Pretty tasty burgers with a good variety of burger choices (if you don't want a burger, you're in the wrong place!). I had a 1/3# ostrich burger with mushrooms, onions, and jack cheese, and it was pretty darned good. Semi-cafeteria style serving, and you can add your own condiments, which is nice. Noisy atmosphere when we were there, with many seniors, children, and vocal folks of all ages. Check your health concerns at the door - this isn't going to be good for you! I'd rate it higher, but its too expensive, especially since there's no table service (my burger was about $10!).

Better food than their competitors (Applebee's, Outback, etc). Enormous portions (much larger than is necessary or reasonable, actually), and some very tasty and creative cocktails. Nice cheesy safari-style decor. Usually pretty busy and loud, with a long wait on weekend evenings after about 7. Service has been pushy lately, which is annoying (I don't like being repeatedly asked if I'm sure I don't want appetizers, desserts, over-sized beers, and extra salads/fries on top of my already-2000+ calorie dinner, thank you very much!). Still, I find myself here entirely too often, since it's palatable to most folks, and open late.

Good meat, but sub-par side dishes. I had a too-large T-bone steak, which was very nicely cooked and tender, but overly salty and Sarah had a half rack of ribs which were also very tender. The service was overly-anxious but competent, and the decor decidedly on the cheesy western side of things (no surprise there). My caesar salad had an unwelcome flavor to it (perhaps it actually had raw eggs in it?) and the baked potato was pretty bland. The provided rolls with cinnamon butter tasted much more like a dessert than an pre-meal starch, and we passed on them after a bite each. On a fun note, every table gets a bucket of peanuts in the shell, and you're encouraged to throw the shells on the floor (don't try to go here barefoot!).

I hate sports bars in general, but the beer here is decent (especially the porter). The food is pretty good, but not wonderful, and a tad overpriced. The atmosphere is ... well ... sports bar. If you like sports, no doubt this would be a great place to be on game day since they have a bazillion screens. If you like (or can tolerate) the sports atmosphere, its definitely worth a visit for the suds-head.

Chinese:

Good and reasonably priced. The BBQ pork appetizer was a touch dry, but all was forgiven when the main entrees arrived. The Sweet & Sour Chicken was done very differently than I've seen it, but it was quite tasty. The chicken with plum sauce was also really good, as was the hot sauce beef and garlic chicken.

Good dim sum overall, but nothing really stood out as excellent for me. A bunch of us had lunch for Tet here. It is a typical tea house, with dim sum on carts that get wheeled around, and a large'ish and open dining hall. We were seated promptly (we did have a reservation since there were 6 of us) at a somewhat too-large table in the back.

It's a little hard for me to be very specific since it wasn't me that ordered most of the items, and I don't know what some of them are called. Of the ones I remember, the pork siu mai was average, the shrimp har gow was good, and the chicken feet (not a favorite of mine anyways) were overly greasy. A nice surprise was a salt-encrusted block of deep-fried tofu with a prawn on top - this was my favorite item of the meal, with a lovely crunchy breading, a nice tang of salt, and soothing soft tofu in the middle. The vegetables we ordered (chinese broccoli, I think) were unmemorable, but served nicely to offset the myriad greasy dumplings we all ate!

Prices are quite reasonable - we pigged out for about $12 per person. It definitely seems better than the Lucky Palace dim sum house it replaced in this location.

Good food, and a character of an owner. The orange crispy chicken is yummy, but the crispy chicken with special sauce wasn't quite to my taste. The North China Wonton Soup is delicious, in a salty brown broth with lots of yummy vegetables. Open later than most non-chain restaurants in Fremont. Decent ambience. Like Uncle Chong's, the lunch is cheap and fast, but suffers badly in comparison to the dinner entrees.

A visitor to this page recommended I try this place (thanks, Lily!) - I found it to be pretty tasty. Their spicy dishes actually had a modicum of heat (rare in a Chinese place!), and everything was well-flavored. The teriyaki chicken appetizer was nothing like I expected (I guess I'd never had Chinese-style teriyaki before - its nothing like Japanese teriyaki!), but pretty good. Our chicken entrees (spicy chicken and garlic chicken w/vegetables) were excellent. The service was lightning-fast (almost too much so - our entrees arrived about 1 minute on the heels of our appetizer!), but we didn't feel too rushed. Open on Mondays. Their lunch menu is extremely affordable, but the quality hasn't been as good as one might hope (dinners are a much better bet)

Decent dim sum fare, but, as usual for dim sum, heavy on the meat and grease and light on the vegetables. Prices were relatively reasonable at lunch - we escaped at $16/ea for 5 of us. One of the items (sorry, I have no idea what dim sum item names are!) was an unhappy mix of peanuts, meat, and an odd sauce, but everything else was pretty good, especially the baby octopus and a taro dish (a crispy web surrounding soft taro).

