Ba Sa Restaurant — Restaurant in Bainbridge Island

Went to BASA with my husband for an dining-in experience, but the meal didn't live up to the what I was expecting.

• Getting a table: I used the Waitlist app which was very convenient and we didn't have to wait for a table on a Friday night.

• Service: We were seated in the very back of the restaurant between two other tables with less than 24" between both tables, space was tight and when the server stood between tables his backside was very close to my husband's face. The server could have addressed the other table from a different position, but they weren't aware of how close they were to us.

• Food: We ordered the shrimp spring rolls and fried taro spring rolls appetizers which were good, but the taro spring rolls were our favorite. For the entrees, I ordered the Grilled Pork and Rice dish that featured; a grilled pork chop, fried egg, pickled daikon, carrots and scallion serve with rice. The first taste of the grilled pork chop was good because it had a little bit of fat on it, but after that the pork chop was dry and not very exciting. The fried egg was too hard on the bottom and did not cut easily and it was rubbery to chew. The rice was flavored with the drippings from the pork chop and the sauce. The dish could be so much better with fried pork belly to balance the fat and acid because the pork chop was too lean and chewy for my taste. The best part of the meal was the pickled daikon which was perfect! My husband had the Pineapple Trout which consisted of butterflied rainbow trout, onions, garlic, Thai chili, pineapple, scallion, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, fried shallots, and tamarind sauce. The outer crispy coating was tasty and the fish tender. The Thai basil offered a wonderful flavor and scent to the meal, but my husband said it needed a small side of rice because the fish and vegetables didn't satiate his hunger.

• Drinks: No cocktails were ordered, just root beer.

• Atmosphere: I didn't enjoy sitting in the way-back of the restaurant because it was cold and the party of 4+ people at the table next to us was loud. We were so close to them, that I felt like I was sitting in the middle seat on a plane while the aisle and window passengers were having a conversation. It wasn't pleasant. My husband and I couldn't really chat with one another because of the loud party next to us. Not a place to have a private conversation.

The experience didn't live up to the rave reviews I'd read online, but there are so many enticing items that I might make another...

We have visited Ba Sa twice since its informal opening, and enjoyed it immensely both times. The first was early on a Friday afternoon, during a self-designed “food tour” of a few nice restaurants/food places on Bainbridge Island. As such, our stop was short and our selection was limited to one item that we could all share. We chose the Avocado Spring Rolls, which were great. Gluten free, with crispy crunch from the bean sprouts, and lots of flavor from the avocado, shrimp, vermicelli noodles, and cilantro. The GF dipping sauce was a fish sauce that and added flavor but avoided excesses. Altogether very nice, but it left us longing for the other items on the menu - the other “Small Plates”, the “Soups”, and the “Sharables”. . So we visited again, as soon as we could, which turned out to be Saturday evening after the opening of the Seattle Symphony’s season. Beautiful! What a way to start a Saturday evening! Ba Sa continued this great evening. We shared two dishes, both of which were gluten free, and wonderful. The Bắp Xào - corn, pancetta, shallots, garlic, onion, deglazed oxtail broth, fish sauce, and a poached egg was, well, simply amazing! Fresh and flavorful corn, with a bit of pancetta and an amazing sauce – just the right seasonings to enhance the flavor of the corn, without overwhelming it! . Then we shared the “Chả Cá Lã Vọng. Sabel fish, dill, vermicelli noodles, lettuce, mint, perilla leaf, basil, nuoc cham, again a beautiful and flavorful dish, with the fish sautéed perfectly, without being overdone, and served with a delicious sauce, lettuce, noodles, and a different dipping sauce with the spices to set it all off. So enjoyable. . Collectively a beautiful meal for the two of us, which left us so satisfied, without being overly stuffed, and wanting to come back for more! We will do so, as soon as the opportunity presents itself! . The wait staff provided excellent service on both of our visits, and Trinh, one of the family members responsible for this exceptional new place to dine on Bainbridge Island, took time from coordinating and directing the efforts of staff to see how we were doing and solicit our thoughts. Over 50 + years of dining at exceptional places, we have found those where the owners/proprietors spend significant time are consistently the best, and Ba Sa is no exception. We continue to enjoy the family’s culinary vision and implementation in two exceptional restaurants – T&N Pho in Poulsbo, and now Ba Sa on...

Ba Sa Vietnamese restaurant was SOLID! Our first time visiting Bainbridge Island solely because of Ba Sa. We ordered quite a bit of food because everything we read and pictures we saw looked so yummy!!!

We ordered:

1. Spicy Truffle Wonton $19: Our first dish and it didn't disappoint, came with 7 pork and shrimp wontons and three de-veined shrimp. All good very nicely with amazing flavors that's made of truffle oil, scallion, sesame seeds, chili oil, ginger. I recommend this dish!

2. Grilled Pink Scallop $21 (special, limited quantities): This was also yummy! (Okay, all the dishes we had today was yummy) came with 7, perfectly grilled scallops that's topped with onions, shallots, laksa chimichuri, lime, Thai chili, peanuts, and garlic fish sauce. I recommend this dish!

3. Mussel in Coconut Cream $21: Amazing mussels that's made with lemongrass, garlic, onion, laksa leaf, coconut cream, Thai chili. It comes out with a bowl of Mediterranean mussels, with yummy subtle coconut flavor.

3a) We had Baguette $3 with the mussels which was a nice addition (not required). It's like any other baguette, but toasted really well. Slightly crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. Not required tho!

4. Butter Beef With Garlic Fried Rice $29: Yummy Kalbi beef with garlic fried rice with eggs and onions. I tell you what, although this is the most expensive dish we got, I say it's worth it. The Kalbi beef was so gewd! Flavor was absolutely bomb, soft and you can taste the quality! Garlic fried rice was yummy too! Sadly our dish came out cool, not warm but it was still so good! I'm sure it'll taste 10x better when it's warm! Highly recommend this dish!

Side Note:

1. Ba Sa has a Service Charge of 5.00% which I didn't know about until I went through the website. From their website it states "A 5% service charge is added to all checks; this charge is retained entirely by the house."

2. street parking is plentiful but can be tough to find if it's busy. You can also park a block or two away from all the shops.

3. Ba Sa does get busy! I suggest you reserve a table on Yelp prior to dining in.

Overall, a solid spot to munch at if you're at...