We just moved to this area and had no groceries in our new fridge, so off to dinner we went. On Yelp recommendations we tried Elements Restaurant and it was a treat! In San Francisco, this place would have been packed with a line out the door on a Saturday night; in San Jose we were surprised to see most of the tables empty with the excess staff standing around. It really is a beautiful restaurant, I was a bit embarrassed we showed up in jeans until I saw people in shorts dining. Kids are very welcome and there are selections but there is no entertainment, so table manners are expected. We were seated and attended to immediately by no less than four people. We quickly ordered the vegetarian egg rolls (hot and delicious), the ravioli for my daughter, I chose Salmon Wellington and husband chose the Sea Bass. A warm bread basket was served and iced water. The ravioli were hand made as well as the tomato sauce, but my picky eater kid didn't like them. I loved my Salmon, my husband didn't like the Sea Bass as much as I did due to the heavy Asian infusion of flavors. With a generous tip, we paid less than $100 for all that food, top included - a real deal. We will be back again soon! read more

Elements Restaurant - Salmon Wellington - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

In my opinion an average quality food with fair service and reasonable prices overall.

I love Elements. The concept of French-Vietnamese fusion is so wonderful. I LOVE Vietnamese flavors and the incorporation of them into fusion food is executed very well at Elements! I love the ambiance of this restaurant as well. It's very intimate and modern. The service is very polite. I am also obsessed with the paintings that they display in this restaurant. They are very simple, but use vivid primary colors. I've asked the owner where he purchased them and he got them in Vietnam -___-. I really want them in my house! Haha. ANYWAY, I have never had a bad dish at this restaurant. Seriously, everything here is flavorful and very well prepared and I think the prices and portions are just right. Tea Smoked Duck ($17) - served with taro au gratin, spinach, and a cranberry reduction sauce. This is my absolute favorite dish. If you don't like sweet and savory flavor combinations, you might not like this. However, I love the mixture of berry / citrus with duck. The taro au gratin is also delicious. I absolutely love savory taro. I think they top it with a beurre blanc sauce which adds wonderful flavor. This is apparently a customer favorite. I order it every single time I dine here :X. Scallops and Prawns Cappellini ($16) - huge, succulent grilled prawns with tender scallops, served with a flavorful tomato and olive sauce. If you like Mediterranean-style seafood pasta, you will love this. Paella in a Clay Pot ($17?) - I am obsessed with Vietnamese food that comes in a claypot. It just gives the food a warm, hearty, earthy flavor that I love. This paella is absolutely chock full of mussels, clams, fish, prawns, and calamari. The paella is very moist with a good tomato flavor. As for other entrees we have had, the Salmon Wellington, Stuffed Porkloin, and rack of lamb are also amazing. They also serve daily specials. Last time I went, they had a roasted butternut squash soup, a crab and asparagus soup, and a lemongrass encrusted sea bass (omg... I should have ordered that)! For dessert, their mango panna cotta was excellent. Very creamy and flavorful! read more

After reading the Yelp reviews, I was hoping, for probably the 10th time, that they would be close to the truth. But alas, I was disappointed. The reviews in San Francisco are definitely in reality. Maybe I'm partial being born and raised there, but I also think S.F. is a city known for culinary excellence. Anyway, Elements was eh. Nothing was bad, and the service was great, so I'd give it 2 and a half stars for that. We ordered an appetizer of beef asparagus skewers, paella, and the salmon wellington (we went around Valentine's Day, and it was all a little too salty and overcooked. If you really want a yummy salmon-puff pastry dish, so to S.F. and go to B-Star on Clement and order the salmon curry potpie. It might be chicken now, but that dish is rich and flavorful and always hits the spot. read more

I ate here last night with my husband and it was a wonderful experience! From the outside you wouldn't know what a nice restaurant it is, but as soon as you walk in the door you are in a fine dining establishment! The prices are reasonable and they have a great wine selection! The flavors are delicious and plated beautifully. The menu changes often so there is always new dishes to try. The staff are very friendly and take wonderful care of their customers. We will definitely be eating here often! read more

