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Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Financial DistrictGo to our website to get your $50 complimentary icertificate.
Mon-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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I have been here a few times and the food is good (not quite outstanding). The steak and prawns duet, the fish dishes and garlic noodles - make sure you have mints for after - are my faves. FYI - this place is a bit pricey for lunch ($20-30 per person).
The staff is nice and professional but food service is quite slow. So make sure you have time for a longer lunch. Reservations are a good idea too.
Kit, the owner, truly believes in giving back to the community. He generously donated a gift certificate to the Asian Business League of SF to be used as a raffles prize for its Annual Holiday Dinner.
Restaurants that support local nonprofit organizations deserve loyal patronage. That's not the only reason to dine at Unicorn. It offers convenient downtown location, delicious food, prompt and attentive service, and great happy hour deals!
5 - 7 pm daily. Great happy hour! $4 appetizers, $7 small plate entrees, $4 beer, $5 wine, $6… Read more »
I met a good friend of mine here for a weekday lunch. The place was packed when I got there, with my friend patiently waiting outside.
We must have gotten the last table in the place. It was definitely buzzing, with good conversations and really hunger-inspiring spices filling the air.
I ordered the Grilled Niman Ranch Steak and Prawns Duet with Chao Zhou Rolls-Spanish Rice. Everything about it was excellent. My friend ordered something vegetarian, which is the extent of my memory as a dedicated carnivore. She liked it as well.
I would definitely come back to try some of the other things on the menu. It's a shame that the Berkeley location closed.
The menu looked really interesting and exciting at this place, so we decided to check it out for our mini-cousin reunion dinner (8 adults, 3 children). When we got there, it was totally empty. On a weekend night during the holidays?? Not very convincing. But ok, don't judge a book by its cover. Maybe it was a slow night? Or a hidden gem? The menu sounded very interesting, the vegetarian dishes had exciting dishes like Penang Baba Curry Tofu, and Spicy Mango Bean Curd. But everything was just lacking that certain je ne sais quoi ... perhaps flavor?
Anyway, it was aight. I wouldn't go back there to give it another shot unless it got like a Michelin star or something!
So, a lot has changed since my last review on this place, my favorite being that the guy who took me to lunch at Unicorn (date described in the review below) ended up being married.
In addition to recommending you google-stalk any potential dates to find a current Penn State Alumni newsletter with a pic of the asshole thanking his wife and newborn baby BEFORE going out with him, I also recommend you come here and order the salmon and avocado rolls ($9). Sure, they spelled avocado wrong on the menu, but when something tastes so good it doesn't need to be spelled write. :)
Last night, while eating with my Craigslist boyfriend who loves me very much, we shared the vermicelli ($13) and the mixed veggies ($7). Healthy and fair portion sizes served on small tables illuminated with candles. The total bill came to $32, which is uber-cheap for dinner in the Financial District.
Though I had vowed to not return for personal reasons rhyming with "buys are bassholes," I'm glad I lifted my Unicorn embargo and can again return for lunch and dinner.
I came here on a lunch date. Yes, an actual date. As in, I said yes to meeting in the middle of… Read more »
This was my second time been here. I gave 3 stars for the food and 1 star for the atmosphere in my last review. But this time I gave 4 stars for the food!
We have ordered:
Tuna Ceviche with Green Mango, Lotus Rootlets and Basil-Nuoc Mam Salsa - It was so tasty and fresh. A very good dish for Appetizer
Singaporean Vermicelli Curry with Tofu and Broccoli - The taste was good but just a little bit TOO spicy
Caramelized Mekong Filet of Basa with Nuoc Mam and Crust Black Pepper - The sause was pretty good
Overall, the food here was tasty but luke warm and overly priced. If you don't mind, this place is a good place to eat!
3 stars for the food and one additional star for the nice atmosphere and service.
I went to lunch…
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Maybe I'm just bored with Asian fusion food, but it seems to be the same stuff - random hodgepodge of cuisines, spices....szhechuan meets sushi meets lemongrass meets kimchi.
With that said, the food tasted fine. I wouldn't object to going back but I wouldn't make a point of it.
