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Mon-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mon-Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Pretty decor
I had the ahi tuna roll for starters, NOT impressed at all.
The drinks were weak, after ordering one I decided to stick with water.
The sea bass and short ribs we ordered were delicious.
The chocolate box dessert was AMAZING!
I felt like I came in on a Saturday Night Live skit. The pretty but painfully
cool setting & staff. I hoped that the food would rescue us, but that was not to be. Over cooked prawns, over cooked Lamb, unripe mango everywhere. Desert came in a ridiculous glass dome. This probably
explains why the restaurant was only half full on a Saturday night at 7:00.
WOW!! Last night was one of the best dinners I've ever had! From cool, intimate atmosphere to extraordinary service Xanh has it all! It reminded me of a hipper Three Seasons. We ordered way too much food, but it was all wonderful! I'll go through everything we ordered
Grapefruit Salad - Mmmmm!! Served in a hollow grapefruit shell a tasty mix of poached shrimp, grapefruit, apple and some sort of noodle. A great way to start!
Manic Roll - I'm a sucker for any roll filled with softshell crab. I'll order a spider roll just about anywhere. This took it to a whole 'nother level!
Egg Roll - filled with meat, vegetables and rice noodles it was perfectly crisp outside. A unique mix of textures and good flavor. The sauce served with it strongly complemented the dish.
Potstickers - Filled with chicken and shrimp, these might have been the highlight of the meal!! Served in individual spoons with a vinegar-based dipping sauce. The flavor was just beyond description! This is a must have for any visit!
Crab and Asparagus soup - this was the only dish we weren't ooohhhing and awwing over. It was okay, but nothing special and a little bland.
Crispy Shrimp Cloud - Another extremely interesting dish! The shell was crispy on the outside while being soft and chewy on the inside without being at all greasy. The shell was filled with a perfectly cooked shrimp and made to be dipped in the sauce.
Pineapple shortribs - traditional korean bbq with a twist. The meat was cooked well with welcome char marks served with marinated bean sprouts and grilled pineapple.
We also shared a good amount of unfiltered sake recommended by our server.
Jade, one of the owners?, was extermely cordial and came over to our table to chat like an old friend. We immediately felt welcome and special in spite of it being a very busy Saturday night. They have the best process I've seen for a waiting list. They took my cell phone number and called me when our table was ready, much better than the standard short range pager.
Regarding the experience as a whole, there's nothing more I could ask from a new restaurant! Then, considering the price, Xanh is also an incredible value!
Ajay B. and family invited me to join them for AJ's birthday treat.
The restaurant is small, reservation is a good idea.
The food is tasty but I am not sure I am a big fan of fusion.
Why fusion anything that is good in it's original form?
Shaking Beef, I was fantasing about Shaking Beef for 2 days and I had to have me some Shakin Cow. We ordered the large order which was small according to me, not sure how small is small.
I would give the dish a 4 STAR, will try not to explain it. I will order this again. It has enuf greens in the dish to make it look healthy.
We ordered two kinds of fish, The fish that was cooked in a banana leaf and it is fresh and tasty.
The Garlic Noodles were ofcourse Garlic E.
The only dish I did not like was th Lemongrass Chicken, come on, please tell me that it was Lemongrass Chicken.
The lemonade was amazing but it you will either like it or hate it. I loved it, that drink came in a tall glass and it was good till the end.
So, why 3 STARS? The food was tasty and aesthetically well presented. The food was a bit expensive, even though I did not pay for it.
Thanks to AJ and Dals for treating us boys to Shakin Beef.
The company was awesome, the food was good.
What else can one ask for?
Recommend: Yes
Will I go back: Probably not! I cannot eat here when Hangen is right across the street. I cannot betray one of my favorite places.
Romantic: Yes, Good, blue and green (Xanh) decor. Good place to impress someone that you have money and style. Castro has a lot of places that I will go to first before I land here avec mon ami.
4 stars for the taste, pricing, portions, and quality, especially for a Vietnamese fusion restaurant.
Yummy, my wonderful friend Amy treated me to dinner here for helping her with her fashion show. (Everyone should go! It's at the Blank Club this Saturday. Yay for http://Shrinkle.net!) Ok, shameless plug aside, this is by far, the best Vietnamese fusion place I have tried so far. WAY better than Tamarine FOR SURE!
We ordered:
Crispy Calamari - I loved this. Beats your typical boring fried squid. It is seasoned with several spices, basil, and jalapeno. YUMMY. Reminds me of popcorn chicken you get at tapioca places. haha. It also comes with a dipping sauce that was great as well. A lot of flavor in this one.
Ahi tuna - The tuna was mixed with avocado, cucumbers, and some creamy sauce mixed with viniagrette. The diced cucumbers were even marinated. Fresh fried chips were placed on the side. Lots of flavor, very delicious.
Smoked salmon on shrimp chips - I'm not the biggest salmon fan, but I do like it smoked. It was VERY good on the fresh shrimp chips. There were capers and a little sauce topped on the salmon. Good shit!
Banana leaf Sea bass - Steamed sea bass with marinated rice noodles on top. I loved this dish. Also not a big fish fan, but I prefer fish prepared with Asian flavors.
Shaking beef - This was so good. The meat was so tender and FULL of flavor. I believe it was marinated with garlic and soy sauce. The salad was 100x better than Tamarine's. The dressing atop the salad was way better as well.
Jade, one of the owners and a friend of Amy's was nice enough to give us a couple desserts, compliments of the chef. Jade is really nice and welcoming and made sure everything was okay.
Dessert:
Pumpkin sorbet w/ Gingerbread cookies - This was really good; especially for you pumpkin pie lovers! I've never had a pumpkin sorbet before. It's like pumpkin pie in a light sorbet form. AND the sorbet was placed in a little pumpkin. HOW CUTE IS THAT! The Gingerbread cookies were very fresh, and even had chunks of ginger in there. Different from what I normally order for dessert. Worth a try since it's pretty tasty.