People, let's keep it honest because this place is only average (at most). Don't order the Salmon Wellington, which is mostly raved about among reviewers. It's overcooked and too dry. Instead, try the tea-smoked duck as it was better prepared and tasty. Service was slow even on a non-busy evening. Utensils were not clean. I found cloudy specks on my knife and fork. read more

Im only giving the 2 stars cause I thought my waitress was a cute girl. I mean adorable.. Made reservation for 8 pm and took a while for us to be seated. Someone kept on coming up to ask us have we been helped. Uhh.. yeah but we're still not seated.. Sat down.. a waiter brings out peanuts and says sorry theres no more bread.. shouldn't have brought out the peanuts in my advice then.. Ordered the crabcakes and calamari Crabcakes.. ehh.. its really different from a regular one Calamari was alright.. I got the salmon Wellington BIGGGGG MISTAKE. The salmon was overcooked and didn't even taste right Tea smoked duck... it would've been perfect if the duck wasn't overcooked too. Ehhh.. I wouldnt try a kinda high end viet place anymore. I rather stick to home food Another star.. in the middle of typing this review. The waiter came by with a cake and said sorry for the wait. Thats cute read more

omg. this restaurant is such a neighborhood gem! we were very pleasantly surprised by this fusion restaurant. we didn't even know there was such a good restaurant in this small plaza where there's not much shops at all. it's so hidden no one would even know it was there if not for the great Yelp reviews from everyone. (thanks y'all!) I think all the returning customers r ppl who live in the area. there's plenty of parking in the plaza. the hostess n our waiter were nice n showed professionalism thru their manners. there's a small menu on each table which showed the specials. (dunno how often they change those.) our dishes came plated beautifully like those u would c in a 5 star restaurant. the prices r pretty great for the quality of food here. we will definitely return to try the other dishes next time! Complimentary bread n butter : this came warm n the baguette pieces were really good. he ate like 3 pieces! Tropical Shrimp Martini : so good. I could just order 2 of those for my entrée n b satisfied. the mango salsa was so yummy! I wanted more of it. Stuffed Chicken Breast w/ Yellow Curry : the black rice plus the chicken was very filling. the curry itself is mild not spicy. the veggies tasted fresh. Salmon Wellington : I had to order this cuz it looked like such a unique dish. I was glad I did. the puff pastry was crispy. don't expect the salmon to b cooked medium. (they only do well-done.) it still exceeded my expectations for a $20 entrée. there were mushrooms n also spinach inside the puff pastry n I even found a slice of zucchini inside the salmon. it's not King Salmon. I think it's Sock-Eye Salmon fillet. (looked kinda thin.) read more

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A cozy Asian fusion restaurant seemingly out of place in a random plaza south on the Almaden Expressway. Overall dining experience was good; the service was attentive, ambiance is dim lit and minimal with a good balance of artwork and decor. The restaurant is nowhere near pretentious since the decent prices reflect well portioned entrees. For appetizers, we started with grilled beef rolled over asparagus, a dish with crackers and crab meat, and the papaya salad. All tasty and fairly priced. These had much more of a Vietnamese influence in the taste than the entrees did. For entrees, our family had the garlic crusted salmon, steak, tea-smoked duck fillet, and the chicken pasta. I would call the food more comforting and hearty than gourmet, but it was definitely good. I was excited to try the duck, but it was served luke-warm and I couldn't really taste the tea flavor (too overpowered by the smokiness). The mashed taro with the duck was a nice savory sweet compliment though. Salmon had a nice baked crunch, but not much garlic power. Steak and pasta were your typical steak and pasta dishes, nothing amazing. Overall, a solid restaurant. It doesn't quite hit the mark as gourmet Asian fusion cuisine, but it works for a nice quiet evening if you happen to be in the area. Say, after a long exhaustive day shopping at Oakridge Mall. FYI, for those who rely heavily on Google maps or Yahoo Maps, the map takes you in the wrong direction for some reason. So just head south on the expressway when you exit off the 85. Look for the PW plaza. read more

