two)
*note: we had four people.  they cut the rolls in half so that it was easier to share.
1) tea leaf beef - this was my favorite out of the four.
2) shrimp spring rolls - they were good but normal; however, the sauce was so delicious that i kept it to dip other food in.
3) egg rolls - fresh and hot with a peanut sauce
4) papaya salad - shredded green papaya with pieces of sweet beef jerky

lemongrass seabass - by far the best dish we had!!  the seabass was tender with a slightly crispy char on the outside.  the vermicelli lemongrass noodles with shredded mango was a nice complement to the fish

clay pot cod - too salty for our taste.  this pot was smaller than expected with nothing but cod and sauce.  no veggies, etc.

shaking beef - tender pieces of beef and onions with cherry tomatoes, greens came with a flavorful sauce

pumpkin curry (seasonal) - yellow curry with coconut milk.  pumpkin pieces and garbanzo beans with basil leaves in the curry.

caramelized cauliflower - good char with delicious flavoring

garlic noodles - wasn't the egg noodles i was expecting.  it smelled good but was probably a bit overcooked.

jasmine rice - came wrapped in a leaf.  great presentation.

chocolate molten lava cake - served with vanilla bean ice cream and raspberry sauce on the plate

banana beignets - served with coconut ice cream.  you could taste the shredded coconut in the ice cream. warm banana beignets (4)  

FOOD HIGHLIGHTS:
shrimp toast
tea leaf beef
lemongrass seabass *****
shaking beef
banana beignets

service is professional.  they fold your napkin when you leave your seat, even if you are a child.  bus boys refill your water often.

lunch menu is the same menu with smaller portions and different pricing.
there are some seasonal dishes about every three months.

they also have happy hour on the weekdays.

5/14/2014

I've dined here 3 times in the past year. It's an upscale Vietnamese restaurant- always has been packed with people. Make reservations or be ready to sit at the bar area across from one another or beside one another directly at the bar. Tuna tar tar is yum as well as the mushroom appetizer... The sea bass was good too...very salty!! ;(

Only real complaint is one server accidentally splashed water on my friend and apologized in such a disingenuous way..... Came near where we we were sitting again and was laughing and being silly --close to 30 minutes later. This server could have dropped a glass bottle and people would have been injured- forget splashed all over with water-including my friends phones! Our server offered to get the drinks because of the accident. We didn't call over management but it was extremely disturbing to the evening and the overall mood for about 10 minutes. We were close to just leaving but ---Luckily----we were so happy to see one another and had important things to discuss that it didn't ruin our entire evening.

I believe due to it only being 2 people versus a group of 6 or more...they treated the incident as it was no big deal.  No one wants to be at dinner and surprised with water all over their face, shirt and electronic devices. Only to be told " We are so sorry "- then follow up with "drinks are on me tonight?! "We only had one drink a piece!! Offering to pick up half the check and saying "let me box up a dish or two from the menu that you may like " - is what SHOULD have happened!

Overall-- this is a great restaurant. They should work on customer service though...if they had handled the situation correctly we probably would eat here a few times a month.

Normally.... I would give this place 4 stars! I took off one star for the incident and another for the food having too much sodium!!

8/28/2014

Environment is really good. Starter calamari and clay pot Cod worth try! The dessert tapioca coconut is too sour. Enjoy a good dinner here.

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  Too sour...

  Too sour...
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  Calamari yummy!

  Calamari yummy!

8/22/2014

This review is long overdue. Wonderful place for a great meal with friends and even suitable for a romantic night out. Several gluten free options. One of my favorite restaurants. Need to visit soon!

4/27/2014

Nice place, but for me with Tamarine is always some "buts"...

History. We used to go there for lunch once a week two years ago ..... We stopped doing so because we were so frustrated on a fact that they charged us $35 corkage fee for the bottle (needles to say that we brought two...)
WITHOUT TELLING so in advance!!  $35 corkage fee is not a usual price for opening a bottle so one has to be told about it in advance.

Ambiance. Nice place, but in my humble opinion, in Tamarine (only if there are just two of you) it is very important where you are going to be seated. I am not very found of palaces where it is obvious which seats are  better than the others. We went there @5:15, so we were able to kind of choose nice seats. Otherwise, we would be seated in an French/European style row with 2 seat small tables where you can easily hear not only what people right next to you are talking about, but also smell the food that has been served two tables down the road. Luckily, tables for four people are nicely put in a diamond shape style: cozy and roomy.

Food. We had two types of noodles. They were tasty but overcooked. I am still not sure... Probably, they were made right, but we couldn't eat it.... Crunch mushroom rolls were ok, I just didn't like it... Lemongrass sea-bass was amazing!! Just as it was two and three years ago!!

Service was great! We actually were talking a lot before we made an order so our waiter was patiently waiting for 30 min at least when we finally shut up and were ready to make an order ))))

• 

  Billecart Salmon ... Mmmm.... Nice start for a perfect dinner))

  Billecart Salmon ... Mmmm.... Nice start for a perfect dinner))
• 

  WOK PHO beef noodles. Yummy))

  WOK PHO beef noodles. Yummy))
• 

  Catfish entree. Special order with no chili)) TDF!!

  Catfish entree. Special order with no chili)) TDF!!
• See all photos from Nataly M.

3/22/2014

I still dream about the shaking beef and the scallops. I was pretty suspicous of the beef at first, fearing that it would be tough and/or fatty (so many places master both). It was delicous, lean, and melted in my mouth. We ordered 2 of them and were practically licking the plates before they took them.

The scallops were perfectly cooked, which is a huge plus for me. Very delicate seasoning and flavor to let the natural taste speak for itself.

I also really enjoyed the *stiff* but tasty and fuity cocktail (something with strawberries?) that was just a bit sweet, and also really fresh.

We definitely look forward to coming back here again.

7/27/2014

The quality of the food does not match to the food price. Menu and food diluted for Western palate.