Pho Na ( Saigon Rendezvous) — Restaurant in Olympia

Eating at this restaurant was one of the worst dining experiences I've had in Olympia. We went because of the well-advertised vegetarian/vegan menu with mock meats, which are generally difficult to find at other places. The prices were reasonable and the food sounded good. One person in my party got the combo with fried "prawns", "sweet and sour pork", lo mein, and fried rice. The fried rice and lo mein were pretty bland with only a few vegetables to speak of and the other parts of the meal were more fried batter than whatever was inside. However, my dish, the Mongolian Vegetarian "chicken" took the cake for being the worst. At first, I thought it was just an odd taste but the more that we ate it, the more it tasted like there was something really skunky and off about it. It tasted like they had used canned bamboo shoots that were possibly going bad or something. Anyway, I cannot believe that they served it like that.

The wonton soup and the vegetarian curry chicken (especially the sauce) were pretty good, except that the mock chicken had a strange, spongy texture, probably from being frozen and thawed.

The service was also pretty bad in that no sooner had the plates been placed on the table, than the waitress put the bill with fortune cookies on the table in front of us. Considering this to be extremely tacky, we politely said thank you and continued eating. A few minutes later, we were harassed by the waitress again, who directly asked us for our credit card. She also tried to get us to box up the food and take plates out from us before we were done. I should mention that we left no later than half an hour before their advertised closing time and they literally turned off the lights as we were leaving. You can be sure I'm never going there again! I'm just hoping I don't end up with food...

I found myself in Olympia with a grumbly tummy. I happened upon Saigon Rendezvous by chance, with a parking spot right in front, so I took that as a sign to satiate my hungry stomach and try a new Thai place. I’m so glad I did. The outside certainly presented itself with a “dive-y” feeling, but I kind of like dives. I find they may not look pretty, but they usually have great food. Upon entry, the place was clean, roomy and plenty of available seating. The bathroom was clean and I always think that is a good sign! The seats, however, were definitely NOT curvy, hippy, big butt girl friendly! In fact, they were down right uncomfortable. So, be forewarned!! IF you have curves, the seats are not friendly. I ended up sitting very forward in the metal chair, because my hips just could not tolerate the pain. Besides that one negative, the rest of the review is positive. Because, the food was delish! I settled on my usual shrimp fresh rolls with peanut sauce and a bowl of chicken pho. The rolls were stuffed with yummy, crispy lettuce, carrots, sprouts, shrimp, cilantro, accompanied by a delicious peanut dipping sauce. Both were really tasty. The pho broth was sublime. So flavorful. The chicken in the soup was plentiful and the bean sprouts, lime and Thai basil were absolutely fresh. This meal made my grumbly tummy happy. The portions were substantial and enough for me to take half home to enjoy for my dinner! Yes! This is definitely a “dive” I plan on coming back to when I find myself in Olympia. The waiter was sweet and attentive. He was also the chef. I am assuming he was the owner as well. Two thumbs up for...

SAFETY VIOLATION!!!

My partner and I tried to come in this evening and order some pho because of the good reviews. The veggie pho was... Not good... Tofu out of package, cucumbers and steamed broccoli. Not everyone can do vegerarian, whatever. When we went up to pay we told the waiter we didn't want the soup and he went to get who I assume was the owner. The owner said it's policy to charge 50% of the tab. I didn't care, but my partner knew my food was less expensive and tried to tell the owner that we did eat the soup but would definitely pay for my potstickers. I don't know if all the dude heard was we didn't want to pay, but he immediately went and LOCKED THE DOOR and said he was calling the police. He locked me, my partner, and 5 other women eating there inside because he misunderstood our complaint. I quite literally had the credit card in my hand and had to yell over him to beg him to pay and leave. I paid, him and my partner were still arguing, and I go to leave, not fully comprehending that he still has the key and had lock us in the establishment. When I get to the door and it doesn't open I FREAK out. I ask the owner what the HELL he thought he was doing locking clients inside the business and reminded him that it was illegal. He must've thought I was going to break out (I would have) and he unlocked the door.

I've filed a police report. Hope it was...