Came here awhile ago and i must admit. .... I prefer hole-in-the-wall real vietnamese food. The asian fusion here is sub par, even though i did enjoy the fine dining experience with great service, id rather pay for good food my mouth enjoys than great service. The person who took me here raved about how phenomenal this place was, so i was expecting out of this world kind of food. I ordered the scallops and tiger prawns.... Meh. Didn't do much for my taste buds. Actually, it was more or less bland. The other diner ordered the duck plate and again, it wasnt really anything spectacular. If anything, id rather have plain ol chinese roasted duck. Yes, it may not be as tender as the plate served here, but at least its flavorful and delicious. the only thing i really enjoyed here were the crabcakes. And probably only because they were deep-fried and thats what gave it the taste. Or it couldve been the thai chili sauce provided as a dip to compliment them. .. Lol. The mussels in tamarind sauce appetizer was interesting. The sauce in itself was good, but i didnt think it particularly paired right with the mussels. Overall, id go elsewhere to get the most bang out of my buck if i was looking to spend $100+ for two people. read more

First, let's set the expectations correctly. Imagine, sleepy strip mall in quiet suburbia where typically chain-type restaurants and eateries abound. Now, unexpectedly, you stumble upon a fantastic find, a hidden gem. Great food, unpretentious service, good value, what more can you ask for? The food is a fusion of European bistro with an Asian flair. The tea-smoked duck with mashed taro on a bed of baby spinach is sublime and the pork tenderloin, divine. If you are looking for Gary Danko or Fleur-De-Lys, then maybe this is not your restaurant. But if your looking for something where you can just relax, have some good eats and it's not too far off your radar, then give this a go. read more

We enjoyed this place immensely. The food was expertly prepared, the menu offers many choices, the wine list is good, the service excellent, and the prices are very good, especially considering the high level of quality. My lovely frau and I started by splitting an appetizer of Grilled Beef on Asparagus Skewer. It was outstanding. The beef is wrapped around the asparagus spear (the asparagus acts as the skewer; there is no wooden stick to contend with), and it has a rice wrapper, tiny French fried onions sprinkled over the top, and is served with a sweet/sour sauce on the side that can be drizzled over it. We followed that with a Spinach and Green Apple Salad, which was fresh and beautifully arranged in our bowls. For our entrées, my frau had the Tea-Smoked Duck, and I had Salmon Wellington. We also ordered a bottle of Robert Talbott Logan Pinot Noir. Everything we ate was great. All the dishes were perfectly cooked, presented, seasoned, and timed. The place settings were modern, clean, and gorgeous. Servers were attentive, but not overly so. They were knowledgeable about the food, and even brought kitchen staff to our table to answer a question I had about the outstanding lemon beurre blanc sauce that they had used on the Salmon Wellington. Despite the location being in a storefront, the restaurant has a simple elegance and formality. It is obvious that the owners take pride in this restaurant. We will definitely return soon. read more

My wife and I had the privilege to come here for our 3rd anniversary and our experience was stunning. William was our waiter, and he was very polite and made us feel comfortable and at home. The setting was the perfect combination of romantic and classy. We sat in the left corner table against the wall in front of the bar. We felt like the ambiance of the evening lighting, the gorgeous watercolors, and the bamboo and cotton sails that section off this part of the restaurant made us feel like we were on a boat. Orders: Side: Signature Grilled Beef Asparagus Skewers $11.95 Beautifully presented and tastes even better than it looks. I would have been more than satisfied to just eat this and go home. It is an asparagus, wrapped in beef, wrapped in a rice noodle mesh, with a green onion that ties it all together. The top is sprinkled with fried garlic and it comes with thin slivers of carrot and other vegetables. Entree: Salmon Wellington $19.95 The most astonishing dish of the night. Every bite was pure joy. I don't know how they do it. The salmon is wrapped in a breaded lattice with red pepper, and spinach. The sauce is white and creamy and the whole dish rides on top of two baked asparagus. Entree: Tea Smoked Duck $19.95 Fabulous presentation. Homey pleasant and filling meal. The duck is shaved into rounds, which surround a cooked carrot slivers and spinach. On top is a square of sweet potato and tarro root topped with a fancy cheese and fried carrot slivers. It had a cinnamon apple flavor to it. It was beautiful and an exquisite combination of tastes. Desert: Mango Panacotta $8.50 It melts in your mouth. It's like eating a bite of heaven. It looks beautiful with the sauce designs and berries. Total after tax and gratuity $78. My wife and I came reasonably hungry, but we could not finish all our food. If I came here again, I would have ordered 2 or 3 dishes instead of 5 for us, which would have been enough food and kept the bill under $60. During the meal we wrote cards for each-other and shared a wonderful time of talking and laughing together. This was an experience of a lifetime. My wife and I will remember it for a long long time. read more

