Sen Organic Small Plate — Restaurant in Richmond

If I could give this place negative stars I would! They don’t really have the flavors of the Vietnamese culture and cuisine. It’s really a modern American with a LITTLE Asian twist! I ordered bun Bo hue and they LITERALLY GAVE ME PHO BROTH AND TOLD ME THAT ITS BECAUSE they used a pho and vegetable broth base!! You can literally taste the cloves and cinnamon/ star anise in the broth! It was very disappointing I sent the soup back and ask for the check and they still charged me for the soup that I sent back! So if you know your Vietnamese flavors, DO NOT EAT HERE!!!

Replying to the owner!!!!

Her staff was extremely rude to myself and husband! Just so you know, the staff member that was serving us, was rolling her eyes the entire time! And yes, I did say that I will reach out to our bank and dispute the charges, however, your establishment did pack it up for me to take it to go, so I will not be disputing it! But having you pay for something you didn’t eat and know that you CANNOT ENJOY IS VERY UPSETTING! That’s what sets your restaurant from others! And by the way, I was charged $20 for the Bun Bo Hue, and $3 for the additional fried tofu skin THAT WASNT IN THERE! So in total it was really only $23, not really a big deal, but on principle, you falsely advertise/ misrepresented a dish you shouldn’t expect people to pay for it! As a Vietnamese, I am incredibly proud of my culture and cuisine! Just because you are catering to foreigners to the Vietnamese cultures, doesn’t mean you can cut corners and try to fool those who don’t know!!! PEOPLE LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND CULTURES THROUGH FOOD!

P.S. EVERYTHING ELSE I HAD WAS PRETTY DECENT, the atmosphere is very eclectic and natural earthy vibes, which I really did like, however it wasn’t really Vietnamese! Like I said? If you don’t really know what Vietnamese food really taste like, this place will work for you! You don’t have to take my word for it, you can simply read the reviews about the FLAVORS, that others have left also, not just mine! I really did wanted to like your restaurant but big disappointment in the Vietnamese flavors and your staff’s...

Came here again after a year hiatus for no particular reason then it’s a little pricey. Had family in town and wanted to show off a great place for Pho, Vietnamese food, and tea. Service was lack luster especially with how few customers the place had, but we have experienced that there and around Richmond before. The appetizers and tea were good as before. When the entrees came out it was a different story. My husband ordered the Bo Kho Sai Gon - Beef Stew which says it’s Grass Fed Flank Steak stewed for 24h. So he’s thinking it’s going to be melt in your mouth beef. Instead he got a globular structure of tendon, cartilage, and beef hide. He’s not one to return food and a tried it and it was tough. I got our waiter and told him. He looked puzzled, even after showing him the glob, but said I’ll ask the chef. After 10 minutes he then brings out frozen cut brisket on a plate and said to put it in stew for a bit and it will melt and be better. Husband put it in and waited 10 min, still rock hard; the stew was cold.

I asked the waiter to speak with the manager, return the soup, and take the meal preferably off the check since it was inedible. Waiter came back and said that he’s sorry he didn’t disclaim to us about that dish and many customers have said the same thing but they cannot take it off the check what so ever. That’s how it’s made here and the way it is. I said can I talk to the manager in person and waiter said unfortunately no. I also told him that on top of that my Pho had chunks of brisket fat, which I ate and meatballs that tasted like moth balls thus ruining my appetite. I said I’ll pay because I ate half but my husband did not touch it. The waiter said sorry can’t do anything. The bill came to $147! Yes I paid because we do not need police involved over a dispute.

What poor customer service. What restaurant manager does not come out, take responsibility, and apologize or make it right so the customer comes back?! They have lost my business indefinitely and I hope that whomever goes there to think twice about what...

As a Vietnamese who is heavily involved around Vietnamese food. I wouldn't bring any of my Vietnamese relatives here. I find the food... Okay.. Not bad, but different... but also not good. My wife who lived in Vietnam all her life, who is also a foodie, tried many critique, famous or very good Vietnamese restaurants in Vietnam.. also agreed with everything we had discussed about the restaurant. I'm not usually this critical at all but I don't want to people to think this is what authentic Vietnamese food tastes like. It honestly tastes like an Americanized, hipsterized, Vietnamese food that is created for Americans. I get that almost or everything is organic but organic isnt that much more expensive than normal. I'm like charged 2-4x what I would normally pay for just cause it's organic..? Doesn't make sense to me. Some of the vegan dishes price could makes sense to me but I'm not talking about the vegan dishes. The design is nice, more than a few of authentic Vietnamese stuff inside. I've had some vegan pho in Richmond actually and it tastes better than the non vegan pho that is here and it's cheaper. Also read that they take some percentage of the tips somewhere.. Doesn't seem ethical to me. I would pay some good money for some good food but this isn't it. A for effort though. Oh wait! The side vegetables that were paired with the pho..... were baby sized portions!!! If I'm paying that much for the pho, could I at least get a normal sized portions to put in my pho lol it's like barley anything. We got two normal sized leaves and a pinch sized grouping of tiny leaves, a pinch of bean sprouts, a small slice of lime and...... a baby cut of a serrano!! laughing emoji I originally thought it was a jalapeno because that's what I'm usually paired with, but the owner corrected me on FB and told me it was a serrano pepper. So thank you for that. Hard to tell though, it was a baby cut of...