Top Asian Fusion Restaurant in Menlo Park
Mrs Khan Uyghur Cuisine
712 Santa Cruz Ave, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
I really hoped the food would be better as it would be so nice to have a good Uyghur restaurant in the Bay Area. Ive always loved Uyghur food and I went to Xinjiang in China specifically because I loved their food. Unfortunately this restaurant doesnt taste even close to what I expected. In fact the small Uyghur restaurants in any medium or large cities in China taste better. I feel maybe this restaurant is trying to cater to everyone and a result it caters to no one.Lets talk about lamb first as lamb kebob is often what introduced most Chinese to Uyghur food but there are two major problems. First there is no fat but lamb kebob needs fat to bring out the flavor of the lean meat portion of the kebab so now you ended up with flavorless chunk of meat. The second problem is that there is no flavoring. The spice is out on the side but thats a no no as spices needs to be grilled on the meat to flavor the meat. Its not meant as pepper thats added after grilling. As I said when you cater to everyone you cater to no one.The menu has may dishes that look almost Indian food but they are not the same as the naan is much thicker and they dont taste as fresh as what I had in other Uyghur restaurants and once again very bland.The pearl noodle is like macaroni without the holes in the middle and in Xinjiang we call it Ding Ding and its probably the best of the lot and its not saying much. The meat with the pearl noodles is not tender and the flavoring for the noodle has too much tomatoes so almost tastes like spaghetti.Lastly we also the grilled gluten which is a typical Northern Chinese street food and its grilled too much without the chewiness of typical grilled gluten.So overall, I cannot recommend this place at all even though I really hoped for a good Uyghur restaurant.The service is so so but the place itself is cool as the tables are huge even for the smaller tables and it almost has a Turkish Moroccan vibe to the place.
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Camper
898 Santa Cruz Ave, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
TL, DR: The food here was pretty good, especially for the Peninsula. Had it cost a bit less, and had the service been a bit better, it would have been 4-stars.I took my boyfriend here for his birthday and overall, we had a good time. We ran into a snag when we first arrived - we were a bit early for our reservation and our table was still occupied. Not a problem, we grabbed seats at the bar to get a drink. At the time of our reservation, though, our table was still occupied. Ultimately, we wound up sitting at the bar. Not a huge deal, but not great start to what was meant to be a special meal. I reminded the host about his birthday, and I was hoping that we might get a glass of champagne to celebrate, especially after the table snafu. No such luck.We ordered a bunch of things to share - the oysters, deviled eggs, tuna crudo, burrata, and a steak. The oysters were fine, nothing special. At $4, they seemed about $1 too expensive, but ok. The deviled eggs looked bland when they arrived but they actually tasted better than they looked. Lots of garlic, which I liked. The tuna crudo looked amazing but tasted only ok. The texture of the tuna was a little off for me, as if it was a day old, and it was lacking in any real flavor. The other bits, like the guava and sour limes, had lots of flavor, but I really wanted to revel in the raw tuna and that felt like a missed opportunity here. The burrata was great. If the bread was a bit toasted, this would have been a 5-star dish. So creamy, so rich, balanced with some earthy flavors of artichoke, radicchio, and sunchoke puree. Id definitely order it again. The filet mignon stole the show. Medium rare leaning towards rare, the sauce added richness, the crispy kale gave good texture on the side, and the potatoes were really crunchy outside.At the end of the meal we were handed a dessert menu and told we know its your birthday, but is there anything else you want for dessert? We assumed that meant something was coming and we were beyond stuffed already so we said no. Apparently no dessert was coming, so our waitress gave my boyfriend a little birthday hat stick for his drink. It felt forced and disappointing. We asked for the check, and then Im not sure what happened, but next thing we knew we had a scoop of ice cream with a candle in it. Im not sure if there was a mix up or what, but it all just felt... weird.The meal came to about $275 with drinks, tax, and tip. It was about $75 more than I thought it deserved, maybe a little more when you consider the table / bar situation. All in all though, my boyfriend was happy, which is all that matters. The food was tasty and I wouldnt mind going back, though next time Id just stick to the steak.
