I was given a menu at a nail salon and was excited to try this new Vietnamese restaurant. I have had Vietnamese food all over the US so I know what good Vietnamese is like. My first impression was that it did not know if it wanted to be a "fast food restaurant with a menu board and cashier taking orders at the counter or a sit-down restaurant. It was about 4:30-5:00PM and the cashier said she could take our order from the table. The seating was a little weird as there were a lot of 6 top tables but no that many 2 or 4 top tables. All the tables had the tall metal stands with numbers on them. It was eerily quiet, so we asked if there was any music. The waitress said she would check the iPad and turn it on, but it was so low you could hardly hear it. Also, they had the blinds open, so it was extremely bright in the restaurant which took away from the hanging lights as did the fluorescent lights from the counter and kitchen. I ordered egg rolls (A1) and asked for them as soon as possible. I also ordered Beef Steak, flank and Brisket Pho (P8) and my friend ordered Sizzling Beef Cubes w Rice (C3). The water came in a glass carafe with small metal cups, but my Thai Iced Tea and friends' soda came in plastic to-go cups which was weird. When my eggroll came in less than 2 minutes, I knew that was not a good sign and I was right. It was dry as a bone, and hard as a rock with no flavor. It tasted like it was cooked from frozen and left in a warmer to long. I told the waitress who said she was sorry but did not advise what she was going to do. A replacement did not come until the end of the meal with a to go box. It was not much better, but you could tell they actually fried it. Still no flavor. My friends food was lukewarm, greasy, fatty and grislily. She only took four bites, and it was so bad she sent it back, no replacement and it was not taken off bill. My Pho had limited meat or flavor and minimal vegetables in the vegetable tray on top. Another customer saw the cashier / waitress pulling the vegetables out of a cooler with no gloves and even said something. The bowl was an odd shape and difficult to eat out of with the traditional ceramic spoon. The bill came to a total of $64 with tip. Not the dining experience I was looking or hoping for. If they hope to stay in business in a town like Saint Joe MO, they will need to improve their ambiance, service and food quality. I wish them well but do not think I will be back. Go to Texas Roadhouse, 54th or Sakura (if you want Asian) for the same price or less. Also, the owner never came out once to apologize or ask how our meal was going. read more
