We often find ourselves in a position where we spend $100 on a meal. Rarely however, do we find ourselves in a position where we spend $100 on a meal which is, by the most generous description, worth about $11.50. This scruffy little bistro in the back streets of the Old Town in Zurich, is by any measure, a thorough con.
We sat in a cramped area, at the tiniest table, next to a woman with two small dogs which smelled like large hairy dogs. I ordered a beer for $8.50; my wife ordered a cold sake for $11.50. We ordered spring rolls and summer rolls which were reasonably good. The pho which followed it was swill, at best, when compared to pho which we have eaten at Vietnamese restaurants around the globe. My wife's fried noodles were boiled. She asked for a glass of tap water after catching a stray morsel of food in her throat.
Then she asked for a second, cold sake. She was given hot sake which she refused and asked for it to be replaced with a cold product. So, someone in the bar decided the best way to make hot sake cold, was to throw in about half a ton of ice. So she had a cold, watery sake for $11.50...at least, that was according to the menu. When the bill arrived the sake had increased to $13.50 per glass...and the glass of tap water was billed at $4.50.
The waiter knew he had been caught trying to pad the bill and made a childish attempt to overcome the extra charge for the sake. But he insisted the glass of tap water (it was chlorinated for chrissake) was mineral water and cost $4.50.
My advice to anyone seeking Vietnamese food in Zurich, is to absolutely avoid this place. The food was ordinary, the service poor, the prices were exorbitant. If that's your deal, go for it. But if you object to blatant dishonesty, you need to avoid this place.
Rarely do I hammer a restaurant...usually, there is a fair reason why things don't go well. But when people try to thieve from me, I get decidedly angry and feel it my duty to warn others..
This is an awful restaurant. read more