It's nice to have a place in the Financial District with vegan options where you can have a business lunch. The plant cafe is another option but it's way out on the Embarcadero. I seriously can't understand why there is dearth of good vegan food in the FiDi. Same old awful industrialized food with no creativity. Anyway, I digress.
Unicorn is definitely a nice restaurant with wonderful ambiance but it gets crowded in there and the tables are very close together. As for the food, there are interesting dishes that don't taste extra ordinary. I had the Tofu simmered with Coconut Wasabi Cream and while it was palatable I won't have a craving for it. I'd say the same about Spicy Mango Bean Curd and Chinese Eggplant.
I think they need to work on better tasting dishes. Something one can crave and look forward to. But I will still go back here for lack of other options.
Bad, bad, bad! I've eaten here several times and always enjoyed the food, but this time the main dish was terrible. I had ordered prawns with spicy mango and eggplant. The prawns were over done - rubbery. The mango was not ripe so it was sooo sour! The eggplant was ok, but the sauce over the entire dish was watery and pretty tasteless. My suggestion is to take this dish off the menu or learn to prepare it! I'll probably go back just to see if things have improved, but if not, I'll have to remove this place from my lunch list.
Waterfall pump has been replaced!
Excellent food, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
One piece of advice....SIT in the front.
If you sit near the back either the fan or the waterfall…
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My last dinner before returning to reality with my love and dearest friends! The ambiance inside the restaurant is very warm, inviting, and romantic!! My Atte dressed up because she knew it was going to be a special night. *wink*
This night we went with some suggestions from Kiet. Chardonnay and some really amazing salmon rolls for starters. My honey and I shared the Bone-In Duck with Shanghai Bok Choy and Garlic Noodles. I was starting to feel a little disappointed that he ordered the noodles instead of rice, but when the dish was presented, I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised!! Those are the ish right there!!!! Maybe I was expecting more of a buttered, garlic seasoned noodle, but not from Unicorn!!
Dessert...
o.m.g.
a sinful delight!
Fried Banana BonBons!
Took a bite of Kate's Mango Flan de cognac, which was utterly amazing too.
Since it was after 7 on a weekday, parking was beyond easy- right in front of the restaurant for free! Score!
I really wanted to hate this place. Asian fusion is never my cup of tea, especially since its Vietnamese fusion!! But my bf wanted to try this place out since Perbacco was super crowded.
We sat down and right away I noticed their napkin and utensil placing. After unfolding my napkin and placing it on my lap, my utensils were touching the table. Call me anal, but have you seen the rag that they use to wipe the tables down?!!!
So already I was squirming in my seat.
The menu consisted what I thought were usually simple, home-made Vietnamese dishes gone crazy -- with even crazier prices.
The crowd were mostly non-Asian FiDi professionals and grandmothers. (??).
We ordered:
- starter: chao zhou fried rolls
- entree: curry with lamb (me)
- soup: asparagus crab soup (him)
- some other entree in a clay pot that was very forgettable
- seltzer water
= $50!
The fried rolls came out first and those were actually pretty tasty and true to all fried egg rolls, I got sick of them after 2 bites.
I tried the asparagus crab soup which was good but usually you add cornstarch to make it thicker but Unicorn's version was very watery - the asparagus and crab fell to the bottom of the bowl. The flavors fell a bit flat for me and I didn't see much crab in it but overall, it was an okay substitute, especially if you never had awesome asparagus crab soup before.
I picked a dish I thought wasn't Vietnamese fusion (the curry) but it was. Luckily for them, it was very good! The curry was flavorful and veryyy tasty but the lamb had A LOT of fat on it. There was only a few bites of meat on it, the rest was fat and bone. I could have easily just used the curry sauce and rice for a meal itself, it was pretty tasty :)
Seltzer water was "local" and extremely refreshing and chilling. Loved it but not the $2.50 price tag.
Everything else I didn't mention, wasn't worth mentioning.
*Edit: After reviewing some comments and my rating, I've come to the realization that yea, this place kinda does suck.
my bad. 3 to 2 stars.
This small restaurant specializing in pan-Asian cuisine provides a reasonable value for the FiDi crowd in a clean but dark setting that seems conducive to pleasant conversation.