Hazelnut mousse layered cake - This was okay. It was a little on the dry side.
Chocolate sorbet dessert - Mango and pineapple sorbet covered in white chocolate with a rasberry center. I liked this. Refreshing.
Overall, everything about this restaurant is super cool. Lively environment, with perfectly presented food. The food tastes as good as it looks. The decor is beautiful. Love the blue/green colors, very mod. The waitresses even have these big Xanh belts. Really cute. Service was good. Attentive when they needed to be, but allowed us to have a conversation and enjoyable dinner amongst ourselves. Non-intrusive. Also the prices are very reasonable for the portions you get. (Not HUGE Denny's portions, but more than a couple tablespoons of food. haha). We were so full and had plenty of leftovers to bring home.
Only problem with this place is that some of the tables are too close together. I'm sure the people sitting next to us on both sides (practically hitting elbows) heard our whole dinner conversation (and thought we were crazy, but oh well. =D).
I was pleasantly surprised since I'm not really into Asian fusion food (typically it's bland). I will be back.
I've been wanting to try this place out forever. Particularly since I've been dying for some better vietnamese food in downtown Mountain View. Being half-vietnamese, unless I drive to San Jose or go to LA to see the family I don't have much to choose from in the area (and I'm finicky about my food and yes I know I should scour yelp for more restaurants). This is vietnamese fusion though which is close enough for now!
We went during lunchtime just before noon which wasn't too bad crowd-wise. The service was very good and the food presentation was lovely. I like the minimalist type decor as well, it was classy.
Here's what we got:
2 x egg rolls - These are longer and thinner than your average eggroll but oh so delicious. They came out in a lovely lettuce wrap and it tasted fantastic.
1 x Calamari - Pretty salty but tasty. It reminded me a lot of the calamari you can get at Tapioca Express. I enjoyed it though but I think the saltiness made me think my entree was too salty as well. It was hard to tell.
2 x Bun Thit Nuong (rice noodle w/grilled pork) - The pork was delicious. It had a nice lemongrass flavor (but maybe a tad salty?). I loved the mango bits in the lettuce mixture and I thought it the waiter mixing it up for me made for a very pretty presentation. I wasn't a fan of the thicker rice noodles though. I like the standard skinny ones you usually get at vietnamese restaurants with your rice noodle bowls.
Total price came to $43.30 (without tip). Pretty pricey for lunchtime fare. I definitely want to try this place again, probably at dinner time. It's a bit too steep to stop in there for lunch regularly or anything. Overall I dug the place and look forward to trying the other dishes they have on the menu.
Xanh, an EPIC Vietnamese Restaurant.
The sign looms over this mountain view edifice, sending a clear message like a seraphim trumpeting a decree that this place is a culinary sanctuary for all.
1st Star - Food.
Scrumptious in a way only the enlightened could appreciate.
The flavors are tasty yet clean. The presentation is beautiful.
Many of the dishes are completely original, or new takes on old classics.
I find it completely ludicrous that some reviewers rate restaurants with completely specific desires. Just because you happen to like your vietnamese food soaked overnight in fish sauce doesn't mean that everyone else does as well! One should rate the quality of food in an objective manner, if one is writing a review for others. You aren't recommending the place to YOURSELF!
Here is the JT Xanh playlist for 2:
Spicy Ahi Tuna Roll - can not order these little packets of yumminess anywhere else. use chili sauce and lime in your nuoc cham and you will be in the heart of flavor country. The name is misleading, it's not a terribly spicy roll, and there's even a non-spicy version for those born to be mild.
Shaking Beef - A classic vietnamese standby. Fresh spring greens and savory, tender, succulent beef. Don't try to be funny and ask "why isn't the beef shaking?" because your server will be unimpressed, and she will probably give you a courtesy laugh. Believe me, I tried.
Xanh Banana Leaf Sea Bass - This is a quality over quantity dish. It's so delicate and flavorful, having too much of it would ruin the dish. It's like having a fine wine. You don't chug it out of a beer stein. You savor every bit that you have.
Large Jasmine Rice - For the combination I recommended, the coconut rice interferes with the flavors of those dishes. Order the coconut rice with the curry. For this meal, stick to the basics.
refreshments, of the fermented grape variety
2nd Star - Value.
The prices are standard for a restaurant of this caliber.
I'm dying of laughter when I read some reviews. A lot of yelpers apparently think that restaurants are non-profit organizations that are subsidized with government funding. HELLO! running a restaurant costs ridiculous amounts of money. A classy restaurant located on prime real-estate on castro street is not going to charge those dirt-cheap prices you are used to in your little east san jose pho dive! RIDICULOUS. It's like I went to La Fondue and started whining because they didn't have a value meal combo.
3rd Star - Service.
Nothing short of spectacular.
I was here once when a couple brought their 4 screaming brats in. The staff was very patient and accommodating, and gave courteous service despite the children drumming on plates with chopsticks and making food fly everywhere. Thank god the clientele seems to be a little better in the later evenings.
4th Star - Ambiance.
Clean, modern, and usually bumpin' at night with a variety of professionals, hip young couples, and all around sexy people. Usually filled with patrons who are enjoying themselves, which is how any popular restaurant should be. If you want a super quiet place, try a hole-in-the-wall french bistro on a weeknight. The staff are a plethora of lovely waitresses. During lunch, there seems to be more of a business-meeting, IT-geek, vibe going on. If this place was in the mission district of San Francisco, it would be infested with hipsters. If it were in west hollywood, superstars would frequent it. If it were in the SoHo NYC, it would be the new hotspot. As it stands, it gets pretty much the cream of the crop mountain view natives.
5th star - Misc.
Overall, Xanh stands out from any other restaurant on castro, and in the genre of modern vietnamese/asian-fusion, it still is the best choice in it's price range. The waitresses help you with any questions you may have, and the take-out service is fast.
Come here for lunch if you have a business meeting.
