Justin, our server, really went above and beyond to help celebrate a birthday dinner. Would…read moredefinitely recommend.

COVID-19: Social distancing is not enforced at this establishment. Some of the staff wears a mask…read more All customers are not expected to wear a mask. It's optional now. The staff also wears gloves when handling food. There are some hand sanitizers available for customers to use. This place is available for take outs and has some indoor & outdoor seating available with limited capacity. They are not sanitizing in between customers. I mention these things in my reviews for the sake of protecting immunocompromised people like the elderly and people sick with cancer and other illnesses. COVID-19 Vaccination Proof: This establishment currently does not require proof of vaccination. While I was eating my food in this establishment several months ago, I asked if they had any special offers and they were offering some at the moment. They currently do have happy hour. They also do not allow pets in their establishment UNLESS it's a service animal. Parking: The parking lot for this establishment is located behind the restaurant at a local medical building parking lot. It's $1 each 9 minutes with a max of $13. Or you can try to find street parking and walk on over. Food: I ordered a Lychee Martini, Saigon Summer, Mamasan's Shrimp Cake Skewers, Truffle Wok Seared Noodles with Scallop, Slow-Drip Vietnamese Coffee Flan, and Banyan Tree Ice Cream. Before I started ordering, I was immediately given some house made complimentary shrimp chips. I loved how light and airy it was. It also had an amazing crunch. It tasted just like shrimps hahaha. My lychee martini was a crisp, refreshing cocktail that perfectly balances floral sweetness with tart acidity. Order this! The Saigon summer is a spicy, tropical blend of tequila, lime leaf liqueur, agave, butterfly pea infused triplum, and a Thai chili infusion. Not really up my alley, but I'm glad I was able to try it out. I think I dislike anything spicy and super bitter in my drinks. It just tasted odd. Mamasan's shrimp cake skewers features crispy, deep-fried shrimp cakes flavored with kaffir lime and lemongrass. It is served with skewers, charred pineapple, and a sweet garlic chili dip. Definitely get this. It was so crunchy, massive, and mouthwatering. The charred pineapple provided a sour yet sweet taste that helped off set the savory seafood / fishy taste in your mouth. The truffle wok seared noodles with scallop is a dish that combines savory, smoky flavor with luxurious truffle and tender scallops, which bridges the gap between classic Asian stir-fry and Italian comfort food. As a massive sucker for Italian food and all things truffle, this dish was my favorite. The al dente handmade egg noodles were wok-tossed in a rich black truffle sauce with delicious mushrooms, fresh Brussels sprout leaves, and perfectly seared scallops. I loved that I could taste the black truffles. The truffles added a nice rich, earthy, and highly savory flavor with prominent notes roasted nuts. GET THIS DISH!!!!! The slow-drip Vietnamese coffee flan is a silky, rich egg custard infused with bold phin-drip coffee and sweetened condensed milk. It offers a perfect balance of bitter roasted coffee and sweet creamy custard. This dish was super smooth, creamy, and delicious. I loved that Star Leaf added their own twist to this dish by putting a caramel golden cage on top of this already phenomenal tasting dessert. The caramel golden cage gave this flan a nice crunch. This dish wasn't too sweet for me. As a hater of super sweet things, this flan was just right. The banyan tree ice cream was a great way to end the meal. Super refreshing! I got two scoops of Thai tea ice cream and one scoop of the coconut ice cream. Both flavors were fantastic and tasted very creamy. Not too sweet, which is how I like it. Staff: The staff here are very attentive, friendly, welcoming, and polite. Elysha waited on me when I went. She was very attentive, informative, and personable. They accept both cash and credit cards. There is no credit card minimum.

The service was bombastic. Food was pristine. Seating choice was key. The ambiance was ambiancingread more

The food was great! loved the xiao long bao and the pan fried pork buns. the place was completely…read morefilled when we arrived but were sat within 5 minutes

Upscale French-Japanese fusion restaurant in South Pas. Menu changes every day, posted at 3:00 PM,…read morebut they usually keep a lot of the staples. Intimate vibe, service is super attentive and the staff are experts at what they do. Apps: - warm yellowtail carpaccio w/ ginger, shallots, mixed greens: zesty, fresh fish. - squash blossoms tempura filled with shrimp mousse and served with herb sauce: lightly fried, plump shrimp mousse - shiro's wonton ravioli filled with shrimp mousse and served with shiitake mushroom cream sauce: thin wonton wrappers filled with shrimp mousse, cream sauce was really flavorful and not heavy. Mains: - mary's chicken breast pan-roasted with bacon, scallion, natural au jus: juicy chicken breast!!! skin was crispy and expertly pan-seared. scallions were juicy and flavorful. favorite of the night. - whole sizzling catfish with house ponzo and cilantro: flaky and delicious. huge portion. Dessert: - Tiramisu: really really yummy, but not the best i've had. - Creme brulee: god-tier creme brulee. I don't even love creme brulee like that, and this almost brought me to tears. Please come to this establishment! The staff are so passionate about what they do, the food is amazing, the menu is curated with such care and love for food and seasonal ingredients. This place is an institution. There is no lack of flavor here, and you really get the sense that it's French/Japanese fusion rather than skewing too far one way or another like a lot of places do.