What an excellent welcome back!!! We had been to elements Via Valente deep in Almaden and are so excited they are closer on Camden! The filet, prawns, scallops and vegetables were very fresh and flavorful! However he chocolate bomba for dessert was my favorite!!!! read more

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Elements isn't exactly at the heart of San Jose so finding it was an onerous task. The lightning and thunder storms didn't help. When I arrived, the first thing I noticed was the incongruous decor. And don't get me wrong, some places pull it off. Here though, it looks like what I call, the bandage effect. What possibly started out as a modest joint slowly transformed into a convoluted attempt at classiness? Chairs and plate settings garnered a classic, humble vibe while fixtures were of modern design. Were upgrades/renovations made at one point....without considering a unified theme? I do like how low-key it is, but I've been to better adorned and respectively cheaper places. It wasn't all bad, there were positives.... Service was top-notch and our overall dinging experience was pleasant. I had the winter butternut squash soup. I loved the touch of cream and the hint of nutmeg. Traditional additives, but still YUM. The fried calamari is overdone in restaurants across the bay so I'm pretty picky, but Elements' was passable. I had the salmon wellington as my main. It satisfied my craving for fish, and even relieved some dismay I might have had about never tasting a real Wellington (it's usually made with beef). Delicious as it was, I passed it along to grumpy to finish. It sat atop a hollandaise-like sauce and bolstered with puff pastry. The beautiful assembly made my heart ache a little when I had to break it apart, but this was soon forgotten after consumption. Grumpy resorted to the seafood pealla which was more like jambalaya. Sad to say this was our least favorite. A little out of the way, but if I'm in the area I will definitely come back to try other entrées. read more

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Living in Almaden, you will notice there are hardly any restaurants worth noting...to find one that is excellent like "Elements" is rare. We ate here a month ago and I was pleasantly shocked. The food was absolutely fantastic and the service was excellent. My husband got the famous duck, I am not a big duck fan, but WOW! It was to die for. I had the file and it simply melted in my mouth...I swear. It was the best dinner out we had in months. This place is our little gem in Almaden. Finally we have a restaurant worth bragging about. IT IS FANTASTIC....a little gem. read more

This is NOT Vietnamese food. My cousin was craving Vietnamese food so I found this place on Yelp and brought a group of 10 here. There were 3 "Vietnamese" items on the menu! (Spring Rolls, Egg Rolls, and 5 Spice Stew). The rest were steaks, and ravioli... it was kind of a "whatever-i-can-cook" menu. Don't get me wrong... the food was good and it was cute inside, so I'd probably come back - just not for Vietnamese food. The sign outside says "Euro-Asian"... but its way more Euro than Asian. I ordered Pad Thai (which was bland as hell... and had no noodles in it). The kids had hamburgers and chicken tenders (yum). The adults had smoked duck (which was delicious!!), stuffed chicken (meh), new york strip, salmon, and lamb. Everybody seemed very happy with their meal but me. The crispy calamari was soooo good though. I probably could have just had that for dinner and have been a very happy girl. As far as the location goes... it does look like its in an odd location, but it is cute inside. At least you can find good parking. It's damn hot in there though (hello...??? Air conditioning please?) It's next to a wine bar ("unwined")... which has live music sometimes. The service was great. My fiance asked for fries instead of potatoes and the waiter suggested that the potatoes would go better with his salmon... but he brought him a side of fries (in addition to the potatoes on the plate) on the house. read more

Service was great and restaurant appeal was okay. While the food presentation was nice, I must say it didn't taste or smell as good (was rather tasteless and had no distinguishing aroma). We had the green mussels, Vietnamese-style crab cakes, tea-smoked duck breast, filet mignon, salmon wellington, paella, two mousse cakes (those were yummy) and a glass of champagne. It was $136! I don't mind paying good money for good food but this didn't qualify. By the way, after a fruit fly fell into my $8.50 glass of champagne, they only offered another half-glass but didn't ask if I even wanted it or comp me for the drink. I'm giving it two stars for the effort but lack of flavor and over-priced food. First and last time there. read more

