Orient Chinese-Vietnamese Restaurant

1 Star really, but I've had worse experiences and the food was 3 star quality.

Im looking forward to trying Pho Lang Thang tomorrow, despite that I'll probably need to hitch a cab from the hotel. Orient Chinese-Vietnamese did not satisfy.

My biggest disappointment is actually focused at fellow Yelpers. They ate here, so they must have read the sign (Vietnamese Chinese) and neglected to mention, or notice, that its actually Chinese fusion on Vietnamese. Plus, they speak Mandarin. The beef noodle soup is NOT pho because pho is always made with a beef broth with star anise and a shit ton of other spices providing a complex flavor... But this is made simply with clean, simple tasting vegetable broth... Or maybe it was chicken broth... But far from Pho broth, anyways.

To the fault of the restaurant, the ancient asian woman who appeared to be a cook gave me a nasty look like I was in the wrong place when I walked in. The server dude, typically the owner in these types of places, looked at me like I had 3 heads when I politely asked for the "steak on the side" and then sternly said "no." But in most places outside of California, I get that a lot and it's usually because of public health and safety laws requiring red meat to be "somewhat" cooked when served.

Anyways, the soup was tasty up until I discovered a hair in it. And what kind of asian restaurant doesn't have tea? The place was dingy and lacked rooster sauce and proper Vietnamese condiments (fish sauce, hot oil, chili garlic sauce were replaced by Chinese hot mustard and sweet and sour sauce), but I liked that it was very empty.

Conversely, I should have taken that as a clear and present sign:

Dinning Fail

Decidedly average.  Saturday lunch chicken did not taste particularly fresh and they were out of snow peas.  Additionally, this is another downtown business that frustratingly does not accept credit cards.  The ~1.5% charge would be recouped in repeat business if they made paying easier.  Does anyone like carrying cash anymore?

I liked it. I got the Pad Thai for lunch and ate at the bar. Service was quick and pleasant. Be sure you bring cash. It's cash only. The Pad Thai dish didn't have the peanut butter flavor that I like, but with a little of the house hot sauce, it was pretty good. This is a good place for a quick lunch downtown if you're looking for some Chinese-type food.