Tugged away in South Pasadena, a friend told me about Shiro a legacy contemporary French Japanese…read morerestaurant that's been serving delicious fine dining for over 40 years! The decor is very classy and elegant, soft lighting with background piano music but you can still have conversations. They have daily fixe menu specials for Thursdays as well as their regular menu. First timer so we had to try a variety of dishes to get a good feel of their cuisine. Wine and cocktail options: had the Shirotini which is a twist similar to a lemon drop. My friend had the pink crane which is bourbon based. Both cocktails were well balanced and tasty. Appetizers: Their famous ravioli: had very creamy sauce over 4 wobton skin ravioli with plump shrimp inside topped with shiitake mushrooms on top. It's a mini meal in itself! Also tried their grilled octopus, cooked perfectly with a nice crunch on the outside and soft on the inside. The main star was the fried catfish sitting in what tasted like a ponzu sauce and please is big enough to feed 4 people! Also had the scallops which were delicious but truly the catfish stole the show. *The main dishes come with a medley side dish of broccoli, carrots and scalloped potatoes. Dessert was the crepes with strawberries and glazed pecans for the filling. The wait staff was attentive but also the owners were there to check in with all the guests to ensure everything was top notch. Learned that the co-owners are best friends. The original owner/chef was Shiro and his niece is one of the co-owners while one of is staff became the other co-owner. What a unique story. Definitely happy to support a legacy business and hoping others will too from this review.

I decided to come here for a birthday celebration and ooo la la the ambiance really set the mood…read more Service was spectacularrr. I appreciated our server for constantly checking in. Now, let's get to the important part- the FOOD! -Garlic Prawns: 5/5 WOW chef's kiss. I got this because of all the positive reviews I saw on Yelp. I love love love how they left the shrimp's skin in the dish, where you could eat them like chips! They were not hard at all...and perfectly crisped! -Thai Steak Salad: 5/5 the steak MELTS in your mouth and was not chewy at all. I'm not sure how they were able to make the steak so soft and delicious. -Crying Tiger Lambchops: 5/5 I'm not a fan of lamb, but these lamb chop were deliciouso!! The sauced up lettuce side that it came with, complimented the lamb really well. -Nasi Goreng w/ Wagyu Ribeye Cap: 4/5 This Indonesian fried rice was good, but the Wagyu meat kind of tasted a bit odd, but maybe that's just me because my bf loved it. -Singaporean Chili Lobster: 3.5/5 I wasn't really a fan of this since the based flavor had such a strong tomato/ketchup taste... When I made the reservation, I politely requested if there was a way for them to make the bday celebration special, and I'm glad I wrote that because at the end of our meal, our server brought out a Pandan Crème Brulee: 5/5 !!! It was very delicious that we devoured it all! Overall I will def be back to try the oxtail dumplings that I saw people constantly ordering. Note, there is a 20% tip charge that automatically gets added to your check!

The food is pretty good and definitely unique compared to what is typically found in the SGV area…read more It's a mix of different southeast Asian cuisines together, with a Western twist. Portion sizes are great, and definitely filling. Service is a bit slow, and the food does take a while to come out.

I thought this restaurant was going to be similar to a lot of the other Chinese "bistros" or…read more"cafes" around this 626 area, but this one is really a step above, with more personable staff, with a longtime manager/owner who cares about the food and the customers. We had the seafood pasta which was very tasty. The sauce has plenty of flavor and kick, and there is a lot of fresh seafood provided, including mussels and shrimp. Also had the lamb chops, which is one of their most popular dishes, and I can see why. The lamb was cooked perfectly, soft juicy, super easy to eat. I loved that there was chimichurri sauce provided on the side and it went well with everything, including the mashed potatoes and vegetables. This is definitely worth a revisit for any future special occasions!

The food was above average. I could tell by the yelp photos that the chef might not be fully…read moreAmerican. Seeing the server and an Asian staff coming out from kitchen confirmed that the cooking wasn't fully American taste bud. But that is the reason why it hit me very well. Honestly, whether you have American or fusion or Asian taste bud, the taste quality is better than some average American restaurants. I tried the butter squash soup, lamp chop, and bow tie pasta with chicken. I was enjoying my soup and lamp chop a lot. The pasta was pleasant to me, but it wasn't exceptionally great compared to the lamp chop. My fiancé loved the pasta though, saying that the sauce wasn't overwhelming. It is not a cheap place to come for, but it is because the food and drinks (good white wine) have quality. The wait for the entrees was a little long, even though it wasn't that busy. I believe it was the chef spending time to make sure each dish was done well, unlike the busy restaurant where chefs only follow the restaurant's recipes to make it quick and easy. Lastly, the ambience was okay, but it was more an older fine dining/family owned style. It had some nostalgic vibe if you'd take it that way. Keep it up. I really hope it will be there forever long.