The food is decent and the servings a little on the large side. We had the chao zhou rolls to start, and shared the filet mignon, the lamb and the duck. The chao zhou rolls were good but probably not worth the money while the filet mignon, lamb and duck were all excellent. Desserts (chocolate torte and panna cotta) were on the blah size although the mango on top of the pana cotta was very flavorful.
The interior is very eclectic with interesting art pieces on a few of the walls and a bar filled overhead with Chihully blown glass. One wonders how much the owner blew on the Chihully and if he/she spent a similar amount on the other pieces.
If the art does not distract you enough, I should point out that one of the waitstaff looked like he could be the villain in an kungfu movie starring Jean Claude van Damme. Nice enough fellow but I wouldn't want to piss him off...
If you are looking for a nice place to go that won't break the bank this is a good spot. The decor is simple but nice.
Thursday dinner and movie night and I am given the task of picking a restaurant. Well Unicorn was one of my bookmarks of places to try and I'm glad i did.
We started out with the crab and avocado rolls lightly tempura fried, then the Singaporean Vermicelli curry, the de boned plum sauce trout, and the Cubed Fillet Mignon. The rolls rolls where good lightly fried, the Vermicelli was decent but nothing special and not really Vermicelli noodles, the best part of the dinner was the Cubed fillet that was so tasty and the trout. I'm not a fan of fish normally but when its de boned and cooked like this its great.
Overall this place is good spot to try. Service was great. They even offered a cash price discount. Our total bill was $135.00 but we did have a $65 bottle of wine that was great. (wish i remembered what it was haha) so the meal itself was not pricey. I recommend them for a fun night out. By the way the move the Hangover is freaking hilarious!!!
The short ribs were excellent...! You might want to ask for more utensils, because fork and chopsticks "don't cut it". coconut wild rice was a hot sticky fluffy goodness. are you turned on? I must be back again for a special lunch. It does tend to get a bit noisy and crowded in there, but well worth it.
I just went here for lunch and I had the tofu veggie clay pot. It was delicious! Just enough sauce to give it flavor, yet you're still able to taste the unique flavor of each variety of vegetable that was in the dish. I hate when restaurants down things with sauce.
I tasted some of my other co-workers dishes and each of them were delicious. I'll definitely be coming back.
It's a good place to go when you want something between "upscale" FiDi dining and fast food. Definitely not where I'd want to go for a business lunch as the place is usually packed over the lunch hour and VERY LOUD. However, the food is always tasty (e.g., potstickers and Niman Ranch filet mignon with Blue Lake green beans).
My friend and I always end up sitting at the bar to be able to get some sun and air (when it gets warmer and someone opens the front door). Definitely warranted on these warmer summer days.
I came here for lunch today, and I was a bit apprehensive for a few reasons. First, my lunch companion is a vegan and I let him choose the restaurant. Second, Unicorn is an unusual name for a restaurant. But the dining experience was extremely pleasurable on all fronts. Our server (should have gotten his name) was in my opinion the best server I've ever encountered in a restaurant. A consummate professional with a delightful smile and oozing with charm and professionalism.
I was sort of envisioning unicorn wallpaper and lots of pastels (brings to mind some childhood play figure from my youth), but the ambiance is very nice. Simplistic decor, and everything is in order...they've got their feng shui on. Its a bit more than I would usually spend on lunch (well my companion was generous enough to treat!), but I thought that the prices were very reasonable in light of the quality and ambiance. We started off with Taro Spring Rolls- Ponzu sauce (vegan) and they were surprisingly tasty. I tried the Singaporean Vermicelli, and it was excellent. Massive portion and very flavorful. The Vietnamese coffee at the end was a nice treat! We shared some sorbet, which was the only unmemorable part of the meal. Definitely worthy of a return trip...and soon!
I'm about to say something that's going to get tongues wagging. Here goes, I enjoyed Unicorn more than the Slanted Door (!). I hope I don't get too much hate mail because of it but seriously, Unicorn satisfied me much, much more.
The garlic noodles were a-mazing. We had them for a starter and I totally pigged out on them before my main course even came. The carrot chowder was also a marvel. I'm generally not a fan of carrots but they concocted something that made me slurp them right down.
