MenuPages

I just came from having dinner with some friends from out of town. I was looking forward to the meal because in the past it had always been excellent. Unfortunately, this place is not what it use to be! Two of us ordered shrimp dishes and they were both sub par. My yellow coconut curry dish was supposed to be mildly spicy...not only was it not spicy... it didn't have any flavor at all! It was lukewarm, there was hardly any sauce and the sticky rice did not have even a hint of coconut sweetness that I love. I was so disappointed and a little embarrassed for having raved about it to my friends.The only reason I didn't give the food one star was because the lemongrass organic chicken was the only dish that had flavor. But, it just comes with dipping sauce...no rice...no vegetables. Anyway, it really was not worth the trip to the east side from Harlem! Such a shame this once great restaurant has sunk so low.

I can only simply say it was one of the best restaurants I have been to in NYC. The atmosphere was posh and the prices appropriate for the surroundings. The service was impeccable. I would come here time and time again. I had the Colonial 28 and the waiter offered to mix it, but I wanted to taste each crumb :) When I mixed it myself after tasting every single item, I felt a sensational taste in my mouth! I would recommend to anyone looking for a sophisticated atmosphere and exotic tasting experience.

Great food, stylish interior, friendly service and well worth the rather $160 (inc tip tax). We had starters, the Colonial 28 and the steamed sea bass & the crispy whole red snapper saigon style for mains all very good, mains both fantastic. Sure you can get really good more authentic cheaper Vietnamese elsewhere, but then why would you be reading this review.

Hurried us through the meal while pushing us to increase the bill, asking no less than 10 times if we'd like another drink and interrupting us during our conversation to "suggest" we hurry up and start on our appetizers! To make it worse, they took my drink away when I wasn't even done yet! The Restaurant Week menu was not good, not the stuff on the main menu, and it was all cooked poorly. Don't bother, the decor is not nice enough to make up for overpriced food!

I went there on a date and our table was on the 2nd floor. The atmosphere up there was very intimate and cozy, an excellent place for a romantic date. With two appetizers and a meal for both of us, it was just enough food to leave us satisfied. The menu had a pretty good variety and the drinks (especially the blinis) are really tasty. The service was a little slow, but that would be my only complaint.

I thought the food here was excellent. The two of us ordered four appetizers: pho, spring rolls (cha gio), tuna salad (goi ca) and the spicy beef salad (goi ba), all of which were delicious, especially the tuna salad. The tuna was seared and seasoned perfectly. I do agree with the other reviews that the pho is very small. It is not meant to be a meal in itself, but nonetheless it was pretty good, on par with the pho I've had in South East Asia. We also ordered one roast chicken entree to share (the ga nuong xa), which was small but would have been enough for one person to eat. For dessert, we ordered the asian tartufo and the banana beignet, both of which were delightful. The bill for all of this (including tip) was about $90. Even though I thought it was expensive and not a good value, I would definitely return to try their other items, because everything I tried the first time was excellent. The service was quick and polite, although we did go around 6 p.m. on a Sunday evening, when the restaurant was practically empty. The waiter was also kind enough to tell us some of the secrets of making tasty pho (we make it at home now), and he kept our water glasses constantly filled. Overall, I really enjoyed the place and would recommend it.

My friend and I were starving at the idea of a good Phô (a traditional meal in Vietnam: beef noodle soup). When we entered in the restaurant, we felt like it was going to be a bad experience, no idea why, just a 6th sense I guess. When we orders, the waitress wasn't surprised and didn't warn us about our order: we ordered 2 Phô and a Spring Rool. When we saw the bowl of Phô arrived, we were a little bit shock by the size of that! They were like baby Phô... Like apetizer... We were so pissed off, not only because of the size, but also because the waitress didn't told us that it won't be enough. Well, I don't want to talk about it, for the price, we could have 2 big bowl of Phô each in a real vietnamese restaurant. This place is just overpriced and pretend to be a trendy place. Too bad, I am sure the chief don't want his skill to be waste like that in a place like this.