I'm so lucky to have such fine dining close to home. The best cuisine from seafood to steaks. They know how to do it ,even the coffee is superb. Well done Elements hats off. read more

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Ate here on a Wednesday night for a friend's birthday. It seemed pretty slow on a week day, but I'm sure it picks up on the weekends. Really nice decor and inside (nice date spot). It's Vietnamese-European fusion, so it's a little bit on the pricier side in comparison to regular whole in the wall Viet joints. It reminds me of a fancier Chez Christina (in Milpitas). Young servers and mom and pop cooking in the kitchen feel to the restaurant. Ordered the Prawns and Scallops roughly ($18), my friends ordered the Salmon Wellington, Steak, and Salmon Burger. The scallops are nicely prepared and the green pea sauce complimented the dish very well. The prawns were a bit too firm for my preference. But I enjoyed my meal, as did my friends did with their meals. I'll most likely try the duck or Salmon Wellington next time. Overall, nice place to try Asian-European dishes. Nice decor inside. Service was good. Would eat here again in the future. read more

Elements is worth a try. It's a nice neighborhood restaurant that brings a new taste to south San Jose. A fusion restaurant with distinctive Vietnamese influences blended with American bistro fare does deliver some decent dishes. The best entree was the tea smoked duck which exuded a smokiness that balanced the duck's richness. The filet was tender as you would expect from a properly cooked steak and the scallops and prawns risotto was creamy. The wine list featured mostly California varietals and was reasonably priced. I thought that the service was attentive and friendly, but could use some refining. In general the decor was clean and modern, but there seemed to be some oversights. For some reason the chairs had spartan cushioning and made our two hour dinner unnecessarily uncomfortable. Overall, Elements has the potential to be quite good and with some tweaking of the menu and polishing up of the decor and service, it could become that neighborhood gem that others will make the drive for. read more

Have dined here twice now. I am always wowed by the presentation of their food. You wouldn't expect the dishes to look so nice, considering the price & the fact that this restaurant is in a pretty non-descript strip mall with not even a permanent sign! Although they do presentation well, there are certain items that I found quite excellent and certain items that didn't quite meet the bar. This past visit, we ordered Stuffed Porkloin in Homemmade apple sauce & New york steak with red wine peppercorn sauce. Both of these items were too dry, the pork especially. In addition, we ordered medium rare for my NY steak and it came out as medium. I did get to sample some of the Vegetarian wellington and that had a delicious pastry crust with some savory vegetables. Our entire party agreed that it was the best item of the night. One other note: Their complimentary bread is delicious! read more

We celebrated my mom's 50th birthday here tonight. It's location is not great, I think they would get more business if they were located near other restaurants. But that is Ok this is my new little secret restaurant. It is located in a quite shopping center way up Almaden Expressway. And as they say..."Don't judge a book by it's cover". It was a Tuesday night so my family and i had the restaurant all to ourselves. Talk about VIP!!! The service was magnificent!! The ambiance was great, with romantic lighting and soft music to enjoy. A great first date restaurant!! The food was delicious. I had the Chicken penne, it had a nice light flavor to it. My family also enjoyed their dishes. Which included... the burger, steak, and salmon!!! I suggest any of these. This also was my first time trying Vietnamese style crab cakes. YUMMM. A great place, they are very popular among Almaden residents. And fully booked for Valentine's dinner, that says a lot. I can't wait to go back! FYI: Corkage fee for our own bottle of wine was $15. read more