My main course was the lemongrass chicken. I don't know why I was expecting chopped up pieces of chicken but nonetheless, I was disappointed when they brought out a huge breast. It wasn't bad, I just was expecting something different and you know how that goes...it's always mildly disappointing. I should know better by now than to expect things out of food.
This is a great lunch spot if you work in the Fidi and are looking for something nicer than your average day-to-day stop off's. They can get you in and out at a reasonable pace as well.
Happy eating!
Came here last weekend for Mother's Day weekend. The restaurant was completely empty, and for that, the service was GREAT!
I'm always a little hesitant about asian fusion because there can be some really strange combinations of types of food, but this place is delightful! For 5 people we ordered as family style:
1. the cubed filet mignon - A+
2. spicy mango bean curd - B
3. lemon grass chicken breast - C
4. giant sea scallops - C
5. eggplant - B
6. 2 orders of garlic noodles - C
7. black coconut rice - A
Lots of great food! My favorite dish is the cubed filet mignon. They cooked the steak just right so that it was very tasty and melted in your mouth. The combo of this dish with the eggplant and black coconut rice was SO DELICIOUS! Typing this now, I am craving the coconut rice!!
I don't think i will order the scallops or chicken again... the scallops while giant as described had a very sour taste to it and the chicken was just plain and very overcooked. What is nice about each of these plates is that there is veggies that come with every dish so that you have a balance of meat/seafood with veggies. Overall, I had a very tasty survey of Unicorn's food selections.
I definitely plan to come back again. They have a http://Restaurant.com coupon so if you want to go, be sure to pick up a coupon first! (must eat dine-in dinner and CASH ONLY with http://restaurant.com coupon).
I've been to this restaurant 3 times now, and I always order the same thing: the cubed Niman Ranch filet mignon. Oh my goodness, is it a plate of deliciousness! Perfectly tender cubes of steak, with flavorful green beans and onions, and a side of citrusy sauce to complement it. That, plus the very tasty garlic noodles, and I'm in food coma heaven! I've yet to try any of their appetizers or desserts, and rest assured that will be my goal the next time I come here, if I can tear myself away from the filet mignon, that is. And I'm not making any promises.
The meat dishes are just ok. I stronggggggggly recommend the seafood here which is top notch. They make some pretty great wasabi sauces. My favorites here are the Giant Sea Scallops in Coconut Wasabi Cream and the New Zealand Green Lip Mussels in Coconut Wasabi Bisque. I seriously considered licking my plate by the time we were done.
The food is pretty price with only moderately sized portions. If you get a combination course I would stick with the "Sea" plate. The only times we've gone were in the middle of the week and the place was pretty quiet with now aits for a table. Ample street parking.
I have been to quite a few Asian Fusion restaurants I really enjoyed the food here.
At every asian restaurant I look for lychee drinks...here they had a lychee martini which was pretty good.
For appetizers we got:
Potstickers
Albino rolls
The rolls were pretty greasy, but tasted good nonetheless
For Main course:
Wasabi-Coconut Tofu w/coconut rice (my favorite dish hands down flavorful and saucy)
Garlic Noodles (nothing spectacular)
Sauteed Prawns w/mango (soooo good)
Lemon Grass Chicken (average)
Family style dining available. I would bring a date here, nice ambiance, spectacular service, unique menu, flavorful dishes, and overall nice location. I have to admit I have been craving the coconut wasabi tofu since I left:(
Came here as a part of the Schoss Schonborn Riesling Vertical wine dinner. About 20 of us sampled a variety of dishes matched with 1988, 1997, 2003, 2005, and 2006 Kabinett, Spatlese, Aulese Rieslings. One of the guests, being an avid German Riesling collector and German-dominated wine shop owner, brought a couple of the auction-only 1997 Lothar Franz Rieslings to share.
Being a Vietnamese American, I am picky about my Vietnamese food dishes but Unicorn consistently impressed me. We started with the Albino Rolls, a seafood version of the Vietnamese fried spring rolls, which were filled with scallops, shrimps, and crabmeat. We also had the Five-Spice Duck Poh Pia, Lemongrass Roasted Quail, Chao Zhou Rolls, and Tuna Ceviche as our appetizers. They were beautifully paired with the 2006 Nussbraun and Marcobrunn (spelling?) Kabinett Rieslings. Fresh and citrusy, they were just the perfect match for the food.