Update: closed, replaced by Mayflower, which is at least equally inexpensive, and tastier to boot, so no loss there.

Upscale Chinese restaurant. OK food, but pricey. There are better choices in the area, although at least the quality doesn't suffer at lunch.

So-so chinese food, on the bland, americanized side - not very necessary. They do, however, have a very reasonably-priced lunch menu at $5, which includes quite a lot of food for the money, so if you must go, I recommend lunch.

Pretty bland and uninteresting food. We had sizzling rice soup, potstickers, beef with bean sauce, and chicken with chili garlic sauce, and all of them were flavor-deficient. The chicken had an unwelcome sweet fruity taste to it as well. Bleah. It wouldn't be so bad if it was cheap, but it wasn't, with dinner for two with 1 beer each + tip being $40. At least the service was good.... They have 2 other locations - look on their website if you're interested (and you shouldn't be).

Horrible, greasy, un-fresh food - stay away! This is probably the worst Chinese food I've ever had. Very cheap, but still not worth it. Everything tasted like it was fried in the same week-old oil. Yuk. To add insult to injury, they moved into the space vacated by the excellent, but deceased, Le Sapin :(

Continental/French/Expensive:

Quaint restaurant in a converted house. Usual fare for upscale california eating, and well-executed. Really, really good homemade bread. If you're there near closing time you're likely to be given a loaf or two to take home. Excellent creme brulee. One of the waiters is quite a character. Reservations recommended. Note: the last time I was here was in early 2001 - I've heard that they've since changed hands, possibly twice, and lost some of their charm.... Too bad, if true

Standard expensive French restaurant. I've only been once; it was good food, but I thought it was overpriced. Atmosphere as one would expect.

Indian:

Vik's sets the standard for chaat (Indian snacks) by which I measure all others. Located in a warehouse with exactly zero ambience (high ceilings, bare walls, fluorescent lights), Vik's often has lines out the door for their excellent morsels. You order at the counter, and wait for them to call your name over a PA system (sometimes more than once, as dishes are set out as soon as they're done).

If you're not familiar with chaat, this is a good place to make its acquaintance (see their website, as it has decent descriptions and photos of some, but not all, of the menu items). Depending on what you order, there is a risk of getting several things that have very similar flavors, and the ordering station is not likely to be of any help there, as they're much too busy to spend time explaining things.

My favorite chaat item is the Dahi Batata Puri, delicate puri (crispy puffs) filled with potatoes, chickpeas, tamarind sauce and yogurt. A whirlwind of the brightest, freshest flavors explodes in your mouth as you bite into them. This is one of my favorite dishes of any cuisine, at any price, anywhere, but they must be eaten right away, before the puri gets soggy.

Another winner is the Samosa Cholle, a pair of large, crispy samosas (triangular vegetable-filled dumplings) and a bowl of deeply flavorful spicy chickpea chutney, easily enough for two to share. The samosas' fillings are spicy, rich, and very good!

Uttappam, sort of an Indian flatbread pizza, is also great here. It's batter with peppers and potatoes mixed in, quickly fried on both sides. The exterior is crispy while the interior remains soft and chewy. Sarah hadn't had this dish before, and enjoyed it a lot.

The Bhatura Chole is a wonder to behold. An enormous hollow puffy bread, easily 6+ inches in diameter, sits atop a bed of spicy garbanzo curry. You then tear off pieces of the bread to scoop up the tasty stew below. Watching other people's orders go by, one quickly learns this is a very popular item, and with good reason - it's a delight to see and to eat!

On our most recent visit we took home a box of their assorted baked desserts to see what they were like. They were ... odd ... to our tastes. Although colorful, most items had a similar crumbly doughy consistencey and were very sweet. Not really to my liking, but I haven't really developed the taste for many Indian dessert dishes.

Some will undoubtedly be put off by the spare surroundings and the complete lack of service, but the food is out of this world good, attested to by the sometimes lenghty lines. Prices are reasonable as well, with few dishes over $5, although it does add up a bit, since you'll want perhaps 3 dishes plus drinks for two people.