Come here for dinner if you have a date/anniversary/birthday.
Come here if you like scrumptious food in a spectacular setting!
bonus tips:
mingle with Jade and Amanda (the proprietors) if you are nice to them, they will make the seas part and stars twinkle for you.
ask for stephanie's section. she's congenial and professional.
order the lychee iced tea and ask them to make it, "especiale."
call for reservations at night. definitely if it's the weekend.
The Mellow Yellow, Xanh Salad, and Pineapple Shortribs have the most generous portion-to-price-ratio, for those of you dining on a budget.
The Place:
Nice decor, decent wait staff, service is resonable if you can find an off-peak time.
The Food: WTF?
Bland, awful food dressed up to look fancy.
Ordered:
*edit*
Potstickers: almost forgot to mention these. the same filling as the eggrolls below.. almost entirely meat, the consistancy of spam, but the flavor was ok.
Sea Bass, didn't try it. It was ok, but nothing to write home about according to my friends.
Bun Cha Gio: I should have sent it back, but I ate it anyway. The Noodles were overcooked so they could be smashed into a shape. Flavorless and slimy, they fell apart any time you touched them. I'm adept with chopsticks, but I could barely shovel this stuff with a fork.
The eggrolls were ok, except they basically contained pork.. that's it.. pork, wraped in rice paper and deep fried.. with the consistancy of spam. Tasted ok.. but the texture was rubbery because there was nothing to them but pork.
The vegtables were decent, good combination of cucumber, apple (was it just me, or did they run out of apple and substitute mango?), mint, and cilantro. A bit finely choped, but it mashed well with the tiny bits of noodles to make it fork food.
Overall, the dish had the consistancy of baby food.
The third dish was the only one we liked, and now I can't even remember what it was called.. looked it up on their website.. Full Moon Wrap. letuce wraped around deep fried rice cakes and shrimp. The penut sauce was decent. A tasty bite or two.
Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention when the dishes were ordered, and we ended up with Bun Thit Nuong for our fourth dish. Same rubber-molded noodles and vegtables, but this time with shreded cooked beef.. A pound of MSG couldn't save this dish.
In the end.. $80 for four, and they had to substitute the sake we wanted.
Note 1:
This place attracts the worst kind of yuppies. All we heard was yap-yap-self-important-yap from the next table. We tried to be polite, but the term douchbag came up too many times.
Note 2:
You'd be better off going over to Food To Chau, or Pho Hoa less than a block away for about 1/4 the price.
I had heard that Xanh was just a wanna be Tamarine so I didn't expect much. Actually, I think I liked some of the dishes at Xanh better and the prices were much more to my liking as well. The decor is not as upscale as Tamarine, but I thought it was very modern and pleasant. The service was not fantastic, and some of the dishes were a little bland, but they were outweighed by the really tasty dishes.
Gas rating: 2
It's been a couple days since I went to Xanh but I have no clear memory of a lot of gas, but since there was garlic in the food, I know there was gas.
This is one of my favorite restaurants on Castro St. Being Vietnamese , I rarely find Vietnamese restaurants that I like or is even remotely as good as my mom's cooking. But I have to say that I'm very impressed with the ambiance, dish presentation, and the good food.
Their power lunches menu are great. You definitely get full and your money's worth. The first time I ordered bun thit nuong. I like how the waiter mixes it for you. And their nouc mam sauce is great. It's not too fishy for those of you who are sensitive to its distinctive and strong smell. A co-worker order shrimp clouds for appetizers and it was delicious. Never had anything like that before.
The second time I ate here I had their shaking beef. I thought it was going to be like the bo luc lac dish you find in your typical Vietnamese restaurant, but it was different. There's about 6-8 small strips of very tender beef on a bed of lightly dressed greens. Very good. I asked for a bowl of rice, but ended up not eating that much rice as the entree itself was pretty filling.
Their thai iced tea is decent and their lychee iced tea is pretty good. I was disappointed with their desserts. I would skip dessert here and go to Gelato Classico down the street.
Banana Flower Salad ($9)--- yummmmmmmm
Gotta tell you this place impressed me. I wasnt expecting too much the first time I went there, but man, the food knocked me for a loop. I thought it was much tastier than fare I've gotten at Tamarine or Three Seasons and the waitstaff is super nice. Food has stood up everytime I've gone. The best shaken beef I've had, and the rolls are all delicious. Seabass isnt all that great, I like the one they have a Straits Cafe much better, but it's decent.
I've been here twice -- once with three friends, and then by myself this weekend as an experiment in Dining While Single. Obviously, it's better to come to a place like this with a couple of friends because then you can try a lot more of their food; however, I am currently sans boyfriend, and sometimes you want something tasty and it's past 8 PM and your friends already ate dinner, so you go somewhere tasty by yourself. I actually don't mind eating dinner by myself, even though they do tend to seat you at the two-top near the bathrooms and the waitress brings you two glasses of water because she assumes you're waiting for someone.
Selection-wise, when dining by yourself a place like this that does some small plates is cool, because at least you can have more than one thing and not hideously overstuff yourself nor ridiculously overorder. I got the ahi tartare (had this one the first time I was here) and the kobe roll (didn't have this one the first time I was here, because some of my friends don't eat beef).
The ahi tartare is tasty, but I think it's definitely better suited to sharing amongst friends as an appetizer -- if you're trying to finish off a whole serving of it by yourself, your taste buds might get a little tired of the heat halfway through. (Mine did, but I'm a bit of a heat wuss.) Luckily, the leftovers lasted fine in the fridge until the next day.
The kobe roll was also good -- tender gingery beef, rice noodles, lettuce, and I think a bit of mint, all rolled up in a rice paper wrapper. I asked for no cilantro (hate the stuff) and they obliged me, but they also left out the carrots that were listed on the menu. So, although the roll was good, it occurred to me that what I was eating was basically a teeny bit of bulgoki beef on some rice noodles with lettuce, and that cost me $9. Hm.