Madera
2825 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
I am incredibly disappointed and saddened by the terrible experience I had at Madera. This is especially heartbreaking for me because I made this reservation to dine with my brother, who I only see once every 2 years or so. I made a reservation well in advance thinking that a Michelin star restaurant would be packed on a Friday night. When I arrived, it was nearly empty.The service was terrible. I wish they had a self-servicing option so that I could at least serve my brother and his wife properly. It was so embarrassing to sit through this horrible dinner. The waitress was completely disengaged, and she didnt know the menu very well. She barely checked up on us and didnt even refill our glasses once. When she brought out my brothers whiskey, it had crumbly ice cubes that had already started diluting the drink. When my brother asked for another glass, she just brought him another large ice cube in a cup.My brother is a big foodie and asked the waitress if he should get the Wagyu beef. This was the worst ~$100 I have ever seen be spent on food. This is a big warning to everyone. Do not get the Wagyu beef. She said it was the highest grade of beef and that it was so fatty that it cut like butter. The knife could barely pass through the meat, and it tasted like bacon. We got the risotto, duck, scallops, and some appetizers. My risotto was under cooked, my boyfriends duck was overcooked, the scallops and the appetizers were fine, but nothing to write home about.Ultimately, here is the message I want to convey to my readers. If youre planning a special occasion with a group of people you love, please find another restaurant. If there is one thing I want to get out of this terrible experience, its to be able to warn others and prevent them from having a terrible experience with people they dont see often and love dearly. I highly recommend making a reservation at a cozy restaurant filled with a staff that cares about you and your guests. I want you to have an experience where the staff is personal, take pride in their food, engages with you and your guests, and brings joy to the table. If you need recommendations, feel free to reach out. Id be more than happy to give you some amazing recommendations in the Bay Area.And to the Michelin Guide Inspectors: Im sure that you have a lot on your plate, and its difficult to show your presence at so many different culinary institutions. However, if you have a moment to spare, I would respectfully ask for Madera to be re-assessed so as not to misinform people who are planning a special night with the people they love the most. At the end of the day, it always boils down to sharing a precious moment filled with joy, whether thats a party of 1 or 20. I feel that the Michelin Guide has led many people to having excellent joyful experiences, and I trust you all will continue to uphold those high standards.Respectfully,Soo
Lotus Restaurant
625 Oak Grove Ave Unit B, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
If you are following me... well you know I like Asian food. I actually like Vietnamese food amongst my ? fave.I found a place, northern California. Its newly opened as Lotus Restaurant. The owner is Vietnamese Chinese and he just opened 4 months ago and completely renovated the place. The restaurant has Asian fusion food ? going on...Atmosphere - Minamilistic, clean, and tidy. I loved the vibe. The food is delicious. The Pho was perfect. My daughter ordered Hawaiian Teriyaki chicken... and gobbled up her macaroni salad because just loved it.Great place for singles. Couples or family.
The Mandarin
1029 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
I originally wanted to give it two stars, but considering that the store has just opened and it may not be easy during the epidemic, Ill give it four stars.Taste: four starsThe rattan pepper fish and sand shrimp are not bad, the ingredients are fresh, and the taste can be given four to four and a half stars. But with the price of 68 yuan per fish, the price-performance ratio is a matter of opinion. The white meat with garlic paste was really average. The meat itself was not cooked thoroughly and it was not cut thin enough, so the skin was still a bit chewy.Service: Two starsThere is a serious shortage of manpower. There is only one person serving the front desk, and there are probably only three people in the kitchen and the boss. Although it is understandable that there is a labor shortage in the current market, opening the business with such a small number of manpower is a bit hasty and outrageous. One cold dish and two hot dishes. It took about an hour to serve the dishes one after another. Such a slow serving speed makes the dining experience really poor. After finishing one dish, you can only stare and wait for the next one. Seeing that the boss was really busy coming in and out and was quite polite, I didnt have the nerve to complain. However, the new store left such an impression on customers when it opened, and the return rate is probably worrying.Its a pity. If the owner is willing to hire more people to improve the service, it will still be a hotel with potential. But before that, I won't go back.
Son & Garden
1195 Merrill St, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
Incredible! Amazing and fun atmosphere with great decorations and pretty food. Staff was accommodating and friendly.The restaurant uses a digital QR menu but they will give you a physical one if you ask. Along with being visually attractive, the food is tasty and will make you full.I would mostly recommend this to tourists, one time visitors, or for special occasions, however, since the food is very expensive and focuses mainly on looks/aesthetics.Business owner informationKasem S.Business Owner11/15/2022Hi Jack, thrilled to hear you found the dishes tasty and love our presentation. Glad you also have friendly service from our staff.Read moreLeilani P.Elite 2022Seal Beach, CA306412211/17/20224 photosi will say the food is pretty good, and they give good portions but some of the menu items are definitely overpriced. $12 for a matcha & $9 for fresh squeezed OJ is a bit much. the service was just okay, they were giving us a hard time and hella attitude about reservations - we had a tea reservation and a brunch reservation & when we called to cancel the tea reservation (days before) they cancelled both and blamed us for the issue. this place is really small compared to the location on merrill street.*fried chicken benedict*bibimbap*sakura latte*brown sugar matcha latte*coconut latteRichmonds F.Rodeo, CA0211/16/2022The atmosphere and the look of the place is nice. When I tell you the service is HORRIBLE and DISGUSTING.I called to make a reservation and I was told that there was no availability for a reservation. I asked my friend that is the same nationality as the owners to call and try to make a reservation to see if he got the same response.When his call was answered and he started to speak in their language they immediately booked him a reservation for the same day and time. Not knowing that the reservation was for me. That was the first issue.You are allotted an hour to eat your food. They time you to a TEE for that hour. They will pick up your plate of food when you are not done eating, they will wipe the table off with you sitting at it (not caring if they are wiping food or drinks in your lap) the staff literally stands over your shoulder watching you eat.What I noticed is that it is only with African Americans. The restaurant was FULL but all the focus was on US. Our hour was the ONLY hour that mattered.The encounter with the manager/owner was disgusting. She told us out hour was up and that it was time for us to go. When we were able to leave (due to packing up our food) we were standing outside on the corner and the owner came out and she pushed right through our group almost knocking my 82 year old grandmother down.I was in shock at the behavior I witnessed and I would NEVER go back or recommend this place. She needs to be shut down because she is a racist. How? In San Francisco.Thuy K.Elite 2022Reno, NV639727911/6/20224 photosLike many other patrons, my friends and I definitely came here for the aesthetics!Sometimes the food looks better than it tastes when it comes to these aesthetically pleasing