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

La Petite Camille is a fairly busy Vietnamese restaurant on El Camino Real in Millbrae. We ate next door and noticed how busy it was, so decided to try it sometime.

Decor is standard generic plain for an asian restaurant. Lots of families and couples were eating when we visited. This is pretty much a fast place for a meal.

Menu pics

Menu

Picks:
None

OK:

Raw Beef Salad ($8.95) with thin slices of beef seasoned with lemon, fish sauce, mint, onion, peanuts tasted ok.  Flavor was fair, not a lot of beef.  Lots of vegis.

Five Spice Chicken ($8.75) with tender roast chicken seasoned with five spices was a little better than average.  Little on the greasy side. Quantity was huge.

Vietnamese Crepe ($8.65) with rice flower, egg, chicken, and shrimp. Served with lettuce and fish sauce. It had a lots of egg and very little flour. Lots of bean sprouts. Even had some unexpected cornmeal.  Weird.

Noodle Add-ins

Seafood Noodle ($7.25) had good quantity and included fish cakes and shrimp but the included jalapenos made it way too hot.  Something we’ve never encountered at Vietnamese places. No need for the hot sauce.

Red Bean, Yellow Bean with Coconut Milk Drink ($2.75) was a pretty standard version of this Vietnamese classic drink. Tasted average.

Red Bean Ice Cream Drink ($3.25) was a pretty standard version of this Chinese classic drink but with mango ice cream. Tasted ok. Beans were too sweat.

Pans:
None

The service was terrible, never got a refill of tea or water, until we chased them down at the end of the meal.  Had to pull teeth to get the check.  Guy did not look like a happy camper.
Prices are reasonable, but not rock bottom. Quantity was high for most items. The pho place in Burlingame is a better bet value wise. Saigon-Cuisine-Shops-at-Tanforan is also better. There is nothing special about this place.

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Saigon Cuisine is located in the Shops at Tanforan Mall in San Bruno, right across from the Century movie theater on the 2nd floor.
We were looking for a quick bite before a movie and saw that this was one of the places that was a step up from the food court.

Decor, Vibe - Standard asian restaurant decor with assorted good luck charms. Patrons included the normal people you would see at a shopping mall.

Menu Pictures

Front of Menu

Noodles

Back of Menu

Specials on table

Appetizers & Salads

Yummy Drinks

Noodles & Rice

Beverages

Grill Platter & Rice

Picks:

19 . Rare Steak Noodle Soup ($7.95) came fast and had lots of noodles along with some delicous lightly cooked beef on top. Good broth.

52. Combo Green/Red Bean, Grass Jelly Mix Drink ($2.95) was one of the better renderings of this drink we have had. Beans were tender and not mushy. Too much ice though.

5. Deep Fried Calamari ($6.50) was crunch and hot. How can one not like something deep fried like this? Artery clogging.

OK:

39. Charbroiled Chicken w/Fried Egg over Rice ($6.95) had a good helping of chicken that was on the dry side. Lots of rice and a big fried egg. Good value.

25. Free Range Chicken Noodle Soup ($6.75) had broiled chicken on top of noodles, bean sprouts, carrots, lettuce. Good quantity of decent tasting noodles, meat was a little scarce.

Pans:

Service was a step up from fair, the place was small so the waiters could not hide. Food is decent but not gourmet quality. A definite step up from the fast food in the food court.
Saigon Cuisine has better food than some other vietnamese Pho places nearby in Millbrae.

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