Our entrees included the Five-Spice Duck Mosaic, Bone-in Niman Pork Chops, Giant Sea Scallops with Coconut Wasabi Curry Sauce, Atlantic Salmon with Poached Tomato in Penang Baba Curry, Giant Prawns poached in Nuoc Mam and Crab Sauce emulsion with White Mushroom, and Smoked Chinese Eggplant in Nuoc Mam Scallion. Accompanying these dishes were servings of white and coconut black wild rice, which were steamed perfection. The 1988, 1997, and 2005 Schonborn Kabinett and Spatlese were once again the perfect matches. A bite of food, a sip of wine, and heaven was quite close!
To top it off, we were served the 1997 Lothar Franz and 2003 Schonborn Auslese *** as dessert wines.
Having not been impressed by Vietnamese fusion food served elsewhere, I was not prepared for the pleasant surprise that Unicorn served up. The Albino and Chao Zhou rolls were simply perfect. And the smoked aubergine with nuoc mam and scallion, a dish often ruined by other restaurants, was fresh and nuanced. Most restaurants do not smoke the eggplants sufficiently. Or they would overcook them. Not here at Unicorn, the eggplants were not too smoky or mushy and were complemented nicely by the balanced nuoc mam dressing. On the strength of this seemingly simple dish alone, Unicorn deserves 5 stars! :)
Came here for dinner on a Tuesday night (because the restaurant in Berkeley went out of business) and it was deserted!! Typical for most FiDi restaurants though, I suppose, but great because there was no wait for a pretty good restaurant.
We had the albino rolls, Singaporean vermicelli curry, the five-spice duck and some black coconut rice. The albino rolls were okay, they kind of tasted like fish cakes. Singaporean vermicelli curry was also just okay. I didn't think there was enough sauce on the noodles and really -- it was nothing special.
So, after a round of "just okay" dishes, what saved Unicorn from only a 3-star rating? Well, because the five-spice duck entree was THE BOMB. I wish I had taken a picture, but the size of the entree was pretty unexpected for such a pricey restaurant. The duck breast had been sliced and the layers of meat were alternated with slices of mushrooms. There was also a duck thigh/drumstick (I can't really remember). And it was damn tasty. The sauce, the tender duck, the meatiness of the mushrooms, OMG. It was great w/ the black coconut rice. If they can make duck this good, their other meats must be just as good.
Lastly, on the drinks: Champagno sounded like a good idea, but was very strong and not very tasty. The 20/20 w/ lychee was perfect though.
I'm a fan! More of a fan when I can come by with a http://www.restaurant.com coupon though. :)
With a name like Unicorn I kind of have to love this place. When you add in the fact that they serve a drink called a "champango" I didn't really stand a chance. Seriously, how fun is it to say that name? I think I ordered more than I would have normally just because I liked saying it.
This place is billed as Asian Fusion, but I'm not sure how I'd classify it. We did have some tasty Unicorn spring rolls, which no unicorns were harmed in the making of. But, my main meal was sort of a breaded pork chop. The food was so-so, nothing spectacular, but good enough. Listen to the snapshots and order the popular stuff - scallops and coconut rice. Everyone at our table that did so was much happier with their meal than I was.
The atmosphere is sexy with dim lighting, open space and a minimalistic feel. Perfect for a date or ladies night out on the town. And don't skip dessert. We had the Warm Chocolate Torte and it was entirely delectable.
3.5. It's just OK. I would give this place 4 stars if the prices were a bit cheaper. Entree prices range between $12-$20, which I think is a bit pricey for the kind of food they serve. Reminds me of pf chang food. I think you can get similar kinds of food elsewhere for less.
The food is decent. I ordered the prawns with chinese eggplant and spicy mango with a side of rice. It was alright... yummy but not memorable... I wouldn't order it again. My friend ordered a vermicelli curry with broccoli (and maybe chicken). She liked her dish. I think I should have ordered that one.
The service is pretty good... the ambiance is nice. Reservations are not needed but recommended for lunch. We did not have reservations and we were seated in 5 minutes but the place looked crowded.
