B Star Bar serves Asian style comfort foods with flavors from Thailand, China, Burma, India and Japan. It is the sister restaurant of popular Burma Superstar Burmese restaurant and is located a couple blocks from it.

Decor, Vibe - Clean modern Asian oriented decor. Small bar area. Some families, couples, and mostly people in the 30’s and 40’s were dining.

Menu Pictures

Menu Cover

Appetizer, Soup, Salads Menu

Drink Menu

Dessert Menu

Picks:

Vegetarian Samusa Soup ($7, small) Burmese soup with flafals, lentils, cabbage, potatoes was delicious, especially the samusa. A little too many potatoes. Slightly spicy, not a lot of broth. Good quantity for even the small size order.

Pork and White Beans ($13.50) had tender braised pork belly with jasmine rice, white beans, and bok choy. The meat was delicious and not very fatty. The rice absorbed the meat juice and tasted very good. Not a lot of beans.

Grilled Calamari ($8) with cherry tomatoes, edamame, shallots, peanuts in a basil vinaigrette had chewy calamari, but very good greenish broth that goes well with rice.

Black Rice Pudding ($6.75) with coconut ice cream, cream, strawberries and sesame seeds had a big slab of very warm rice pudding. Very good ice cream and moist pudding made it a good balanced combination.

OK:

Portabello Veggie Fresh Spring Roll ($7.75) with tofu, basil, mint, cucumber, carrots and a very good peanut sauce. Without the sauce, the rolls were pretty tasteless. Good for vegetarians.

Wild Rice Salad ($9.50) Hijiki with pickled gobo, avocado, cilantro, cabbage, cucumbers, and pepitos with Grilled portabello mushrooms had a small amount of mushroom and lots of brown rice. Flavors were good and this dish was very healthy entree.

Mango Mojito ($7) was made with Soju and not vodka. A little on the weak side, but very fruity. Soju added a slight after taste.

Pans:
None

B Star Bar had very good service that was friendly and had no issues. The food is Asian fusion fare with good quantities and fresh ingredients.
Prices are reasonable make this an easy choice if you are nearby looking for a decent meal. Clementine across the street is also a very good restaurant.

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Tamarine is a popular Vietnamese contemporary restaurant in downtown Palo Alto on busy University Avenue. They focus on small plates and serve food family style. Tamerine features light, but flavor-intensive culinary delicacies of Vietnam. We have been here and to their sister restaurant Bong Su several times. We find the food pretty accessible with many items for mainstream palates.

Decor, Vibe - Very nice decor, lots of beautiful art from Vietnam. The place had lots of couples, small parties, people from a variety of age and ethnic groups.

Menu Pictures

Dinner Menu

Cocktail Menu

Sake Menu

Wine Menu

Dessert Menu

Dessert Wines

Tea and Coffee Menu

Picks:

Banh Mi Roti Pan fried wheat bread served with red Panang curry dipping sauce ($6) was very good. We ate it up very quickly.

Salt & Pepper Calamari Crisp calamari wok tossed w/ garlic & spring onions. Served w/ a cilantro emulsion ($12) was very delicious. Light batter, strong cilantro sauce made this a good starter.

Pineapple Sea Bass Whole fried Branzino filet served w/ a blackbean, ginger & roasted pineapple sauce ($27) is a popular dish with fresh fish that is deep fried to perfection. Good sweet and sourc flavors and a beautiful look.

Tamarine Mojito ($11) with Ten Cane Rum, Fresh Mango, Muddled mint & lime was filled with all these different flavors. Moderate strength.

Coconut Tapioca ($8) Coconut Milk Tapioca served with lemongrass-coconut & passion fruit sorbet drizzled with passion fruit caramel & pandan syrup was a lighter refreshing desert. Good combination of flavors.

OK:

Hoisin Lamb Chops Grilled w/ garlic & served w/ baby bok choy & sweet potato fries ($27) The lamb was a little overwhelmed by the hoisin sauce. No gaminess but not much distinct lamb flavor. Good quantities and yummy yam fries.

Sake Mushrooms Shiitake mushrooms wok fired in sake w/ sugar snap peas in a sesame oil & oyster sauce. ($10) has fresh mushrooms and crispy peas. Not too oily.

Coconut, vanilla, roasted coconut flakes Rice ($2.50) was an interesting combination. A good change of pace.

Pans:
None

Service was above average with the waiter and servers floating around constantly. This is one of the best restaurants on University ave and is an easy choice for those looking for fine Vietnamese cuisine. As with most other small plate places, you may order more than anticipated and your bill will reflect that. We have eaten their Tamarine Prawns and Shaking Beef several times in the past, and both are worth ordering.

Their sister restaurant:
Bong Su
311 Third St
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-536-5000

Website - Opentable

Red Lantern which serves home-style Southeast Asian cuisine, includes menu items from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and other countries in the region. The chef used to work at Betelnut in San Francisco. This restaurant is located near the new Century theater.

Decor, Vibe - The decoration and music help set the tone for a meal of Asian cuisine. Separate bar area and mezzanine. Families, couples, young people in their 20’s and 30’s were dining.

Menu Pictures

Website Menu

Picks:

Balinese Scallops ($11) Seared Day Boat Scallops Served Over Crispy Coconut Rice and Dressed with a Caramelized Shallot Reduction

Roti Prata ($5) was great and pretty cheap.

Penang Sate ($8) Chicken Skewers with Pickled Cabbage and Malaysian Peanut Sauce

Rangoon Clay Pot ($25) Fillet of Chilean Sea Bass, Oven Roasted in a Clay Pot with Wild Mushrooms, Leeks and Fermented Black Bean Relish was excellent

Mojito ($9) was potently strong. So was Singapore sling. ($10)

Nonya Bakmi ($10) Singaporean Wok-Tossed Egg Noodles with Curried Chicken, Bean Sprouts and Fresh Herbs

Tapioca with Coconut sorbet ($8) was delicious and looked great.

Putri nanas ($8) had some great warm pineapple upside down cake and equally good vanilla ice cream on top.

OK:

Adobong Pinoy ($11) Kurobuta Pork Short Ribs Glazed with Adobo Sauce and Stone-Cracked Black Peppercorns did not have the most tender meat. Sauce was too heavy.

Oseng Oseng Buncis ($11) Javanese Wok-Tossed Green Beans with Kaffir Lime and Palm Sugar Soy were an average dish. Vegetables are vegetables.

Pans:
None

Service was above average, our water was never low. Waiter was friendly. This is a good place to go before a movie.
The bill adds up quickly with all the small plates. We easily hit $40 a person. We would put this in the same category as Betelnut and Straits restaurant. Quality is tick below Straits restaurant.