I also ordered a peach juice, because I like peaches, but it was pretty clear once I got it that it was a warm Kern's peach nectar in a glass with ice, for $3.
The things I remember from our first visit were the catfish in a clay pot (really good), the shaking beef (also good, but way too big for just one person, so I couldn't order it this time), and the mellow yellow noodles. I found the noodles a little surprising that time -- when I saw "yellow noodles" I was thinking it would be an egg noodle stir-fry, like a mee goreng-type thing, but these were wide, flat yellow rice noodles, and the dish was basically a pad thai -- tasty, as pad thai often is, but not "wow."
Points off for their over-designed website with the "music on/off" button that doesn't actually turn the music off. Ahem.
So, good food but a few quirks. This averages out to three stars, but it's certainly a three stars I'd go back to every once in awhile.
3.25 Stars!!
I am a total advocate of fusion foods. However, fusion shouldn't = more $$$. Xanh is the perfect place for you to try if you're on the company dime or someone else's for that matter!
I took one of my star employees to lunch and we had to try since we weren't paying! We both agreed that the menu was very pricey and that we probably wouldn't be back on our own.
We tried the following:
Lychee Iced tea: A+ Yummy and refreshing served in a TALL glass. $2.25
Xanh Beef Salad: A Great flavors. Beef, Avocado, Mango and the dressing meshed well together. If I ever come back I will have this. It's HUGE and perfect for sharing. $11
Garlic Noodles with Jumbo Prawns: C+ The prawns were delicious, plump and flavorful. The garlic noodles were weird to me. They had a buttery flavor which I didn't expect. I was expecting more of a sesame oil taste. The parmesean was strange too. I am glad that they add it on the side so you aren't stuck with cheesy garlic noodles. $18
All in all it was a good lunch. The service was friendly and fast. The prices should be knocked down a bit to make it worth another try!
I went here tonight with a friend after a late day in the office... the following story is 100% true with no embellishment...
The following story has been edited down to be readable in one comfortable sitting... enjoy.
After reading through the menu, my friend and I picked out two appetizers, and two main plates... we were to share the appetizers. Both things were delicious! The Ahi Tuna rolls in rice paper were great, as were the potstickers. A great way to start the night -- also, the items were plated beautifully.
Then my main item came out, the Bun Thit Nuong w/ Pork. This too was plated just exquisitely... until the server told me that this dish is traditionally served mixed, she asked me if that'd be okay.. I said "sure". So she goes ahead and mixes the hell out of this gorgeous dish with two forks until it resembles something that looks like vomit.. mmmm
I figured, what the hell, this is how it should be served, it's going to get all mixed up in my stomach anyway... So I go take the first bite, and it tastes a bit odd -- not bad, just odd. At this point I have begun to completely ignore the conversation with my friend, because I'm too busy trying to figure out what this taste is... it seems so familiar... almost like something from my childhood (which would be impressive considering I haven't begun to eat Vietnamese food until as recently as a few years ago).
So I continue to pick at the pork until It hits me like a ton of bricks..
"FRUIT LOOPS" I exclaim! This pork tastes like fruit loops.
"Fruit loops?" my friend asks, like I've gone insane....
"Yes!! Fruit loops.. you have to try this.. I know I'm not going crazy!"
... so she takes a bite, and immediately she agrees.. okay, so now I have confirmation that someone else finds this noodle dish to be a cheap rip-off of our friendly colorful cereal with a toucan mascot named Sam.
A few minutes elapse, and out comes our very nice and attentive waitress.. "How's everything going" she asks..
"It's going we-" my friend begins until I abruptly interrupt --
"My food tastes like fruit loops... have you ever heard that before?"
"Your food tastes like fruit loops?" the server asks, like maybe I'm just a bit crazy...
"Yes! You have to try it.. I want you to try it.. you NEED to try it... quickly, go grab a knife so I can cut you off a piece"
the waitress looks at me like I'm definitely crazy, "you want me to try your food?" she asks.
"Yes, absolutely.. i'll cut you off a piece of the end, and I'll cut myself a piece next to it, so I can make sure we're tasting the same thing" I hand her a piece of the pork on the fork that was used to "mix" up my food..
"okay, but I have to hurry -- I don't want to get caught doing this" as she scopes out the scene for any dissenting manager-types.
"I understand" I say, as she quickly gulps down the piece of pork (like a champ might I add, never have I had had a waitress so cool, and willing to eat something off my plate, when in all justification I could be a complete nut job)
And immediately she knew, I wasn't crazy.. that pork tasted just like fruit loops...
For the rest of the evening we were able to make countless cereal jokes, and laugh whenever our eyes met.
I'll never forget my fruit loops pork or the waitress that tried them with me.
4 stars b/c service was awesome, decor was cool, and appetizers were great (as was my friend's dish). No 5th star because, well... it's just too weird to eat Vietnamese food that tastes like fruit loops.
If you happen to go to this place, and you happen to order this dish, please let me know if it tastes like fruit loops to you too.
Maybe it's me....it might be. Noooooo, it couldn't be little old me. Okay, it's me....I'm picky. I think I might be getting pickier in my crusty old age. I was looking for a Vietnamese restaurant to meet up with my bf and his sister and her other half. I found Xanh through Yelp and was prepared to have my socks knocked off, damn it if I didn't leave with both socks firmly in place.
I was the first to arrive and stood at the door for about 5 minutes before being sat or really talked to. And the server to table ratio is impressive for a smallish restaurant. When I was seated I sat there for about 10 minutes waiting to be acknowledged. I was craving a glass of wine and perhaps a glass of water however most servers kept buzzing around my table w/o even looking in my direction. Finally an adept male server noticed me dehydrating and promptly asked me if he could help quench my thirst....ah life blood. He didn't end up being our server, but I really appreciated that he took the time out to check in with me.
The other thing that was a little disturbing was how loud this restaurant is...it was hard to have a nice conversation without raising your voice.
