Vivienne's Bistro — Restaurant in Mercer Island

You lost a regular customer tonight. I've been dining in or getting food to go once a week to once every two weeks. I've brought in party sized groups and have even requested specific servers due to their kindness and willingness to work. I've always tipped 25% or more for in restaurant dining. Yes the prices are sky high and the most expensive on Mercer Island but I've never complained due to the good food and great servers.

What happened? Tonight two of us placed a to go order. We ordered the orange peel chicken and the steak fried rice. Both of which we've had in the past. As you can see from the uploaded photos, the orange chicken was caked with star anise which is similar in consistency to cloves. I removed the chicken from the plate so you can see it. They are very hard and will break your teeth. It's used to flavor the food, you don't eat it! The steak fried rice had onion (I asked for no onions).

I took the dishes back. The front counter lady said that the star anise was supposed to be in the food and is always in the food. I told that it's not normally left in the food, it'll break your teeth. We went round and round with me about the star anise and that I'm supposed to eat it. Btw, every website I found said that you are supposed to remove it and not eat it! She asked what she's supposed to do about the dish. Really? How about replacing it? I said, how about the beef and broccoli and I'll pay the difference. She said, no. I said, it's a $3 difference (I know since I'm a regular). She said, no you can have the General Tso chicken. Wow!

I told her about the onions in the other dish. She said that I selected no onions but didn't select no green onions. Really? No onions means no onions! If you as a company are going do differentiate in the types of onions then you have to list them properly. You can't say no onions and no green onions as separate items. That doesn't make sense. Your selections have to be no yellow onions and no green onions. She refused to replace that dish. Wow! Rice is cheap. I didn't need the meat replaced, I understand but damn, I can't have new rice? I let her know that the other person eating it can't eat onions. I said fine, that's my fault but the other one is totally uneatable.

I received the General Tso chicken but what did I do after I left? I tossed it all in the trash! We couldn't eat the two original dishes and everyone knows that you don't eat food from someone that you've been arguing with at a restaurant. The worst is that I also gave a 20% tip for a to go order!

This is why you see nice restaurants close down. Customer service has to be on point. I was willing to work with you guys to figure out a solution. Just telling me no doesn't work for me. I won't...

Last night (Super Bowl) at 6 PM our party of 11 decided it would be a good time before the crowd to gather at this new Asian/ Chinese restaurant on Mercer Island. We came from Bellevue, Seattle, West Seattle and of course Mercer Island. The decor is simple and elegant, the staff very friendly. It was still their soft opening, so some of the younger waitstaff is still going through training by their more experienced seniors. The food is wonderful. We ordered their signature Forbidden Duck and it didn’t disappoint, enough for all of us, we had to order extra buns to finish the crispy duck pieces. The Shishito Peppers were grilled to perfection and it was something new for us. A word of caution about the random nature of these peppers: some are rather easy on your palate, but some can really give you a zap in terms of spiciness. Loved the Crispy Squid Tentacles ($12.50), but wish there was just a little more. Grilled Tofu at $4.50 was a real bargain and it was flavorful. The Potstickers (12.50) were also a favorite of the two toddlers at the table. The Sizzling Rice Soup with Seafood ($20) was a standout with its complex and genuine seafood base. I like my soup bubbling hot, so I would have preferred this dish came out super hot and sizzling, but that is just me. Like pork belly? Then you have to try their Crispy Pork Belly ($20) - it was marinated in a shrimp sauce before it was deep fried - nice! The Okra Eggplant dish ($18.50) was a surprise favorite of our table. It was stir fried perfectly in a very nice tangy sauce. Asked the kids of their favorite and they both shouted out: “Donuts”! This was their Pumpkin Donuts with Mountain Blueberry Jam. Dusted with powder sugar on the outside and the inside has a light texture of mochi. Just the right touch to cap off a nice gathering of family and friends. We will need to go back and do this again so we can try their...

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