Superb South Indian cuisine in quite pleasant decor. The best naan I've ever had, wonderful Kola Urundai (deep fried meatballs w/mint chutney), and Chicken Kuruma (chicken in coconut stew). I've never been to southern India (nor anywhere else in India), but the food struck me as very authentic. All dishes I've tried were well-flavored, fresh-tasting, and seemed much healthier than the usual Indian fare. The mutton biryani rice was tasty, but had too many bones in the meat, though (I don't like bones in my food!). The chicken Kheema Dosa (minced chicken masala in rice flour crepe) wasn't at all what we were expecting (it was served in one huge crepe), but it was good. I also enjoyed the Chicken Chettinad (an "aromatic south Indian speciality"), and the shrimp curry. In short, everything I've had has been very good to amazingly good. Their food is hotter than most other Indian restaurants I've been to, even if you ask for it mild, so be warned (I think its great, though!). I haven't yet tried their lunch buffet, as I prefer to order off of the menu. A million thanks to Lily for suggesting I try this place - wow! A visitor to this page warned me away from the fish curry, however.

Update 08/06/03: Gone, replaced by a very unnecessary Banh Thai II :( (The Banh Thai II has since been replaced by a Chinese/American cafe)

Excellent food at very reasonable prices. The catch? The service and decor are nearly non-existent. If you go there expecting a cafeteria-style dive, and already have a liking of Indian food, you'll probably really enjoy this. Sarah and I had Seekh Kabab Mughlai ($2.00 - two skewers of ground beef kabob), Murgh Korma Shahi ($5.95, chicken curry) and garlic naan ($2.50). Everything tasted just great. The kebabs were spicy and still juicy, the chicken was very tender and served in a wonderful curry sauce, and the naan was one of the best I've had. Given that we were in and out in about half an hour for only $13.50 for dinner for two, I recommend it! Accepting cash only (at least at the Fremont location).

Good north and south Indian cuisine, and a rather large menu, including a few chaat (snack) items. The chicken vindaloo was delightfully spicy (as it should be!), and the savera chicken (in a reddish bell pepper sauce) was tasty as well. Better than average naan too. The waiter didn't seem to believe that my non-Indian lunch companion and I would really like chaat or want spicy food, but after convincing him that we indeed did, the service was fine. The lunch buffet is also above-average, with a nice heat to many items, and some deviations from the usual Indian buffet offerings. I don't know how Savera stays in business, as it's nearly (or completely) empty every time I'm there, but I'm glad they do. I also don't know _why_ it's so infrequently patronized, as it's one of the better Indian places in the tri-city area, IMHO.

Tasty, affordable food and a large menu of wraps, chaat (snacks), and entrees. They're also open much later than any non-chain I know of in Fremont (until 11 on weekdays, midnight on Fri & Sat). Khanh and I had fried potato cakes and lamb samusas, both of which were delicious. A puffy spicy rice snack dish (whose name escapes me - something poori) was good, but there was too much of it. The boneless chicken tandoori lightly flavored, but perfectly cooked, and the naan was garlicy - yum! They accept cash only, so be prepared.

Enjoyable place overall. They've always been playing a Bollywood movie on a screen in the middle of the restaurant when I've been there. Enormous lunch buffet, an extensive dinner menu (I'm not sure they still have this, as the past several times I've been there for dinner, they've just had the buffet), reasonable prices ($9 for the huge lunch buffet, $10-13 for dinner entrees), and tasty food.

Very good Pakistani-Indian cuisine (although at least at the lunch buffet, everything but the rice was clearly Indian). Lunch is under $7 and includes very tasty naan. Especially tasty were the okra dish and the dal masala. I've not been there for dinner yet, but their menu looked good, and everything was very reasonably priced. Service was very friendly and attentive.

Update 01/29/04: Closed - replaced by Lahore Garden, which, although similar food, is not nearly as good :(

Tasty chicken vindaloo ($6) on my visit, and pretty good naan, although the garlic naan ($1.50) seemed like it was just normal naan with garlic dumped on top, rather than cooked in or stuffed. The mango lassi ($2) was average, neither good nor bad, but for the prices, it's a good value overall (nothing is more than $7 and most items are less). Decor and service are cafeteria-style, with no table service and very generic decor. Still worth checking out if you're in the area, although they're certainly not without plenty of competition in this cuisine and area!

Tasty snacky foods in a cafe atmosphere. Especially good were the papri chaat and the samosa. Serving sizes were above average, on par with the prices, which, although not unreasonable, were a bit higher than the norm for chaat.