I was pleased with the wine menu, both the glass of wine that I ordered and the bottle we had at the table were tasty, and the other ones that I recognized were a good representation all around. However that was what I was most impressed with. The food was mediocre. We tried quite a few of the dishes and I would probably only re-order 3 of the 8. Here's the breakdown:
Spicy ahi rolls---they were tasty fresh fish and veggies
Salmon on shrimp chips----it tasted like a Vienna sausage (not that I have had one in quite some time)
Crispy Shrimp Clouds--Tasty...chewy, tender, I would recommend
Crispy Potstickers---they were hearty, lots of filling, good dipping sauce**
Garlic Noodle---they were average, tasty but nothing special
Sea Bass---my favorite of the large dishes, it was tasty, tender, and flavorful
Pork ribs---greasy little meaty knuckles, the flavor wasn't anything special
fried calamari---nicely spiced, the jalepenos and fried onions were a nice touch, however the sauce on the side was bland
shaking beef---the meat nuggets were excellent, however the big piles of greens underneath should have been dressed better, it would have enhanced the dish
Spicy Chicken Curry----blah...BORING!
See what I mean, we really did try a large portion of the menu, I was hoping it was more like Bong-Su----either that or I just like my down and dirty Vietnamese.
**special note if anyone who works at the restaurant reads this....when asking for a spicy garlic/chili sauce or a siracha sauce a demi-tas spoon does NOT cut it. For those of who like to spice up our food that was enough for ummm....a bite of food.
One of the more upscale bring-a-date places on Castro St. Good quality for Mountain View. My Vietnamese friends love it--Xanh means "blue-green" and the decor is accordingly cool and modern, with slick meal presentations on frosted glass tableware. Make reservations; I had a 45-minute wait on a weekend night once.
My favorite dish is the crispy shrimp clouds, which are beautifully presented on a glass plate as soft rice cakes with a sliver of green apple and a sprig of mint--a great combination of flavors when dipped into the sauce. By far the crowd favorite is the shaking beef, it has tender cubes of filet mignon on a bed of arugula salad. The seasoning was a just a tad too peppery one time, but everyone I've eaten with at Xanh loves it. All the rolls are pretty much the same as you've had at your local pho place--I didn't find the Kobe rolls to be that special, but they come with tiny dots of very spicy red sauce.
Stick to the really Vietnamese food--the ahi tuna tartare, curry chicken, and catfish in a clay pot were all unimpressive (catfish was WAY overseasoned and salty), but I liked the bun thit nuong, which is arranged colorfully and then mixed tableside by your server. The garlic noodles were a good filler but one of the weirder "fusion" innovations. I like the fried onion bits that seem to be ubiquitously scattered on every single dish. They have a nice selection of iced fruit teas, and Vietnamese coffee is a novelty if you haven't had it (really strong with condensed milk).
Xanh, your website sound on/off button doesn't do anything! My guy friends say the waitresses are hot--they're dressed in black with studded Xanh belts. The male waiters? Meh.
Xanh really shows what a fusion place can be. For the appetizer, we ordered tuna tartare which was served in a martini glass using asian spices. The tuna wasn't amazing, but the spices gave it a delicious, unique flavor.
For an entree, I ordered the giant prawns. They were the size of Maine lobsters, no exaggeration, served on a bed of jalepenos. It was a huge dish, fairly priced, and quite delicious although difficult to extract the meat and mix with the spices and jalepenos.
Weak dessert selection and no liquor menu; I didn't see the wine list either.
Trendy atmosphere with attentive servers. Very busy on Saturday but we didn't feel rushed. I'd return, order the tartare again, but order a different entree.
Tasty Food, But, What's up with the Drink Prices?
Since some verbose and loquatious yelpsters must have covered just about everything on the Menu.
I will ask only "What's up with the drink prices?" $12 Dollars for a GLASS of Cinnabar Mercury Rising? Sure its a delicuous wine, but come on now. You can almost buy a bottle for that. A Sierra Nevada, also a delicious beverage should not cost $5.00 anywhere but an Airport, a Sports Stadium or a Concert Area.
Driving by the venue, we were pleasantly delighted with the facade of the restaurant. It is a swank sight to be seen. We were even happier to find ample free parking in the rear. Entering the restaurant the hostess greets us professionally, and accommodates our seating. The furniture, lighting and decor provide an Asian relaxed ambiance, trendy and alluring.
We ordered the signature Xanh Salad, Prawns with Garlic Noodles and Shaking Beef. Every entree was full of flavor, beautifully presented and delicious! Compliments of the owners, we received the spicy Crab Martini and Hazelnut dessert that was enticing.
Business is apparently well, by the time we left the restaurant at 8PM on a Tuesday- the place was packed. Bringing the kids there is ok, but I'd recommend it for a romantic dinner with your honey or a sophisticated night out with friends.
Great food + Ambiance *****
I have been living in Mountain View for awhile now and have been waiting for a really long time for a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant along the lines of a 3 Seasons or Tamarine to open on Castro Street. I have been to Xanh twice and I think it's a strong alternative to 3 Seasons but does not quite rise to the level of a Tamarine.
The decor, as many have noted, is shockingly hip for downtown Mountain View -- white walls with mirrors, a bright blue ceiling, and a general minimalist vibe. Service has been good both times I have gone and the overall dining experience was pleasant.
The food is very good, overall. The crispy calamari is different from your average fried calamari; the Xanh version features onions, chili, and other unique herbs and spices. I also had the fighting prawns, which were 5 large, langostino-sized prawns served over onions and chilis. The presentation was nice and the food was flavorful. Combine that with reasonable prices and I think this place could be a hit.
Sorry to hear that Sherri had such a bad experience. I am glad that I now have a viable alternative to Amarin when I am not in the mood for Thai.
We went there for dinner tonight and it was just alright. Nothing spectacular. Don't think that we will go back there anytime soon.
