Cong Tu Bot — Restaurant in Portland

This is the worst dining experience I can remember.

We first went to the website to look at the menu. This is one of the worst websites I've ever seen in decades of consulting small businesses. It will cause harm to anyone with eye issues from strobe or flashing lights. It is outdated, talking about being closed on July 3rd and 4th, 4 months later. Just try to find the menu. You have to go to another company's site which would most likely be outdated.

Imagine going to a restaurant where your table of four is all served a meal, except for you. As I sat there with nothing, I saw two more groups of four, seated at the same time as us, and four more groups of two seated later, all served. After 10 minutes of watching my table mates eat as I sat there with nothing, I politely inquired. They told me there was only one wok for the whole restaurant so I'd have to wait. Then they chastised me for not ordering "family style" despite the fact that we were not a family. So it was my fault that I had to wait 20+ minutes while my table mates dined?!? Hungry and watching three of my table mates munch away, I finally asked to have some rice or something. Grudgingly, they plopped down a bit of white rice in front of me. Nothing else.

Finally, 21 minutes after my table mates had been served, they brought my beef meal. (I did learn later that one of the other tables of four had ordered the same dish and got theirs with everyone else. Huh?!) The flavor was good, but it was embarrassing when two of the few pieces of beef were so full of gristle I had to spit them out because swallowing was not an option. Not cool at a restaurant. I checked with the other person that had the same beef entree and they, too, had two pieces of gristle too big to swallow so they had to dispose of them at the table. Clearly the kitchen doesn't know how to properly trim beef.

It was a disastrous evening. I would NEVER recommend this restaurant for anyone! One wok for the whole restaurant? Diners are shamed for not ordering family style, despite the fact that they weren't there with a family?! They say they are "transparent" but apparently they don't know what...

12/10 service 7/10 food 9/10 atmosphere

Our table ordered the bun cha, eggplant, and banh beo for savory dishes, followed by the che ba mau parfait and apple-guava sorbet for dessert. The overall experience was lovely. The staff were warm and attentive, and the atmosphere was welcoming, but wished that the seating can be more spacious. Dish-ware reminds you of Viet restaurant. The co-founder was also incredibly kind and personable, which made our visit even more memorable.

Bun cha: The seasoning on both the meat and meatballs was spot-on, though the meatball was slightly over-charred. The fish sauce was served cold. I think serving it warm could help mellow the vinegar aftertaste. The pickled veggies were excellent, and I’d love to see green papaya added. The complimentary herbs and greens paired well with the dish. Overall, flavorful and fairly authentic.

Banh beo: Freshly steamed and nicely presented. A sweeter sauce might pair better with it, but it was still enjoyable.

Eggplant: A standout dish with rich flavor that pairs perfectly with rice. Great for a quick, satisfying bite. I would ask for more seasoning if I was to order it with rice.

Apple-guava sorbet: Bright and refreshing. I usually don’t go for sour desserts, but I would definitely order this again.

Che ba mau parfait: I personally liked this version. While the strawberry might not appeal to those looking for traditional che, it added a nice balance to the usual sweetness. A great choice for those who enjoy trying something different.

Drinks: The basil soda was unique and delicious. The jasmine pandan tea was essentially tra da—simple, clean, and refreshing.

Would absolutely come back to try more. The care and thoughtfulness behind both the food and service...

this place was so bad. what a let down. the viet coffee was on point but that was where it ended. our food took way too long to come out considering we ordered cold noodles and the room was not busy at all. probably 20-25 mins. the meatballs that came out with it were cooked for much longer than the 20-25 min wait so im wondering what went wrong here. like, burnt to a point that will likely haunt that poor animals soul for eternity, there was zero integrity in the cooking of those meatballs. the tiny portion of meat that was in the noodle dish was also hammered to a point where you should have questioned putting it on the plate or just taking it out to the bay and trying over, 2 separate cooking techniques, off 2 separate stations, same result. making it worse, we moved these carbon balls to the side and counted at least 25 passes by the staff noticing these off to the side and refusing to interact with us. in the end the noodle dish was not taken off the bill. restaurant 101 is an important step that got overlooked here. in a city with so much amazing food and hospitality,...