An additional 0.5 star for the cool glass sculptures on the ceiling above the bar, Chihuly-style (like at the Bellagio).
Drinks! (yeah, I apparently dig a bevy of beverages)
Champango: mmmm, I'm certainly surprised at myself that I did not like this. For some reason, the combination of champagne, soju and mango reeks of...tequila!? I don't know, it was ticking my nausea. Color me mango-perplexed. Oh well.
Thai Iced Tea: Super skinny glass, straw, ice, cream and sweet, sugary liquid with a kick. Mmmmm.
Americano: Perfect ending. Splendy & cream.
Food:
I suggest ordering all of the spring rolls and the deep friend pork rolls to start. Roll. All of them.
Entree:
Scallops atop eggplant with wasabi cream sauce and black coconut rice. I felt so...grown up. Well, ok then. I eat scallops with rice that looks like clumps of ants. It's so gooooood though.
Dessert:
Chocolate cake: standard.
mmmmmm. Good. Unicorn is a cute name, too.
Here's a few tips. You want me to be nice to you? Tell me you have a unicorn. You want me to go home with you? Tell me we're going to take your unicorn. You want me to like your restaurant? Name it Unicorn.
We rolled into the restaurant with a gang load of yelper cms from the central US. Represent! Austin, DALLAS, H-town, Chi-town, Detroit, Denver, and Phoenix were in the muthafriggin' hiz-house! The restaurant itself is quaint with a warm environment, chill atmosphere and soothing wall of water. Everyone on staff is awesome from the waiters to the giggly hostesses.
Stop in for a dinner with your man friend or with a group of your friends. Just flying through town or hate other people? Grab a seat at the bar and enjoy your dinner there. Prix fixe menus exist, but there are other options as well. Meat, veggie and vegan friendly dishes crowd the long menu offering you an array of choices. What took this review to four stars was the drink menu offering a Champango cocktail made with Soju and Champagne AND a very delicious Thai Iced Tea. (My favorite.)
I suggest ordering the tuna ceviche salad, unicorn spring rolls (made without unicorns THANK GAWD) and the previous mentioned drinks.
Who doesn't love unicorns? They remind me of my childhood... fun stuff! So, when I learned we were going to a place called Unicorn for a group dinner, I was excited. And when I saw that it was Pan Asian Cuisine, I was even more excited.
I was part of the group meal that was already reviewed by some other yelper cms from the central US. Get a group of us together, and we sure have a good time! And we did...
We shared a bunch of appetizers and each ordered our own entrees. This was a good way to go at Unicorn. The spring rolls rock! I had the Curry Tofu and Broccoli - while it wasn't the best I've had, it was still quite delicious. Silky tofu, creamy curry, crunchy broccoli... get some of their black coconut rice on the side and you're golden. I'd go back just for that!
I washed all of this down with a sparkly lemonade, and for dessert, the table shared a couple orders of the chocolate cake. Mmmm... fun times!
So do you think the unicorn spring rolls are made with real unicorn? Yeah, this was the first question going around the table when my party of 8 ate dinner here this past Wednesday. I blame the margaritas we had earlier in the evening.
So when deciding on appetizers for the table the "unicorn spring rolls" were at the top of the list. And while we were spring roll happy we decided to order the rest of the spring rolls on the menu as well- prawn spring rolls and some sort of beef spring rolls. All were good, although the beef ones were surprisingly (I'm usually more of a seafood fan) my favorite...
As for my main entree I ordered the scallops based on the raving Yelp reviews. Who am I kidding? I always order scallops! And bonus that the yelpers like them too! These scallops were served on top of eggplant (got my veggie fill for the day) and covered in some sort of wasabi cream sauce. Delicious, although the real winner was the black coconut rice that came with it. So good that I wanted to bring it home to Chicago with me!
We had the restaurant pretty much to ourselves...fortunately for other diners since we can be a bit of a loud bunch. Especially after a few martinis! Liked the atmosphere and the service was pretty good too.
What I didn't like...
Champango- sounds better than it tastes. And the chocolate cake was nothing special- and this is coming from a chocoholic. Maybe they'd be better if they added some real unicorn to them...