The good:
1. Misfit roll roll: soft-shelled crab w/ mango was very flavorful
2. Crab martini: crab meat w/ avocado (sorta like ceviche) on fried chips. Also very flavorful
The forgettable:
1. Tradition roll; it was just a mediocre traditional roll. The sauce was nothing special
2. Banana flower salad: chicken with fuji apple strips. Some of the chicken chunks were too big for the salad. Nothing spectacular.
3. Garlic noodles as a side: I am a fan of garlic noodles typically. However, the garlic noodles here seemed fried with cheese mixed in. Heavier than typical garlic noodles.
4. Sea bass: the sea bass was relatively bland. Did not stand out.
Inconvenient reservation system: for reservation, you call and leave a message. They will then call you back - if you leave a msg during lunch, they call you back that night. If you leave a msg at night, they call you back the next day. However, your reservation is not guaranteed until they call back to confirm. What a system! I called on Thursday night at 5:30PM and did not hear back from them until 3PM on Friday. If you want to coordinate with friends, this reservation system definitely does not work well.
My friend and I were indifferent about what to eat on a Wednesday night in downtown Mtn View. I really have come to not expect too much from the Castro Street drag.
While waiting for my friend to arrive, I was drawn to the blue lights of Xanh and wandered in the restaurant to read the menu. Turns out it was their grand opening and I was excited to try a new eatery.
The decor was typical IKEA fanfare and the customer service was eager to please. The place was packed of curious new clientele, family and friends of the owner.
We decided upon four dishes: the Xanh Salad, mellow yellow noodles, ahi tuna tartare and the shaking beef. The Xanh salad consisted of two types of meat, chicken and steak, I think the kitchen was tossing in everything. The presentation was not great, salad was 'artfully' placed in two large fried shrimp chips and not centered on the plate. The beef was marinated well and cooked to satisfaction. I've had shaking beef numerous times, and this time I was satisfied, but was not floored. I thought the beef was very similar to the salad we had just been served, b/c the shaking beef was also served on a bed of greens, which was very similar to a salad dish. The next dish that arrived were the noodles and they were very tasty, full of colorful veggies, and just the right amount of fire.
At this point we were both pretty full, but we were awaiting our last dish, which still had not come and seemed to be out of serving order. We brought this to our servers attention and also mentioned our bowl of rice had not come either, he took the two items off and took 15% off our bill, plus we had our choice of dessert on the house!
It was a spotty night, but hey, it was their first night, I'm willing to give it another go when they are more settled. Ana Mandera and Slated Door will always be tops for trendy vietnamese cuisine, but for 1/2 the price and 1/2 the commute-Xanh a close third.
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Update 5/20/06:
Service has been picked MANY notches. The newbie restaurant jitters have subsided and the dishes still retain all their former glory. The timeliness of the dishes are great. We called before going in last night at 10pm, they were going to close early, due to a lull in the evening, but they were happy to accommodate us. I was a little put off by the server not properly seating us, and talking to us with his mouth full of food, but hey, servers gotta eat, right?!?
On to the food, ordered the pepper beef $19 and the large shaking beef $22, large portions, cooked and marinated to please the buds. I love that their shaking beef comes atop a bed of mixed greens. All the dishes were fragrant, but not salty, and no grease! Everyone breathe...Cynthia is happy AGAIN.
I was surprised to find this place in Mountain View and not SF. The food was great, presentation great, and decor great! The only thing is that it is quite pricey...
Shaking beef: Nice tender cubes of beef on bed of mixed greens. Bit more meat would've been perfect
Full moon wraps: messy to eat, but delicious!
Pineapple spareribs: SO GOOD...comes in a huge pile
Banana wrapped sea bass: found the banana infusion a bit too strong. just ok
Various rolls: ok, not awesome. but not bad
Calamari: yum.
Reisling from NZ: just ok
Beautiful presentation of their dishes, cool and modern-looking dishware, and an enticing-looking menu. HOWEVER, all of that covers up and/or misleads how their food tastes. It's not authentic Vietnamese food. The problem with these kinds of Vietnamese-fusion restaurants is that they try to make their food visually appealing, yet always fail to please one's palate.
I can go to any other Vietnamese restaurant and have better "Mi Xao" than the one they serve here. Don't try to make it all pretty by twirling up the noodles and stuffing the middle with veggies, meat, and shrimp. I'm just going to destroy the small noodle mound anyway. Oh yes, it also tastes very "meh."
I can go to any other Vietnamese restaurant and have better "Buon Thit Nuong" than the one they serve here. First off, I find it very odd to eat this dish...well, on a dish. Buon Thit Nuong is meant to be eaten in a bowl!! Ya feel me, my Vietnamese peoples?! Once again, the noodles are "artfully" presented but this time compacted in a "fancy" bowl mold. The meat is lean...not slightly fatty and charred like it should supposed to be. A big thumbs down for that.
I can go to any other Vietnamese restaurant and find better Vietnamese food. Period.
Why 2 stars? One star for the somewhat cute waitresses that work here. And another star because I've only gone here during company lunches where it's expensed to the company. Free food rocks!!
UPDATE: the lemongrass chicken was good, mellow yellow noodles - just okay. my hubby was still hungry...so you can guess on the lunch portions.
**********************************
came here for lunch to celebrate a birthday. it's a nice, clean, lil place - very busy for lunch (i think everyone's been checking out this new place). the girls decided to get the power lunch ($12) which includes soup, a choice of starter and entree. my kobe roll was okay, and spicy curry chicken was decent. i ended up really enjoying the spicy and sour soup - it had a super spicy kick that i liked! i think i'm being generous with the 4 stars due to my lovely company which made it easier for me to dismiss the food-mix up and slow service. otherwise, i might have been a very unhappy camper! they made up for it when they brought out the hazelnut mousse cake for the b-day girl. oh my....THAT was GOOOD! i would probably go back and try some of their other dishes.