Last Time I checked the Periodical chart of "Elements" there was both Sodium (NA) & Cloride ( CL). Unfortunately the two Elements are missing in the Restaurant and in the subsequent dishes produced. Crunchy Viet Eggrolls: Bland and peppery Bland. I know Eggrolls are often dipped in a sweet chili sauce ( very sweet no chili) I don't like sweet sauce. There was no salt used in the pork vegetable medley, Only a musty old pepper taste on the back ground. Lemongrass Chicken Sautee: Bland Bland - oh and Bland. Chicken skewers were not marinated or seasoned. There was No LemonGrass! No salt detectable, only musty black pepper and peanut sauce that was baked in to the top of the portion. This same Sauce? is served on the side for dipping. Flavorless, no salt, no acid, just a watery faint peanut butter background ( 1/2 star) . The chicken was moist. The Pad Thai was more a Latin pasta dish than a representation of the dishes name. The spices were bizarre, more Latin with pieces of cumin seed, and again the bland - no salt - musty pepper element dominating. I know how to make this dish- there was no sweet, to acidity, and not typical flavors. We couldn't enjoy it or eat it even after salting it and adding some lime. Who ever in the Kitchen cooked the generous 12 ctn prawns should be made head chef, because the where sweet and delicious! We asked for Medium spicy. No chile peppers were used... just a ton of musty black pepper that stayed in our taste buds for 1 hour The whole experience was poor, and I can't imagine going back until I see a NA CL + sign on the Door. Otherwise more bland food With a very confused perspective. read more

This place is a dream. I have been here twice already and both times I have been amazed at their great service and friendly waiters. In one of the reviews they said they were really slow with their service especially with large parties but I did not noticed that at all. They actually waited for us as our party was gathering together. I had their steak and it was awesome. I really feel like there is no grounds for someone to compare their steak to Denny's is horribly misleading. I have had some good steak and theirs are delicious. Overall great service + great food = great night read more

Yes Folks! This is as good as it gets! Went there tonight with two of my teenagers. Showed up around 7pm and the place was very busy. We were given a table over to the side of the main dining area which I was not happy with at first but the serve staff went above and beyond to make us comfortable. Service was A+ and so was the dinner. We started off with the crispy Viet. egg rolls. They were very good and cooked just right. I ordered the smoked duck dish because a friend of mine has previously eaten here and said it was just awesome....well...IT WAS!!!! My daughter had the mixed raviolli. She claims these were the best she has ever had. The inside decor is romantic and a bit of a surprise. It's modern and pretty inside. I am planning on taking my husband here for date night next week! read more

If you promise to keep it a secret I will tell you about the best restaurant in San Jose! The location is best part! No one would suspect what a treat awaits inside! Most people living in Almaden don't venture to try because it is next to PW Market. The food ranges from daring and creative to comfort food, the meatloaf is like nothin your mom used to serve! My favorites, well everything is good but you must try the Lamb, so flavorful and tender, fillet minion, ditto, there is always a fresh fish and I mean fresh with a wonderful sauce that never smothers. Veg dishes, chicken, pasta and even Pad Thai. Appetizers and salads are again creative and the soup is fresh and comforting. IF you have room try the berries over ice cream. NOW the best part the prices are very reasonable and the wine list is expansive but not expensive. There is no pretence here just a friendly fabulous place for foodies. The staff tries so hard to be sure each experience is your best. read more

I took my mom and some relatives for dinner last Saturday. We were greeted promptly, and were shown to our table. The Server came in 5 mintues to take our order . We waited 90 mintues to get our food , we almost were ready to leave but then the food came . They served a few of us first then they brought the others later . I ordered the seafood with rice which was Ok , other people in our party were so hungry that they would have eaten anything . We asked for more bread and they told us that they were out of bread. How could a place that charges $25 a plate run out of bread? They never checked back to see how our food was. read more

Nice place with decent atmosphere and decent food. Wish the food came out slightly hotter, but otherwise was fine for a nice night out. Started with crab cake things and asparagus wrapped with beef. The asparagus was really cool and worth trying as it is wrapped quite cleverly. Rack of lamb was nice with some sort of citrus red sauce, but it was pricey so I probably would not get it again. Tea duck was also decent. Mango pannacotta was fine, but also a bit of the pricey end at $10. read more

