2/5 Stranger 5. 3 years ago on Google
I
arrived
being
the
first
customer
after
the
restaurant
opened
on
a
mid-morning
Saturday.
I
dreamt
of
an
exceptional
breakfast,
but
knew
from
experience
to
keep
expectations
in
check.
Sure
enough,
this
was
another
restaurant
fail—a
subpar
meal.
I'd
ordered
a
rice
plate
with
grilled
"pork
chops"
(quotes
are
intentional;
you
will
understand
why)
and
shrimp,
plus
a
couple
of
fried
eggs.
The
dish
arrived
promptly
and
was
set
up
overall
very
similar
to
any
other
Vietnamese
establishment.
First
of
two
immediately
recognized
failures:
the
modified
fish
sauce
(a
key
component)
was
only
halfway
to
tasting
like
fully,
gloriously
enjoyable
"modified"
fish
sauce,
as
though
it
was
made
by
a
weak
hand
or
someone
who
unfortunately
gave
up
too
early.
The
second
discernable
offense:
chopped
cilantro
covered
the
plate
liberally,
but
cilantro
simply
doesn't
belong
on
this
dish.
That
gave
the
impression,
"what
are
they
trying
to
mask?"
instead
of,
"maybe
they
are
being
innovative..."
A
related
gripe:
I'd
have
preferred
more
of
scallion
oil.
Unfortunately,
however
few
of
those
good,
necessary
scallion
bits
were
mixed
up
with
the
"meat."
Yes,
I
now
present
the
central
fiasco
of
the
meal:
they
served
pork
meat.
Not
CHOPS;
not
a
single
bone
in
sight.
The
menu
clearly
indicated
pork
chops.
Curious,
I
inquired
the
waiter,
who
brushed
off
my
concerns
and
declared
that
the
meat
was
simply
cut
up
pork
chops.
It
wasn't;
very
easy
to
tell.
And,
the
cooking
method
was
not
a
true
flame
grill
or
broil
but
more
akin
to
Vietnamese
shaking
beef
style,
while
using
marinaded
pork.
Sadly,
it
wasn't
worthwhile
to
protest
further.
Service
was
non-existent
after
the
food
came,
but
that's
actually
normal
for
most
Vietnamese
eateries.
I
proceeded
to
finish
my
brunch
in
silence,
and
went
on
my
way.