This restaurant is not your typical $10 pho Vietnamese kind of place (side note: can you believe how expensive pho is now?). This is a more upscale and modern Vietnamese restaurant.
I came here a few times and enjoyed all my meals here. This place is good for date nights, casual dinners, celebrations, or just any occasion where you want to eat good food. It’s a really popular spot in downtown San Mateo so I suggest you make a reservation. It’s a bit on the pricey side for me (my last meal was 6 dishes at $200), but the ingredients are super fresh and high quality.
Details
- Location: San Mateo
- Address: 313 S San Mateo Dr., San Mateo, CA 94401
- Restaurant Type: Vietnamese
- Price: $$$
- Ambience: Casual, Trendy, Classy
- Attire: Causal
Food
Pho Cuon
This starter was pretty good as a fairly light appetizer. I loved the sauce that it came with and wish I had saved it to eat with the rest of my meal.
Pho Cuon | Rib eye, fresh noodle roll
Banh Beo
These one biters were kind of fun to eat. The steam rice cakes were really soft and the toppings added a nice flavor and crunchy texture.
Banh Beo | Steamed rice cake, shrimp flake, fried pork fat & shallot
Banh Hoi Tom Cong
This was a good starter as it had a good variety of bites. There’s a little something for everyone – sweet (grilled pork sausage), savory (sugarcane shrimp), fried (imperial roll), and healthy (chicken – which we didn’t get), haha. There’s also vermicelli noodles underneath and fresh greens if you want to turn it into an actual meal instead of an appetizer.
Banh Hoi Tom Cong (3 Items) | Woven rice vermicelli noodles, grilled pork sausage, sugarcane shrimp, imperial roll
Banh Cuon
This was actually pretty light and refreshing. When you mix it together, it’s kind of like a noodle salad and the meats are really tasty as well.
Banh Cuon | House made rice noodle filled w/ pork, mushroom, grilled pork sausage and pork ham
Garlic Noodles
The garlic noodles are so simple, but so good! The noodles are a nice chewy texture with plenty of delicious garlic and butter flavor.
Side of garlic noodles
Suon Nuong Xa
I had these ribs twice because they’re so good! The ribs are so tender and so delicious that you can’t help but lick your fingers. I also love the block of coconut rice as it has a crispy texture.
Suon Nuong Xa | “24-hours marinated pork rib” broiled and grilled lemongrass sauce with coconut rice
Chim Cyt Chien Xa Ot
This wasn’t my first choice as my sister wanted this, but I actually really liked it. The quail was tender and the salt and pepper seasoning was so good! I also love the bed of veggies underneath and it was like a little salad.
Chim Cyt Chien Xa Ot | Salted & pepper garlic quail
Pho Tron
This was such a refreshing dish as it had a lot of vegetables so it was kind of like a noodle salad. The beef was also really tender and flavorful and it was a nice, not overly heavy dish.
Pho Tron | Wok tossed lemongrass, chili & tomatoes beef w/ fresh flat rice noodle (served dry)
Kho To Dat Biet
Everything in the clay pot was super flavorful and fresh and it had great flavors. The fish was cooked perfectly and it’s the perfect dish to eat with a side of rice.
Kho To Dat Biet | Caramelized fish, shrimp & pork belly claypot, side of vegetables for dipping, steam rice
Mien Xao Cua
I normally don’t care too much about cellophane noodles (another pick by the sister), but I really enjoyed this dish. The noodles were cooked well and the flavors were good. I also like the crab on top, which is probably why my sister wanted this dish in the first place (she loves seafood).
Mien Xao Cua | Wok tossed cellophane noodle w/ wild caught crab leg meat & claw
Ca Nuong Cuon Banh Trang
We ended one of our meals with a giant fried catfish! This was more than enough to feed a few people and it was kind of fun to make your own catfish wrap. The give you rice paper, lettuce and herbs, noodles and the fried fish so you can make a wrap (think spring roll). As much as I like things fried, it was too much fried to fish ratio for me. The fish was really good though as it was really fresh and cooked well. I really liked the sauce as well. Despite that I thought it was a little too fired, I really enjoyed this as the fish was really good and the lettuce and herbs were so fresh.
Ca Nuong Cuon Banh Trang | Whole giant crispy fried catfish, topped with onion, fried garlic & shallots wrap it yourself with rice paper, lettuce, fresh herbs, and house sauce
Overall
Overall, I would recommend this restaurant if you enjoy Vietnamese flavors and delicious food. It’s a good place to come for any occasion.