When my girlfriend said that she wanted to try this new Vietnamese restaurant that she read about on Yelp, I thought it would be another typical Pho night. To my suprise, we ended up in this hip, loud, Vietnamese fusion restaurant located in downtown Mountain View. We looked over the menu, we decided on:
Mellow Yellow Noodles - $12
Shaking Beef - $18
Xanh Crispy Shrimp Clouds - $10
Of the three dishes, I really enjoyed the Shaking Beef which was a bed of mixed lettuce topped with these deliciously marinated tender cubes of beef. The yellow noodles and Shrimp Clouds were not bad, just nothing special.
Would I come here again? Yes, maybe if someone else made the suggestion but it wouldn't be my choice.
We had a team lunch at Xanh today. I had wondered what this place was like. Now I have an idea. Good.
The food was tasty and the service excellent. I had shrimp and chicken satay dishes. The chicken was tender; the shrimp, a nice flavor. The spring rolls looked good and I believe my companions enjoyed them. I wasn't thrilled with the thai iced tea, but that could just be my body today. The 8th Wonder chocolate dessert was also yummy. A very good lunch.
The service was very good, quick, polite, and there when needed.
The space is small and could possibly get noisy, I suspect. But, we had a nice lunch that was still good once the place filled up.
I'll go back again.
OK, so it's not authentic Vietnamese, but you wouldn't walk in a place this "posh" expecting that, so it's a non-issue. What really impressed me about this place is the fact that they (1) take reservations very seriously and (2) when they asked if we'd mind being reseated to accommodate a large party, just a moment after we'd sat down -- they did so with the offer of dessert on the house, which wasn't entirely necessary, but much appreciated.
Our combined bill for a split of a roll, a huge beef salad, and the satay, was 30 plus tip and more than enough food. We loved the sorbet and chocolate box desserts, which are seven each, but were free for us!
We ate here last night and were very pleasantly surprised! I was a little worried when I saw the modern decor, but this is not just another trendy Vienamese restaurant, the food is really good! We tried the Deuce roll (pork and shrimp), Potstickers (do not miss these!), Shaking Beef, Chicken Curry, and Peppercorn Beef. The Shaking Beef and Peppercorn Beef were great, really flavorful with fresh vegetables. The Chicken Curry was good, especially with the Coconut Rice, but I've had better curries.
Everything is served family-style here, and the waitstaff was attentive and able to give good sake and food recommendations. The indoor dining room seemed a bit noisy, but the outdoor seating on Castro is pleasant. It's a bit pricey for a non-special-occassion dinner, but I think it's worth it to get this menu and this quality of food.
Yep, this is an outstanding place to eat in Mountain View - there was a lot to like about it. Service was exemplary.
We had:
- Buddha Boll: I'm not one for cold rolls so I didn't really dig this plate
- Xanh Shrimp Cakes: totally tasty!
- Bun Thit Nuong noodles: a delicious noodly treat (choice of sautéed beef, grilled pork or grilled shrimp | with rice noodles, sliced cucumber,sliced green apples, cilantro, mint, carrots, and crispy shallots | served with shrimp cracker, roasted peanuts, and nuoc cham vinaigrette). Do you now see why we ordered it? :)
- Shaking Beef: our waiter mentioned that this entree was the Xanh signature dish and for good reason - it was AWESOME! A must get.
- Pineapple Shortribs: if you like Korean Kalbi beef you are going to love this
- Spicy Curry Chicken: this entree did not disappoint either it was so flavorful
So if you're deciding to go - just go.
I didn't think the food was particular good, although nothing was bad. The service was... surprising. The waitress expected us to help clean the table on after each course! They wanted to change the paper on the table over the table cloth after our main dishes before dessert, which was really intrusive. It wasn't like there was anything on the paper table cover anyway, which made us feel really awkward. If they want to be high-end, they'll have to provide service to match. They seem sort of in-between to me - not quite high-end/high-scence & trying hard to be, yet missing a few marks.
As for the food, I much prefer stronger flavored Vietnamese food where the nuoc mam packs a flavor punch. If food is the objective, head to Nha Toi for Vietnamese food.
What a disappointment. The modern decor and interesting use of color and light promised so much more than what we actually ended up getting...which was bland, insipid food artistically presented on Asian-inspired stoneware. Do yourself a favor and spend your dollars on a much better meal at Amarin Thai across the street.
==============
Update: 03/30/06
Because people have asked, I'm adding what we ordered to my review. We had the crab and asparagus soup, shrimp and papaya salad, spicy ahi tuna roll and banana leaf sea bass. I don't want to go into details about how bad each dish was (the tuna roll being the only acceptable item from this list). Maybe the kitchen had an "off" night; the couple next to us left half their meal on the table.
The Best high end vietnamese in South Bay. "The Slanted Door of south bay" but easier to get into.
do NOT get the lemon grass chicken. it is like a stew, strange...
shaking beef is good, comes on salad
Grapefruit salad is actually Pomelo salad, generous servings. enough for 4 people...
great "exotic" drinks like grass jelly and salty lemonade.
One of the better contemporary/modern Vietnamese restaurants in the south bay. They suffer from the price/portion ratio that most restaurants like this fall under, but since they are in Mtn View, it's not as bad as most. Since I came here the first week they opened the service was supper attentive and friendly. It wasn't very crowded since they are new. Hopefully they keep this service up for the long run. The space itself is quite small so I think as they hit their stride it could be quite bustling.
We started with the smoked salmon and shrimp chips small plate which had a nice layering of textures and flavors. We then had:
Shaking Beef
Fighting Prawns
Pineapple Shortribs
Garlic Noodles
Everything we had was pretty solid but we felt that we could eaten more after we left. At the time they didn't have an alcohol license yet so once they get one it could definitely bump business up. I'm glad to see that Mountain View now has an interesting asian restaurant since it's loaded with mediocre ones. Hopefully as they get their flow, the menu will expand a bit. I'm looking forward for a return trip.