Is the best noodle I've ever had. Nd I'm a noodle fanatic…read more Thy serve northern part of China style noodle , specifically lanzhou (兰州拉面）and it comes with ur choice if variety of hand pulled noodles. And knife sliced (刀削） noodles The noodles are well made nd it's extremely tangy with amazing texture The broth is also well seasoned The dinning area is also clean and spacious Service was fast and thy will take the time to explain what each item comes with and the spicy levels of it Over all, 10 outta 10 mandatory to try when in the area

I had the beef noodle soup and it was pretty good. Generally, I cannot tell the difference between…read morefreshly made and regular noodles most of the time, but not here. I would describe the noodles tasting (not texture) kind of doughy, but in a good way. The broth was rich and enjoyable too. My only complaint is that they could add more meat, as it was only a few thin slices of beef. So even from just a nutrition perspective I would hesitate getting it again just because it's not nearly enough protein for a full meal in my opinion. Overall I enjoyed it though, I do recommend trying if you are into noodles

Not sure what is going on with Kue's. I noticed for a while that they've been closed. Stopped by…read moreand saw a note posted saying they'll be making some renovations, so only time will tell. We usually enjoy stopping by for the laid back vibe in the bar area and enjoy their happy hour drinks, small bites and friendly customer service from the bar staff. It was once again becoming a regular hang out spot like the old diner so I hope that don't stay closed for too long.

4 stars Kue's has…read morebeen open a little over 1 year ago and, today, my family and I got a chance to try this restaurant. I remember when it was the Diner on Main and, since then, the interior has been remodeled. The interior is comfortable, clean, and the lighting makes the place quite intimate. As for the food, I thought it was very well-seasoned without being too salty. These were the dishes we got: Chicken Salad ($28): A cold chicken salad with fried taro strips, pickled peppers, shredded carrots, cilantro, and sweet pickled onions. I thought this would be very bland, but it turned out to be my favorite dish because of how refreshing it is. The chicken is boiled like hainan chicken and seasoned with a light, tangy sauce. Everything went well together. 4.5/5 stars Orange Chicken ($18): This is a pretty typical orange chicken. I don't think it wow'd me, but I liked that it wasn't overly breaded. 4/5 stars Black Pepper Filet Mignon with Mushrooms ($25): I'm not a huge mushroom person, but I really liked the mushrooms here. It was a combo of oyster mushrooms and button mushrooms with cubed filet mignon. The beef was also really tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth. 4/5 stars Shrimp in XO sauce ($25): This dish was slightly spicier than I expected, but it was also pretty good. The size of the shrimp was huge and the vegetables were on point. It had snap peas, bell peppers, and mountain potato (aka Japanese mountain yam). 4/5 stars The service was very attentive and the owner of the restaurant was very kind. The owner helped us mix the chicken salad at the beginning of our meal and helped my mom cut her birthday cake at the end of the meal. 5/5 stars for service. I'll definitely be back to try other dishes.

Formerly Modan, Kontesu is probably one of the most ethically priced restaurants in the SGV. At a…read moretime when all restaurants seem to use inflation as justification for their inflated prices w out the quality to match, Kontesu proves that good food doesn't have to come with an outrageous bill. From their sub $20 generously portion unagi plate to their $9 appetizer, all with freshness and quality that rival the high end Japanese restaurants in the area, This place is a shining example that even in affluent neighborhood like South Pas, restaurant can still serve quality food at honest, reasonable prices. Honorable mention is their perfectly cooked soy marinated egg.. which most ramen shops charge $2.50-$3 per..Here it's $1.25! Part of me is worried Kontentsu might realize they're still stuck in affordable pre-covid pricing... Here's hoping they' don't!!

Came here twice and both times were very positive. Every ingredient is very fresh, and the flavors…read moreare neither under nor overwhelming. The stand out for me is the poke ramen. This was one of the most unique things I've tried at a Japanese restaurant. For $17, the portions are super generous - lots of fresh salmon and tuna, and not overfilled with lettuce fillers. I normally won't eat kale, but I'll eat this! The kale noodles were very similar to soba noodles, and the kale bits were crispy almost like nori. I enjoyed the sauce they used - a little sweet and nutty. I'd repurchase this without a doubt! I got the salmon lotus roll on my first visit because I love lotus chips, and so this one really intrigued me. The salmon on top was delicious and very tender. It might be one of the best salmon rolls I've had. The unagi in the don was also very tender that there was no need to chew. I haven't had much unagi in the past, but this is one of the better ones I've had. I've mainly had firmer ones, but I liked that this was very soft. Lastly, I tried the black tonkatsu ramen, and what I loved the most about this was generous amounts of the crunchy thin mushroom. This is one of my favorite ingredients in ramen other than the chashu and noodles. The broth isn't very thick or rich, and I think the amount of garlic in it was just right to be enjoyable. The noodles were cooked perfectly al dente. Overall, I've found this place to be a very enjoyable experience, and I'm excited to try more of their menu!