This has 3 star food, but the fourth star is for the nice atmosphere. My lovely co workers planned a Happy Hour Birthday party for me here!!! I had been wanting to try this place forever based on all the yelp reviews, and the fact that is looked so nice.
I was not disappointed, but I was not impressed either. To basically describe this place is to say it is mediocre food, at over inflated prices in a really cute surrouinding where you must stay on your best behavior to attend.
All though they offer a happy hour, it a not really a bar type place, this is more for a couple meeting up after work type place.
So its not bad, its not great, it not really anything to mention. I would not come back if I had to pay, maybe not even if it was free.
After reading the reviews, we decided to go as part of "date night".
We had a 6:30 reservation and got there a bit early. A guy asked my name, grabbed some menus and left. We didn't know if were to follow until he got to a table and motioned us over.
This was pretty much the theme of the dinner: hurry, hurry, hurry.
We were given menus and then we made our choices. We told the waitress that we needed time with the wine and she left.
She didn't come back until we had finished our appetizer and soup.
The albino rolls appetizer tasted freezer burned. For $12, it was 4 one inch cross cut bits of crab mush wrapped in rice paper and deep fried with panko. It was not good at all.
My wife's soup was fine. The waitress asked if she didn't like it as it was only half finished.
The tone from the waitress seemed to be half-shunning and half-can't be bothered.
We were going to order the wine flight but she never came back until it was too late. We didn't want to chug our wine flight with just one course. That's on them.
For the main, my wife had the scallops which were drowning in wasabi cream sauce. It tasted fine but it was overly sweet and wasbi-flavored. These flavors clashed after a few bites.
For my main, I had the ox tail stew with spinach noodles. It was overly flavored with allspice. Everything smelled and tasted like allspice. There were no other flavors I could taste.
We skipped dessert as we knew it was not our day or our night (as we both got indigestion later on).
To her credit, the waitress warmed up by the time we got out bill.
For payment, I had the http://restaurant.com coupon. The waitress told us that we had to pay the difference with cash.
No where on the coupon did it say that. That pissed me off. I'm all for rules but you have to let me know what they are beforehand. We were in no mood to argue; we just wanted to leave and continue "date night".
At least the play that night was good.
hmm 3.5 - it is a very creative place.
I liked all the dishes - but I didn't Love any of them. They were all good and very creative - I appreciated that. I wish there was a bit more to it though. I would def come back.
Mussels - in a coconut broth but it was very rich and the mussels were a bit over cooked
Tuna ceviche salad - very good
5 spice duck - its actually a roll with spicy suace
Albino roll - lightly fried with crab - yum
I hate the name of this place.
FYI - you can't park at the nearby meters until after 7pm
My mom made reservations for Unicorn this past Friday, for my birthday! Overall, it a nice experience. The ambiance very nice. The spacing of the tables and the surrounding furniture was placed perfectly. Definitely a great use of space here. We didn't feel too cramped or surrounded by others. Of course this might be because of the fact that there were only 4 other tables in the restaurant at the time. Keep in mind that this is prime dinner time, at around 7:00pm. We stayed for dinner until 9pm, and it pretty much stayed 4 tables the whole time. There was a larger group of people utilizing the private room for about 10-15 people in the back. So if it weren't for that private group, Unicorn would've had a very slow night for a Friday. It's saddening to see so many restaurants being hit so hard by the economy these days.
Anyway, my experience was pleasant. The staff was very friendly. We had a nice Thai server, who was very patient with us when explaining the menu. She had a bit of a hard time explaining the menu due to the language barrier. But overall, understood her the best we good. Our food came out on time and just as we ordered, so no complaints.
Food was decent. For appetizers, mom and I shared Five Spice Duck Poh Pia with Jicama, Roasted Peanut and Cilantro. I loved this dish. You received three spring rolls stuff with shredded duck, cabbage, drizzled with a great sweet sauce inside. It was a bit expensive at $12.00, so 4 bucks per roll.
For entree's we shared the Cubed Filet Mignon with Blue Lake Green Bean. Beef was perfectly cooked, and the sauce and green beans complimented the meat very nicely.