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This was the first time that my boyfriend and I were going out for Valentine's Day and I wanted to find a restaurant that he would like. After yelping I found Elements. Since we're Vietnamese I wanted to try something different other than the traditional Vietnamese food that we normally eat. Our party size kept changing and Elements were very nice about changing the seating for us. Even to the day of, this was great. The yelpers were right about the outside décor. Eyes can be deceiving, but once you walk into the place it's a whole other story. The way the place was decorated was wonderful and different. The hostess welcomed us with a nice greeting and we were seated right away. It took a while for a waiter to come to us. This is one place that needs much improvement. Through out the whole meal we kept raising our hands for something, which isn't good. They need more experienced waiters & waitresses. They need to really understand what is being presented on the menu. They should also be able to suggest favorite dishes as well as wines. As I was reading the menu I noticed that there was no Valentine's menu. The waiter said they were behind and they weren't offering that menu anymore. It was only 730 pm. The food was average. We had the beef with asparagus, crab cakes, filet mignon, and the bake code. They didn't have the duck that everyone was mentioning, which was very disappointing. I wish they would take the food a bit more out of their comfort zone. For Vietnamese customers all we see is the same type of food just pricier. If they start to pull in more of the French side of things I might come back. read more

Nice, relaxing ambience. Beautiful colorful paintings caught my eye. Great decore, great set up. Menu was simple and not overwhelming. Staff was attentive and friendly. And of course the food: Salmon Wellington is a must have!!!! This salmon entree was wrapped with a delicious pastry with spinach and mushroom layered on top of a baked salmon, which was cooked to perfection and on the bottom was a light creamy sauce. I'll be coming back real soon. read more

Elements Restaurant - Salmon Wellington - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

An unassuming restaurant even without any sign outside in a largely deserted strip mall, you likely miss it if you aren't actively looking. But you definitely don't want to miss this hidden gem deep in Almaden valley. I came with high expectation, and I wasn't disappointed at all! The Tea smoked duck and the Salmon Wellington were perfect. The Mango Panna Cotta was so good that my 3 years old daughter, who is a very slow eater, obliterated it in 2 minutes. The price was also very reasonable. I probably would have to pay 2x for the same high quality of food in the city. Maybe the only disappointment was that the dumplings and the ahi tuna that I wanted to try were out, but I definitely will come back and try again. read more

Elements Restaurant - Tea smoked duck - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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I usually don't write reviews. But this restaurant kind of lost at the end of Almaden is just so good!!! I'm French therefore extremely picky. I chose the beef stew which was tasty but not salty, the beef was tender, the carrots were cooked for once! I still don't like raw green beans or any raw veggies that you find in restaurants. Don't even understand it...Anyway, the desserts were just delicious and the right portion! The waiters and the manager were very kind. We are talkative people and they didn't push us toward the exit like others but were super friendly even speaking some french words. Great diner, great place!!!! read more

Elements Restaurant - Vietnamese beef stew! Delicious! - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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The few times I came to this place, I have yet to be disappointed. Service is on point and food is delicious. I think my favorites was the mahi tuna and the salmon wellington. Surprisingly, each entree are huge. I like how each plate is prepared and decorated. I feel as if the plate could be easily 25 bucks at a SF restaurant or at Santana row but for 19 bucks?!?! thats pretty good for a wonderful plate of food that's easy on the eyes and yummy in my belly. lol read more

Elements Restaurant - theres a giant piece of salmon in that! - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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I'm revisiting all of my favorite places in and around San Jose before I move and my most recent visit to Elements made me wonder why I don't go here more frequently. It's a nicely decorated restaurant with excellent service and the food is always delicious. For an appetizer, I highly recommend the grilled beef on asparagus skewer. It is served with a sauce similar to what you get with bun at Vietnamese restaurants and is wrapped in vermicelli and is absolutely fantastic. I tend to order their seasonal specials. This weekend, it was their squash soup with cognac foam on top, spiced with a hint of cinammon and other herbs. One of the best cups of squash soup ever! (And I get it whenever it's available on a menu.) It is quiet elegance (though you can get away with wearing jeans here) with excellent food. They also have a large wine selection. I just happen to not drink much wine. But a plus for most others. Also have vegetarian options like vegetable wellington. Good stuff. read more

I have tried almost everything on the menu and been extremely pleased with each and every one. That includes entrées, appetizers, desserts, and even a couple of the local wines. I mean, seriously, this is probably the second or third place ever that I tipped the chef on top of the waitstaff. It is beautifully adorned on the inside (my five-year-old has even drawn pictures of it), yet they manage to be extremely patient and helpful to me and my little ones, who make a mess every time. No, it's not as cheap as Chipotle, but I do find it nutritionally balanced, convenient, and fairly quick. My official favorite restaurant. read more