Good south Indian vegetarian fare. The onion masala dosa was very tasty, with delicious potato filling near the middle, and the thali provided a nice overview of what's available. Everything was fresh tasting and brightly-flavored, and many dishes had a nice slow burn to them. Their uttappams looked very enticing as well - maybe next time I'm there. The thali included a particularly wonderful spicy mushroom dish. The decor is understated, but pretty, and the service was good. A reader of this page went there recently (April 2004) and said they've changed hands and the quality was terrible. Oh well, Saravana Bhavan is much better anyways....

Haven't been here for dinner yet, but the lunch buffet for $9 is good - comparable in size and quality to Bombay Garden, with similar dishes.

Note: as of mid-August 2005, I have been informed that they've closed

I've been here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner, and it was good both times. Very large restaurant, and its been virtually deserted both times I was there - I wonder how they stay in business?

OK indo-pac food. Replaced the tasty Curry Palace, but isn't at all as flavorful. The naan was pretty good, and the dishes competent, but overall, it's not too exciting. Too bad - Curry Palace was fast and tasty. Hopefully we just dined on an off day or something....

OK South Indian vegetarian fare. Be warned that they accept cash only. I had the lunch special thali and it was alright, although I didn't get much in the way of sauces for my papadum and bread - mainly several dal-like soups and a vegetable concoction. A decent value, with the lunch specials being $5.95. Atmosphere a bit sterile, and service was somewhat indifferent, but passable.

Cheap buffet lunch. Not a huge selection of buffet items, but they're all okay, and the price is right.

Update 06/16/03: Gone, replaced by Mr. Tofu House Korean BBQ

Italian/Pizza:

Very good Italian food for quite reasonable prices. The picata is very good, as is the mushroom cap appetizer. A special, which they've had every time I've been there, is chicken, stuffed with asparagus and pancetta - yum! Best tiramisu ever! Cozy atmosphere, usually with too-loud opera music. Reservations aren't a bad idea, at least on a weekend evening.

Great food, and reasonable lunch prices (I haven't been there for dinner yet, but its much more expensive, around $20 a plate). I had a linguini with red sauce and mussels and it was delicious. The salmon carpaccio was a bit too lemon'y, but some capers balanced that out. Their tiramisu isn't quite as good as Il Porcino's, but its quite tasty. Nice little restaurant that you would never, ever find unless you were specifically looking for it. Friendly staff and quaint decor. Don't go here if you're in a hurry for lunch, though - there is only one (very friendly!) chef at lunchtime, so things took their time. Thanks to Sun for recommending this place!

Yummy food for very reasonable prices. The gemeli with smoked chicken and sundried tomatoes was tasty, as was the cheesecake. A great value - few items are over $10. Depending on location, they can be somewhat crowded during peak hours. Not much for ambiance or romance, but well above-par for chain food.

Very average pizza. Nothing really wrong with it, but nothing to really recommend it either. Be aware that if you order a garlic topping, you get a LOT of garlic!

I wish this place was better, since its just around the corner from me, but alas, its pretty bad. My New York steak was bland and chewy, the mashed potatoes flavorless and the squash overly buttery. Sarah's salad was a loooong ways past fresh (picture discolored and wilting leaves), and Christina described her spaghetti sauce as "tired" and the decor as "yogurt store." At least the service was cheery and attentive....

Japanese:

Great shashimi lunch plate ($15.50), with a large assortment of delicious raw fish (the day I was here, it included squid, octopus, halibut, smoked raw salmon, tuna, scallop, and snapper!). Strong miso soup (the way I like it), tasty green tea, and good nigiri. It's not an easy place to find, but well worth it. It's very, very small, maybe 8 tables, so I advise getting there on the earlier side of lunch or dinner.

Good sushi at very reasonable prices. I had a deluxe sushi lunch plate ($12), which overflowed with 7 pieces of tasty nigiri and an octet of tuna rolls. The miso soup was nice and strong, and edamame is freely provided.

Pretty good sushi & sashimi. They were playing too-loud covers of 70s hits both times when we were there for lunch. Much wider selection of fish than lots of places. The bass nigiri was tasty, but the miso soup was a little on the bland side. Decent bento boxes for lunch. The seasoned beef & sashimi was a good mix. Reasonably priced overall.

So-so raw fish/sushi, but decent bento lunch boxes. The sushi boat bar is usually filled with fairly unimaginative stuff (westerner-friendly maki with an emphasis on Krab (note the 'K') and very little nigiri other than the occasional unagi). Service is hit or miss depending on how short staffed and crowded the place is. Sometimes they have only two or three waitresses serving the large'ish restaurant and when that's the case, things can take a very long time. Decor is okay. If you go, go for the bento boxes.