We also had the Lemon Grass Charbroiled Breast of Chicken with Sauteéd Vegetables. The portion of chicken was a good size; however, the chicken seemed to be a bit over cooked. The vegetables were sauteed in a sauce, which came out a bit too Chinese tasting. Quite a boring dish.
Next, came the Spicy Mango Bean Curd and Chinese Eggplant. The first few bites of this dish were great. Spicy and sweet is my favorite combination. The mango added the perfect amount of sweetness. The bean curd was definitely cooked well, couldn't even tell it was bean curd, tasted more like chicken at first. But this dish sorta got boring after a few bites. I was a bit disappointed because it was great in the beginning. I'm not sure what caused this feeling, but it made me a bit nauseated after.
For sides, we shared the Black Coconut Rice. It was great! Nice and sticky, and sweet, and tasty. I loved the sticky texture of the rice. It was cooked perfectly. We also shared the Tomato Garlic Noodles. Noodles were very tasty, but had a bit too much tomato flavor. This caused the noodles to come off a bit like Tomato Beef Chow Mein at a Chinese restaurant. Besides this little fact, it was quite flavorful though.
So apparently my mom ordered a birthday cake and had it in the kitchen waiting to be brought out after our dinner. The cake was the cutest I had ever seen in my life. It was an Sesame Street Ernie and Rubber duckie cake since Ernie was my favorite character when I was a kid. The cake was decorated with candles very nicely.
However, one very weird thing, the server opted not to take my cake out of the box even with the lit candles on it. The top was off, but it was still in the box. I thought this was a bit odd. *Shrugs* Just thought I would mention this. It was a great experience, but it sorta ruined the mood at the time for me just a little.
Overall, my birthday dinner here at Unircorn was very nice. Food was decent, staff patient and friendly. But for the price, I'm pretty sure I can get equivalent Asian food for a much more reasonable price elsewhere in S.F.
Ambiance- 5 stars
Staff-- 5 stars
Food portion size- 2 stars
Price- 2 stars
Quality- 2 stars.
I have mix feelings about Asian Fusion food. The quality was nowhere near genuine wok- fried delicious asian food you can get at a chinese restaurant. The food was luke warm, small portion, overly priced. Overall, i'm still giving it 2 stars. If you're looking to look nice, stay fitted in your tight outfit for your hot date, this is the place to go. cause for sure you're leaving with a half filled stomach.
While the menu could have been more extensive, I did not take exception to what little it offered. The chao-zhou rolls (which, despite its exotic-sounding name really were deep-fried chicken and shrimp spring rolls served with sweet chili sauce) were not bad, the tamarind-glazed Australian lamb chop was like a delectable lollipop, fun to eat and extremely tasty and the Atlantic salmon curry did not disappoint .
All the entrees went well together with the starches of choice: black (no kidding!) coconut rice and garlic noodle.
That being said, I wouldn't have bought my friend's claim that it's her all-time favorite San Francisco Asian fusion dining spot.
Isa in the Marina would've been a better bet at 8PM on a Friday - since the entire financial district turns into a ghost town after 7, practically deserted save for strings of hoodlums and other unsavory types.
Outstanding and consistent, based on my two visits and feedback from friends. Clean, attractive decor and good servers compliment a creative pan-Asian menu that manages to surprise the palate without taking anyone too far from their comfort zone. Not too loud either , and given its downtown FiDi location it's good value for money.
The best item on the menu is the steamed vermicelli with rice paper wrap. The other menu items are fine, but not enough for four stars. Service is attentive and sincere. Comfortable ambience.
Went here for lunch with a friend and thought it was pretty decent but wasn't exactly blown away either - definitely nothing you couldn't get at ANY asian "fusion" restaurant. I had a Singapore curry noodle dish with chicken, prawns and broccoli. Pretty tasty but really mild curry although they warn that it's slightly hot. Unless you're a spice wimp I guess ;P Plating was pretty good for a lunch service.
Prices were high for lunch IMO. One of the cheapest on the menu was my dish at $13. And tea was a minimum of $3.50 a cup!!
Overall it was OK but nothing special although I would like to know why they called it Unicorn....
Discount
Neighborhood: SOMA
$32.95 three course prix fix…
Neighborhood: SOMA
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Sandwiches
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Italian
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