Elements Restaurant - Mango panna cotta - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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After getting a bit lost, we finally found the restaurant, tucked in what looks like a ghetto plaza. It's located between a Karate place and a wine lounge. You will then see the words ELEMENT indicating what rather looks like an average hole in the wall restaurant. Fancy? I think not. You walk inside and you see interior decor of bright paintings and average decor. Fancy? I think not. It's basically your average Vietnamese place without the average cheap prices. We get seated down and my friend was impressed by the waiter who pulled out our chairs and gently placed the white napkin on our laps. Fancy? I think so. We started out with 2 glasses of red wine. I'm pretty sure the waiter gave us our wrong orders, but eh, what am I going to do? Say hey, you screwed up but I'm not sure if you really did? Anywho, we started out with the mussels appetizer and papaya salad. The other reviews were right. Every other mussel we had was dry, but overall, the savory of it was quite authentic. What else was authentic Vietnamese flavoring was the salad. 2 thumbs up. I ordered the duck and my friend ordered the filet. Both plates were cooked to perfection! The only other place I've had duck cooked deliciously was in the restaurant at the Four Season's Hotel in Palo Alto. This is where the Eurasion part of the restaurant came in because it definitely did not taste anything remotely to "authentic Vietnamese" food. The duck came with what looked like mashed potatoes but I found out it was a combination of figs and taro....It was sweet, and well, I liked it! The filet came with mashed potatoes and that was good too. For dessert, we ordered this vanilla icecream topped with mixed fruits marinated in Brandy. It was the perfect way to end the meal. Overall, the place was a great experience. My date and I were the only young Asian couples in there. Every other couple were in their 40s or 50s. It was definitely a romantic place to dine with your significant other. Oh, I subtracted a star because the noise from the wine bar could be heard over the side of the wall where we were sitting. That kind of got annoying after awhile! I'd probably come back again just to try other things on the menu. read more

What a cute little hole in the wall. Nestled in a slightly run down plaza in the heart of old town Almaden Valley, amidst a closed down PW Market (small chain grocery store) venue to the left, and a cute little wine bar to the right, Elements is one of those word of mouth kind of places. I agree with other yelpers about their food not being the best tasting but the presentation of each plate was colorful and beautifully crafted. The service is superb and everyone there is nothing but smiles. After talking to the server, he told me how the owner fell in love with the small town community away from the hustle and bustle of those commercial chain restaurants around the freeways. Indeed, aside from La Foret, Almaden Valley is lacking three and four star restaurants. Elements has established themselves comfortably in this small town since opening their doors six years ago. Their menu is well rounded with entrees ranging from a kids menu cheese burger ($7.50) to their famous tea smoked duck ($18.00). I sampled their prawns and scallops with risotto and pea puree. The pea risotto was a little gummy and not as creamy as I wanted but the prawns were cooked perfectly. If the scallops had been fresher and seared at a higher temperature, I think the dish would have been executed much better. The pea puree was sweet and delicious though and it paired really well with the spices of the prawns. The wine list is fairly extensive but if you can't find what you're looking for, there's a wine bar called Unwined next door where you can easily pick up a bottle at. I think the corkage fee is $15 so cheers to that! Best of luck Elements, I hope to see you again soon. read more

Decided to give one of our local neighborhood restaurants a try. Yelp reviews gave it 4 stars, and I liked the selection of their online menu. Reason for 2 stars: we waited for over an hour for our food with no explanation from our server. As a matter of fact, he only took our order and brought us our bill. He never came back to check on us. However, we drank plenty of water, as our water glasses were continually filled. Food was okay- nice presentation, but my salmon wellington was a little burnt and the seafood paella was mostly mussels among a couple of shrimp and some clams. Last but not least, we had two kids with us, and as they became listless from hunger and our stomach growls began to increase in volume, we asked for more bread only to be told that they were out. Word to the wise: try out new places, solo, instead of making it a family/friend affair. Since I chose the place, it was embarrassing and disappointing. If the service was considerably better and we were actually taken care of, I think it would have overshadowed the long wait and average food. read more

Delicious food, beautiful presentation and wonderful staff. The tea smoked duck breast is great and consistent, love the squash soup and beef/asparagus appetizers, and the desserts are works of art. read more