I went here for lunch today. Not too bad. A bit pricey for Vietnamese food but its more of a Vietnamese Fusion type restaurant. I had the lunch special which was $15 for catfish soup, a spring roll or salad, and an entree. I choose the buddha roll with shitake mushrooms, tofu, and all the regular veggies on a spring roll, and the Bun Thit Nuong which is noodle with clices of pork and lemongrass. I was very full at the end of meal but the others who ordered the fish clay pot and the lemongrass chicken (which has curry in it...i don't recall seeing that it mentioned it unless they gave us the curry chicken instead) didn't exactly feel full in the end and we were all females.
Here is their menu for you convenience ;)
http://www.xanhrestaur...
***Update 12/12/07***
Had lunch yesterday here and was not at all impressed. Moving from 4 stars to 2 stars. First of all, they don't have the lunch specials anymore. So lunch was even more expensive now. We shared the crab and asparagus soup, way too thick and salty. I ordered the Lucky Egg Noodle which was crispy fried noodles with some shrimp and veggies. The noodles tasted like they were fried yesterday and the sauce was TOO sweet. Basically the whole dish wasn't put together very well. It did look real nice tho. My co-worker ordered the Mellow Yellow noodles and there was nothing fantastic about that either but atleast it wasn't bad like my dish.
The 2 stars are purely for service which atleast was excellent!
We had a reservation for 8 at 9:15pm, but showed up with 9 people at 9:30. Considering the place is small, they were excellent at accommodating our needs. The place is hip and clean. Smooth techno piped in to stimulate the appetite.
The food was very good. The shaking beef and banana leaf sea bass were both killer. They are pricey but must haves. The spring rolls were OK, but the satay, both chicken and beef were very tasty. The only dud among the food were the garlic noodles, which were rather thick and not as much garlic as I'd like. I prefer the garlic noodles at Thanh Longh in SF.
The service was excellent, and prompt. It probably helped that we were a large table on a very cold late friday night where there were fewer diners than usual. It was great getting that attention. And they didn't rush us out the door at the end even though we were probably keeping them up. I think the owner came and thanked us as we walked out.
I haven't eaten at Slanted door, but I would say this may be on par with to that one on University ave in Palo Alto whose name escapes me right now.
The first thing I noticed about Xanh was the interior. It's a very cool atmosphere with green and blue lighting and good music playing at just the right volume.
The menu was reasonably large and offered lots of choices. The prices varied a bit, but it seemed like most entrees were in the $15-20 range.
I started off with the Vietnamese salty lemonade to drink, because salty lemonade just sounded so unique that I had to try it. The drink was very different, and I really enjoyed it.
As for food, I got catfish in a clay pot with a side of garlic noodles. The catfish was pretty good, although there wasn't as much of it as I expected. The garlic noodles were also pretty good. Overall, the food was good, but really nothing special.
The service was fantastic - everyone was super friendly and really took good care of me.
Overall, I'd say the prices here are kind of high for just fairly average food. The ambiance is really nice though, so if that's what you're into, you might want to visit Xanh.
Another excellent Vietnamese restaurant! The food is well prepared and beautifully presented, if a bit too sweet for my taste.
The wine list contains some decent choices for Asian food, including a 2005 Huia Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. I wish they would add some French Vouvray and Alsatian Riesling and Gewurztraminer to the list though to allow diners more choices.
Being a wino, I didn't look too carefully at the beer list - a mistake to be corrected at my next visit! ;-)
For appetizers, I would recommend the Green Mango Salad and Traditional Rolls, which were very well done. We orderded the Shaking Beef, Catfish Simmered in Clay Pot, and Prawns with Garlic Noodles. The Shaking Beef was meltingly tender and nicely marinaded. The Garlic Noodle was awesome - a bit past al dente but perfect for such a dish. I love al dente pasta as much as the next piggy gourmet/mand but for Asian noodle dishes, I prefer to have the noodle a bit more done. Anyway, all three dishes were well done and beautifully presented - a rarity for Vietnamese restaurants.
For desserts, we went with the Chocolate Mousse Bomb (?) and Jasmin tea.
The reason I didn't give Xanh five stars is because both of the Catfish and Shaking Beef entrees were a bit too sweet for my taste and didn't have enough of a fish sauce kick to them. IMHO, it was a bit too westernized for my taste buds.
And the owners and most of the wait staff actually speak Vietnamese and were a pleasure to talk to. However, I do wish that they would answer the phone during working hours instead of shuffling callers to a recorded message. It's a bit off-putting to try checking for a reservation only to get a pre-recorded message without any option to talk to a live person.
All in all, I would highly recommend this new addition to Castro Street in Mountain View.
I've been to Xanh a few times and have always left very satisfied. It's never one of the first places I think of in downtown MV but it's one of my favorites.
I highly recommend the shaking beef - tender and delicious. The grapefuit salad is also a really unique and wonderful choice; you have an entire grapefuit with a hole carved into it, and it's filled with shrimp, pieces of apple, and some noodles.
I wasn't a huge fan of the enchanted crab simply because it's literally a full crab and a TON of work for a relatively small amount of food, esp. for the price. But the wonderful desserts more than made up for it - they're displayed so elegantly with a variety of fruit glazes. Normally, I don't even like glazes, but here I was forced to throw my head back in laughter, while saying, "Well played, glazes. Well played, indeed."
It's definitely among the pricier places on Castro, but I think it's one of the most rewarding dining experiences.
Wow - an amazing surprise! This place has an ambiance similar to a restaurant in the city and the food was amazing!
Service was also excellent! It is a bit pricey compared to other restaurants on Castro (that's why there are only 4 instead of 5 stars) but is still worth it - make a point to go here if you are ever in Mountain View.
Mountain View, CA
Category: Vietnamese
Mountain View, CA
Category: Vietnamese
Mountain View, CA
Category: Italian
Mountain View, CA
Category: Vietnamese
Mountain View, CA
Category: Tapas Bars
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