OK raw fish, but not great. Mirugai nigiri was pretty good, and the cooked food was tasty, but I don't go to sushi places seeking cooked meat... Atmosphere isn't bad, and they're actually open on Mondays. Too bad the fish looked better than it tasted... If you want non-sushi/sashimi dishes, they have a good selection, and the teriyaki was tasty. Their sushi/sashimi suffers badly in comparison with the higher-rated places above, though.

Korean:

Very good! The spicy pork BBQ was tasty, and the condiments were multitudinous and consistently delicious. Delightfully spicy kimchee. The kimchee beef soft tofu pot (served with a raw egg that cooks in the sizzling broth) is fantastic (but don't get the combo that's a tofu pot with a BBQ - its too much food unless you're sharing) - I rarely order anything else. They have a large menu of tofu dishes, Korean BBQ, fire pots, and other entrees. The restaurant changed hands around March 2003, but the quality is unchanged (although my favorite server is gone).

Good fresh-tasting fare with friendly service on our one lunch visit. I had the Kim Chi Dol Sot Pob ($10.99, beef & kimchi over rice in a stone pot), which proved waaaaay too large for lunch (it would easily serve two), but was well-seasoned, if not particularly spicy (I asked for it extra-hot). The side dishes were excellent, particularly the anchovies, kimchee and spicy squid. I'll definitely return and check out their other offerings.

Replacing the so-so Surya Indian buffet, Mr. Tofu House has solid food, and its convenient to my work. I had a lunch combo with a kimchee beef tofu hotpot and BBQ chicken. The hotpot was good, although Lee's is better by far. The chicken was pretty tasty, but overly salty. Nice assortment of very fresh-tasting side dishes, and friendly service. Alas, my "hot, *really hot*" soup proved to be only mildly spicy. The lunch specials are a good value, although you only get a couple of side dishes.

Good BBQ, lots of yummy condiments, reasonable prices, and large portions. Good lunch buffet (especially if you're a vegetarian - there are only a couple of meat dishes). Go for dinner and have the spicy chicken BBQ - its excellent! The BBQ beef is very good, but a little fatty.

Mediterranean/Middle Eastern/Greek/Moroccan:

Voted the best Mediterranean food in the Tri-City area for 2002 and 2003, and not without reason. Yummy shawarma, and baba ghanouj. Decent falafel as well. Inexpensive, semi-fast-food. Extensive menu of delicious pressed panini sandwiches, kabobs, falafel, tabbouleh, dolmas, etc. Sharwarma specialty plate was excellent, with delicious chicken atop a bed of hummus, garlic spread, and choice of two sides (I had tabbouleh and baba ghanouj, both of which were great). My favorite though is the sojouk (spicy sausage) panini sandwich with a side of baba - mmmmmm....

Note:As of late 2004 they've moved from their prior location at the Fremont Hub to, I'm told, near the Fremont DMV (Thornton/Fremont area). Too bad, as they're sure to get less foot traffic there....

Tasty family restaurant, short on ambience, but good food and very reasonable prices. I had a sharwarma chicken pita with tahini, and it was tasty. The large amount of chicken was a little on the dry side, but the tahini fixed that nicely. A side of breaded meat was super-cheap at under $2, and also tasty. We ordered a random dish-I've-never-heard-of on a lark, and it was decent, but not too thrilling, a cinnamon'ed bean mixture served with pita. I'll definitely have to go back to sample more of their items since they're so affordable.

Mexican:

Many thanks to Joanne, a visitor to this page, for this recommendation! Very tasty fare, served in a pleasant, family-owned atmosphere. This place is larger (and tastier, and less scary) than it looks from the outside by far. The service is good; not super-speedy, but its reasonable enough.

The seafood dishes here are my favorites. Their camarones a la diabla are very spicy and well-flavored, the carne asada, while not a fish, is still good, and the camarones reposada (shrimp wrapped in bacon) are a great diet-buster. When I veered from my usual choice of one of the delicious shrimp platters and had jaiba rellena (crab, avocado, cheese, and some veggies served with the usual rice and beans and tortillas) it proved to be great. One of my favorites is the fried snapper fillets, served with rice, beans and tortillas - the fresh, breaded fish makes for a nice textural contrast with the creamy beans. The carne asade con camarones is a bit of everything good, but its way too much to eat unless you've been fasting.

All told, this is one of my favorite little Mexican places in the area - it's got a nice vibe, mariachi music on the jukebox, and a full bar should you be in the mood for a margarita.

Decent Mexican food, but not as good as the very-nearby La Cabaña. For my lunch visit, I had a chicken burrito & enchilada combo plate. They were both tasty, but the rice was a touch bland, and the beans too salty (not too big of a problem for me since I usually only nibble at both). If it wasn't so close to a superior Mexican place, I'd be happy to go back.

