Roll 'n Bowl Restaurant Maidstone — Restaurant in Maidstone

We were on a mini break in Kent and I found this little place on Google Maps and was very excited about trying it out based on the highly rated reviews. Therefore, we came on our last day in Kent. I was with my elderly mother and my 3 year old son. We sat down and a waitress took our drinks and food order. I specifically asked for the crispy spring rolls to be taken away for my daughter who was visiting a museum nearby, so please cook them later towards the end of our meal. They turned up at the same time as all of our food. I didn't make any fuss about it. I asked for hot water as my elderly mother only drinks boiled water. There wasn't anything on the menu that's suitable for my young son to drink, so I was hoping he could have some cooled down boiled water as well. A waiter came by and rudely claimed that they would have to charge us for the hot water just like hot tea. I couldn't believe my ears. I repeated what he just said and he confirmed again. I was in shock to say the least! Who charges for hot water in a developed country for goodness sake?!?!??!?!?! I have always ordered hot water for my elderly mother wherever we've been to dine and have never ever been told to pay! I felt extremely let down and speechless. I would have stood up to leave if my elderly mother wasn't starving hungry. As soon as my mother finished her last mouthful of food. The waiter came straight back to clear everything off the table, as if it was time for us to pay and leave now. He did the exact same to the table next to us, when some of the diners were still trying to finish theirs. They even had the cheek of adding service charge to the bill. For a fast service lunch time meal, I wouldn't have expected to pay for the service. If the service was exceptional, I wouldn't mind giving a tip. As a new business that only started a few months ago, I would suggest the owner to train up their staff on how to deliver a good service to gain returned customers before even thinking of adding service charge for the underwhelming service that is being delivered. Food wise, the rare beef pho was ok, I was expecting a lot more variety of ingredients in the bowl other than mainly beef and noodles. I had much better ones in London. The chicken curry was very salty and bland. The summer roll was the only highlight of the meal. Of course the crispy spring rolls were not crispy by the time we met up with my daughter...

Looking for somewhere to go out with a family of 4 (2 young kids) came across this Vietnamese restaurant online with the photos of dishes, menu and a lot of high ratings so thought we'd give it a try. Reserving a table via their website online was very straight forward, nearest and most straight forward place to park if visiting is the Frimley car park. On exiting it's literally waking straight onto pudding lane. We arrived a little early but the table was ready for us to sit down. The menus were full of variety for each of us to choose from and all dishes came with a unique sauce which we all thought complemented each dish nicely. My son had - crispy vegetarian spring rolls as a starter and chicken wok fried rice noodle for main which he loved, although couldn't finish. With some apple juice. My daughter had - chargrilled chicken mi kho ga nuong with some prawn crackers as a main, also with apple juice. She really liked the meal and has a small tummy so couldn't finish it. We were able to get containers to pack up the unfinished meals to take home which will be enjoyed a second time. For my wife she had - salt and pepper sea bass for starter, crispy chicken mi kho ga gion for the main, and a lychee cocktail (can't remember the exact name). The sauces really complemented the meats and were very well made. The cocktail 🍸 had a couple lychees in it as well as a lychee liqueur which have it a very nice look and taste. Lastly I had duck pancake for starter, hot and spicy seafood PHO, and a freshly made mango coconut smoothie. All were delicious and well made. Although on reflection I think there could have been more meat variety within the seafood PHO, from what I could recognise there were only octopus and king prawns within the dish. The portion sizes for each meal were good and filled us all up at the end. Unfortunately we had no space for dessert. There were some unique drinks on the menu which I would like to taste on future visits, and other meals on the menu which looked equally appetising as the food we ate. Service was good, the waitress came at the right times for orders, take away plates after each course, and was available when we asked for the bill. Overall a very good experience and will definitely come...

There were some things better than others. It felt as if the cook was holding back, for, I know not what... and I wondered whether they cooked to the same level of flavours at home, as they did in the restaurant. I actually asked this question, and I was assured by the server that yes, they cooked exactly the same at home. I hope she was being economical with the truth... Nevertheless, while the vegetable spring rolls and accompanying sauce were amazing - full of flavour, crunchy yet chewy, and the liquidy sauce just topped them off perfectly. The rice paper tofu and rice vermicelli rolls were nice with the peanut dressing, the peanut dressing, which was the only flavour, felt constrained... The (al dente yet perfectly cooked) broccoli and tofu were tasty, but the pho tasted a little like MSG in hot water: it lacked depth of flavour. Some added Sriracha sauce lifted the flavour somewhat.

My tofu fried rice was beautiful fried, (with lots of lovely tofu), in a way that only a restaurant can. However, again, meh... The condiments on the table of Hoisin sauce and Sriracha sauce gave the dish some necessary flavour.

First visit with the husband, and we'll definitely go back, because we believe the menu has gems to be discovered, and things...