Scaramanga's — Restaurant in Dusseldorf

FOOD & DRINKS I grew up with Vietnamese food. It basically runs through my veins. That is why I might be more critical with Vietnamese establishments than with other type of cuisines. Going through the menu I can see some very typical Vietnamese items and some very generic ones. I would skip quite a few of the items on the menu just because they don't really represent the Vietnamese cuisine. I was intrigued by the two items Bo la lot and the Banh kot and also the dessert Che Ba Mau. The Bo la lot is minced grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves. The minced beef was actually very tasty. Still juicy and and very well seasoned. Unfortunately they did pan fry this dish and therefore the leaves become oily. It is usually better to grill them on charcoal to enhance the aroma of the leaves. The Banh kot unfortunately looked very different to the ones that was shown on the picture. Of course that is not unheard of but one key ingredient was completely different. In the picture you see actual chopped up pieces of shrimp. I got something that tasted like shrimp but looked nothing like shrimp. The mini pancakes tasted a bit floury but the fresh herbs helped to counter that a bit. The dessert threw me off a lot. Che ba mau literally means a dessert in three colors. Usually the three colors are white/yellow, green and red and are represented by mung bean puree, green jelly and read beans. My dessert looked like white coconut milk with some brown beans and ice.

SERVICE When I ordered I also asked for a recommendation. The waiter couldn't give me any and said everything was good and it depends on the personal preference. Though he wasn't Vietnamese I didn't want to judge his knowledge about the cuisine but I can't imagine that all items are show runners. You usually have one or a few items that you are very proud of. The rest are more fillers than anything. Service wasn't bad but wasn't amazing either.

ATMOSPHERE This place looks really nice. Very modern, stylish and colorful. Definitely a great location!

RATING To get four stars from me the food needs to be good. I can live with a less fancy place if you get the food right. Here the food is almost there but missed the mark just at the finish with the dessert.

NOTE This is a respond to the reaction of the owner. Yes, your restaurant is in Germany but that doesn't mean you have to adopt. You even mention that your food is authentic. Quite contradicting statements. But that is not the point. I didn't even say that the food isn't authentic. Not one word. I don't even mind if you change it up a bit but come on. Che ba mau, at least add the 3 colors in any form. And if you make a picture of the food then at least add the ingredients in the same way, update the picture or tell the customer it has changed. I am not eating at Mc Donalds. Also I was fine when the waiter said I could order anything. All I wanted is a recommendation. That is absolutely not unheard of. Something you are well known for and people keep ordering a lot. Then I can still decide if it is my thing. But when you say anything then I also expect the same level of execution for all your items! Also I don't compare it to my mums cooking. If I would compare it, I would compare it to other Vietnamese...

I really can not find any fault with the place, not being able to speak German the staff were extremely helpful in explaining as best they could how the ordering system works and translating the menu, though I am sure they were busy enough with out out ignorance. The restaurant had a lovely homely feel to it, and sharing a long table with other guests did not feel like you were having your evening encroached upon by strangers, if anything it added to the friendly feel of the place.

After firstly marking our menu sheet with our options for starters and mains, the food come out extremely quickly, and I have to say what a delight it was.

If you are ever in Dusseldorf I would certainly recommend this place for an evening meal, maybe not the cheapest food around but also not unreasonable, the portions were plenty and the meal was worth the price and maybe a...

Our second day on our 3 day trip in Düsseldorf, the most Asian city in Germany (and maybe Europe). We had early reserved the table based on personal recommendations from friends at Scaramanga's - funny name for a Vietnamese place and an very interesting decoration inside. Yes it's the Scaramanga of the (Bond) Movie :-)

We ordered a ton of dishes, one of the famous Pho bo. Overall the service was very good, reasonable times and fare pricing. However, the food is rather average due too much "Europeanized". My Pho bo was drowning in oil.

At the end, we only paid 116 Euro for a rather large dinner of four but we won't come back simply as any asian/vietnamese authenticity is...