OK food, nothing special. Nachos were pretty good, enchilada was decent, chile relleno wasn't especially good, and the burrito lacked character. Apparently this won "Best Mexican in Fremont" in the Argus' 2001 survey. This does not leave me very hopeful about finding a great Mexican place around here!

Very high on ambience (perhaps too high), pretty low on quality. "Assizi's special sauce" was horrid, the "chipichanga" (baked burrito) was OK in that it at least didn't make us sick, but had very little to recommend it. Everything was pretty bland overall.

Really, really bland food (rice, beans, enchiladas, sauces, everything!). The red sauce on the enchiladas had a funny (and unwelcome) taste to it. The only redeeming qualities of this place were the ambience, service, and salsa. I surely will not be going back!

Seafood:

Decent chain seafood. Can also buy fish to take home and cook. Extensive menu, with a variety of preparation choices and side dishes. Good value for a seafood place. Open later than most joints in Fremont ('til 10 Sun-Thu, 'til 11 Fri & Sat). Create-your-own combo is a great value . I had broiled salmon, halibut steak, skewered scallops w/bacon, red potatoes, zucchini & summer squash, and clam chowder for only $19.

Singaporean:

Tasty Malaysian, Singaporean and Thai cuisine. Much nicer atmosphere than most places in the tri-city area, save for being a bit echo'y. Very large menu. So far, I've had the nasi goreng ($6.95), a flavorful combination of fried rice, crispy deep-fried chicken, prawn crackers, veggies, and a delightfully spicy curried calamari. All of this came with a brothy Tom Yam soup (and rice if you order a non-rice dish) - quite a bargain for lunch, I say! The mango sticky rice ($5.95) is fantastic. The Roti Murtabak appetizer ($4.50, flat bread with ground beef and onion and a spicy peanut dipping sauce) and Aromatic Chicken (deeeeep-fried chicken in sour sauce with mango slices) were also excellent, although the latter has always come with a couple of inedible pices of hard deep-fried'ness. The Rendang Beef and Sizzling Beef were both good, and the Pendang Lamb was pretty good too, although it did have a little bit of unwelcome gristle, and was served with fried tofu and japanese eggplant, neither of which was mentioned in the description. I've had an interesting bean-gelatin dessert for free several times so far - its definitely different, although I'm not sure I'd order it on my dime. Another favorite is the Char Kway Teow (?sp), tasty fried noodles in chili sauce with mixed meats. The Pineapple Goreng on the other hand, was awesome - deep-fried pineapple with honey & cream drizzles - oh yeah. The side rices of Hainanese Chicken (mild, but well-matched for most dishes) and coconut rice (very aromatic, and not well suited for matching with some dishes (especially the sweeter ones)) are both lovely. Prices are reasonable.

Good food in a nice family-run joint. After a tasty appetizer of crispy fried crab wontons, I had an extremely tender Chicken Rendang, which literally fell right off the bone, in a spicy peanut sauce, while Sarah ordered ginger chicken. It was good, but tasted more Chinese than anything else. Service was friendly and hte menu is extensive, featuring many Singaporean dishes (some places have too many Chinese-style dishes - if I wanted that, I'd go to a Chinese restaurant!).

Tasty Singaporean/Malaysian/Thai food with good prices and reasonable hours (ie. they're actually open on Mondays). My nasi chicken rice plate was good, and included a very well-flavored pickled side dish along with some whole anchovies. Ross wasn't as thrilled with his curry, but has liked other things he's had there (it was on his recommendation that we went). Definitely worth a look, as its one of the only restaurants of its genre in the Tri-City area. The service was good, although a bit pushy - I think they're perhaps hurting for customers.

Thai:

One of my favorite Thai restaurants. Very tasty food. If you like it hot, this is the place for you. Their "medium" heat is hotter than most place's hottest. If you order your dish with "fire" heat and finish it, they take your picture and put it on the "Hall of Flame" (I did this once - never again!). Be warned - even the medium heat dishes make most folks I know cry!

My favorites are the panang curry, chili pepper beef, and the chili pepper eggplant. Their Pad Thai is also very good. The separate vegetarian menu has many choices for non-meat-eaters. Anything on the stir-fried side of things is a pretty sure bet.

Nothing's perfect, however, and the minuses here are the nearly nonexistent decor, and sometimes slow, inattentive service. They get pretty busy during lunchtime and often have large groups, so its best to arrive by noon for prompt seating.

