I recently visited San Fu Lou, a Cantonese restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, and had an overall mixed experience. The food was hit-or-miss, with some dishes standing out while others fell short.
The duck noodles were quite tasty and flavorful, which I enjoyed. However, the beef stir-fried tenderloin was a bit of a letdown. While some pieces of beef were tender, others were tough and resembled shoe leather. Additionally, the portion size seemed disproportionately small for the price.
The truffle duck dumplings didn’t live up to expectations. Despite the promise of truffle, the flavor was practically non-existent. On the positive side, the pork and shrimp dumplings were quite good — flavorful and satisfying.
Unfortunately, the service was another downside. The server seemed visibly annoyed and unhappy each time she brought something to our table, which made the overall dining experience less pleasant. To top it off, the plate I was first given wasn’t completely clean, which is always a red flag.
All things considered, San Fu Lou offers some decent dishes, but the inconsistent food quality and less-than-friendly service lead me to rate it a 3 out of 5. It has potential, but there are areas that need...
Read moreSan Fu Lou, located in Ho Chi Minh City's Ben Thanh District 1, is conveniently positioned near popular tourist attractions like Ben Thanh Market. The restaurant itself is large with a modern, comfortable setting, offering air-conditioned indoor seating that’s perfect for escaping the city’s heat. The open kitchen adds to the dining experience, allowing guests to see dishes being freshly prepared.
Known for its authentic Cantonese menu, San Fu Lou excels in dim sum, roasted meats, and noodle dishes, all crafted with quality ingredients and traditional cooking techniques. I tried the San Fu Lou fried rice with shrimp, scallop, squid, and chili paste (VND188,000). While it was decent, it didn’t particularly stand out.
Service was average, but a notable plus is the restaurant’s late-night hours, staying open until 3am. It was relatively empty around midnight, making it a great option for night owls. They also accept credit cards and Apple Pay, which is convenient.
Though it doesn’t meet the high standards of Hong Kong Cantonese cuisine, San Fu Lou is a solid choice for anyone craving a taste of Cantonese food in Ho...
Read moreFirst is their services, the service experience was straight up dreadful. When I arrived at the restaurant, no one greeted us and we were forced to go to a random table by ourselves. When taking order, they refused to take notes, so they kept forgetting what we ordered. Then come the food serving, waiter sticked his thumbs in our food, spilled our drinks and glared at us while walking away. Additionally, dont be surprise when waitresses will take around a minute to recognize you are calling for them (there were only 4 out of 9 tables occupied at our section).
Next is the food, its decent at best. But why would you ever eat decent food at premium price? Most of our food tasted like frozen foods or re-heated premade dumplings (they cant even provide fresh dumplings?).
The only thing which was decent is their decorations. The Chinese-theme decorations were good.
Overall, there are better premium Chinese restaurants out there with better food quality like Dim Tu Tac. However, you may try other branches for more...
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