Good, fresh-tasting food. Not as spicy as My Thai (but not much is). Service has been a little too slow when I've been here for both lunch and dinner, but other than that, its one of the better in the Fremont area. When I convinced them that yes, I really do like my food hot and asked for "Thai heat", it was nicely burn'y, and nicely flavored. On a recent (early 2004) visit, the quality seems to have slipped a bit, and the previously decent decor is gone.

Tasty food at fantastic prices. Nothing's over $10, and the vast majority of dishes, both lunch and dinner, are under $7. For lunch, you can chose any one of 23 items for $5.95 (including rice and soup or salad), or two items for $6.75. I had Ka Prow Gai (sauteed ground chicken), which was nicely done, and Tofu Pra Ram, fried tofu on spinach with a sweet peanut sauce. The food was delightfully non-oily, the quality was good, and the price great. On subsequent visits, the Tofu Prig King proved excellent, but the peppered pork was disappointing.

Good food at reasonable prices. The satay chicken was tatsy, although the peanut sauce was a little thicker than I prefer. I also had the Pad Ped Nor Mai, a tasty chicken stir-fry with loads of bamboo shoots and bell pepper served over a mountain of rice ($5.95). It was even decently spicy when I ordered it "very hot."

Pretty good food - above average, but not superb. Pleasant decor.

Decent Thai food and fast lunch service. The basil chicken was pretty good, but a bit too salty, and with a bit too much fish sauce. As usual, I ordered my spicy (as indicated by the chili pepper next to it on the menu) dish "very hot" and it came back with a small modicum of heat. Sigh. The price was right, however, at $16 for lunch for two, including main dishes, soup, salad, tax, and tip. Service was quick, but a bit brusque, and decor is overall pleasant.

Pretty good Thai food. Curries a little on the oily side, but well-flavored. Not spicy enough for my liking. Owned by the same folks who own Krung Thai.

Average Thai food, neither bad nor spectacular. As is often the case, when I asked for a dish to be really hot, Thai hot, it came mildly spicy, probably because I'm a white boy :)

Vietnamese:

I really like this place - Extensive menu and efficient service. Everything I've had has been good. The shrimp spring rolls, carrot soup, watercress and beef salad, banh hoi ga nuong, and singapore noodles (yeah yeah, those aren't Vietnamese...) are particularly tasty. The cubed beef is the best I've had (and I've had many great ones). Extensive bar as well. Reservations recommended for weekend dining. The only dish I've had that was less than thrilling was the bun bo xao - not bad, but not up to Le Cheval's usual flavor standards. A great place to eat before seeing a show at the Paramount if you don't mind walking 10 or so short blocks (don't worry - the walk will burn off the cocktails you had :)

The Best Vietnamese in the tri-city area, IMO. Located in the Lion shopping center across from New Park Mall, the space is nothing special itself, but the food is quite good. I eat here at least every other month, as it's near'ish my work, and I am nearly always happy with the quality of the food.

I usually order either Tam Bi Thit Cha (broken rice with tasty grilled pork, meat pie, and shredded pork rind), Banh Hoi Bo Nuong (sheets of rice vermicelli with grilled onion and beef rollups), or one of the Banh Dap (large sheet noodles with crunchy bits inside) dishes. Forays into the non-noodle parts of the menu have been mostly unsuccessful - the fried rice is very bland, the soup unremarkable, and so on. IOW, go here for the noodles and grilled meats!

Their Cafe Suada (VN ice coffee) is verrrrry strong, and taste-wise, is the one I measure all others by - heavy, but not too chocolatey and not too much condensed milk. My only gripe with it is that it comes pre-mixed and poured; I enjoy the ritual of letting the coffee percolate in the little single-serve presses, and pouring it into a glass of ice.

All is not roses in Vung Tao land, however. The service ranges from indifferent to downright rude at times, and they skimp on the fish sauce and sides and charge extra if you ask for more (a bit silly when it comes to things like fish sauce and shredded lettuce!).

Still, the food quality is very high, and the prices are reasonable. They have two other branches in the South Bay that I haven't been to, although I've heard the San Jose one is a nicer environment. Like many Asian restaurants in the area, they're closed on Mondays.

Reliable, affordable Vietnamese food. Replaced Le's Noodles, and improved on it. My favorites are the Bun Dac Biet, rice porridge and War Wonton soup. I have lunch here almost every Monday, as its one of fairly few places close'ish to work that's open on Mondays. Their Cafe Sua-da (iced coffee) is good, and not quite as hardcore as Vung Tao's. Not on the menu, but sometimes available if you ask, the Banh Hoi Bo Nuong ($7.75) was fantastic, the noodles cooked just right and served rolled-up for easier eating, and the grilled beef-wrapped onion flavorful and tender. They changed owners in Oct. '04 - so far the menu has changed a little bit, and the quality is a bit better.

Tasty Bun Bo Hue in an uninspired, but large, building (Decoto location). My broth was clear and well-flavored with tender beef, ham and pig's feet (which I didn't eat :). Service was fine, and the prices were reasonable. Nam-Anh was very pleased with her bowl of Pho (I don't care for the stuff myself), so it's safe to assume it was good too. I'd happily go back.

A nice new'ish place in north Newark, serving Vietnamese sandwiches and other fare. On my visit I ordered bun bo hue, a soup of tasty broth with lettuce, herbs and lime on the side, and filled with pig leg (which I didn't eat as it's too fatty for my taste), an unusual sausage, which Nam-Anh chided for being un-authentic, not that I'd know, and flat strips of dark beef. I also had them hold the congealed pork blood that is traditionally served with this dish, as I don't care for its texture. Despite sounding like a squeamish american, it was a good soup with a rich flavorful broth. They're across the street from our usual, Vy's, so I don't know how often (or if) we'll be back, but they're worth a try. Their cafe sua dat is milkier and weaker than I'm used to at Vy's and Vung Tao, but it tasted good. Service and decor were fine too.

Good budget Vietnamese food. I ate here at least once a week for lunch. I like the Bun Dac Biet (vermicelli rice noodles with fish sauce, veggies, meat rolls, shrimp, and choice of meat), and the Com Tay Cam (claypot with rice, chinese sausage, chicken, shrimp, and vegetables).

Update 07/24/03: Gone, replaced by Vy's Noodles, which is tastier

Decent, but not great, Pho Ga. Many super-cheap VN sandwich choices. Half of the restaurant is take-away, with the other half sit-down. Specialties appear to be sandwiches and Pho, too bad for me as I don't care for beef Pho.... Service & decor were, like the food, okay. I wouldn't go back unless I was in the area and Vung Tao (next door, and very good) wasn't open, but perhaps their sandwiches are tasty?

Good bun bo xao. I still prefer Vy's bun over anywhere else I've been, but the noodles here are good too. Pretty good sized place, and you get plenty of food for your money.

OK food, but I like the noodles at Le's much better. We went here for lunch one day when My Thai was too crowded. Given its proximity to My Thai and other very good restaurants, I don't see a lot of need to go back.

To-visit:

• Berkeley/Oakland:
  • Cafe Rouge (burgers) - 1782 Fourth St., Berkeley
  • Zacchary's (pizza) - Berkeley
• Fremont/Newark/Union City/Hayward Area:
  • La Casita (Mexican) - Fremont Blvd nr. 5 corners, Fremont
  • Tia Juana (Mexican) - Washington @ Fremont, Fremont
  • Ho Chow (Chinese) - Warm Springs between Mission & Dixion Landing, Fremont
  • Wok City Diner (Chinese) - Mission @ Warm Springs, Fremont
  • Chili Garden (Chinese) - Fremont, next to Drug Emporium behind Black Angus, off of Mowry
  • Chef Chou's (Chinese) - 22436 Foothill Blvd, Hayward
  • Fellini O's (Italian) - Newark near Newpark Mall (2 recommendations)
  • Mission Pizza (Italian) - 1572 Washington, Fremont
  • Buon Appetito (Italian) - A St. between Mission & Foothill, Hayward
  • Dolci Amore (Italian) - Castro Valley Blvd., Castro Valley
  • Vintage Catering - Fremont (Stewart Ave, parallel to & south of Stevenson)
  • Pasta Presto (Italian) - 40723 Grimmer, Fremont
  • Vito's (Italian) - Newark
  • Mehran - Pakistani
  • Edo Sushi (Japanese) - Decoto @ Fremont, Fremont
  • ?? (Japanese) - near Lion in Warm Springs (teppanyaki)
  • Gyro Cafe - Fremont (Ballentine, north of Stevenson)
  • Sushi Yoshi (Japanese) - Newark (@ Cedar (in Lion center?))
  • Thai Garden (Thai) - Mission Blvd., Hayward (pad thai, curry, charbroiled lamb)
  • El Rancho Steakhouse (Breakfast) - Mission Blvd., Hayward
  • ?? (Vietnamese) - next to Orchard Supply in Newark
  • Nouvelle Bistro - Fremont (Mission Blvd. nr. Ohlone College). Upscale.