02/10/09

Over-rated and Over-priced

by conehead

The kamachi appetizer was tasteless. The salt and pepper calamari was awful and it was cuttlefish, not calamari; we had it removed from the bill. The shaking beef was $26 and marginal at best.

The cost of the meal without tip or drinks was $67 for 2. For that kind of money I could have a great meal at Slanted Door or for half that amount, I could have a much better meal at 3 Seasons on Steiner.

01/17/09

Good Food & Services

by delicious18

We went to eat at Bong Su last night. The ambiance was very nice; the waiters were very attentive. We were happy with the services and food. I liked the Bong Su Tastes and the Caramelized Black Cod that we ordered, and the other dishes such as the Shaking Beef and Ribs were not bad. However, I was kind of disappointed with their dessert selections. We ordered the 3 degree chocolate and the petitie fours, they both were not impressive. Overall, this is a very nice restaurant to go if you skip the dessert.

• Pros: Food & Services
• Cons: Pricey

10/16/07

Worst service ever!..a total disaster

by gegori

A group (7) of us decided to try Bongsu Saturday night in SF and while expectations of the service we would receive were low, due to our experiences at Tamarine, we in no manner set the bar low enough.

We had OpenTable reservations for 8pm and started ordering at about 8:15pm once we were seated. I didn't time it because I didn't realize our meal of appetizers and main courses would take over 3 hours, but after we ordered, I am estimating our first appetizers did not arrive until around 9pm. Then we had about another 1/2 hour until our soup arrived (9:30). Then, our main courses probability arrived around 10:15 to 10:30.

When it was time for dessert, I asked the manager (in a suit) that if we ordered dessert would we have it for breakfast. He said he would send someone right over to take our order. About 5 minutes later our server showed up and took our dessert order. At around 10:45pm when nothing had arrived, I told her to forget the desserts that were done. Oh..she told me she would not charge us for desserts!

Throughout the night, it was obvious that there was a major breakdown in the service. The table next to us ripped into the manager for about 5 minutes regarding the poor service they had received. I am not a restaurateur, but Bongsu has a serious gap between Core vs Context. Why are the servers wasting time folding napkins when one leaves the table and replacing used beer glasses when empty serving plates sit on the table for 20 minutes and food is not arriving.

Is 3 hours a reasonable time to be served only appetizers and main courses? By the end of the night, around 11+ pm, we were about the only table left and when we tried to get our coats from the coat check, nobody was to be found. That took about 5 to 10 minutes, eventually the bar tender helped out.

Other items:

-empty beer bottles and dishes left on the table

-waiter/manager never apologized for poor service/issues. I think they had gone to bed by the time we left

• Pros: Zero..
• Cons: Horrible services destroys whatever might be good about the food

09/23/07

Great Food with Knowledgeable Friendly Service

by cgreenend

Bong Su is a great date spot. We were there on a Sunday evening and enjoyed the atmosphere, decor and service. The 'Shaking Beef' dish was my favorite and was tender and well seasoned. The appetizers and "family style" service made for a great evening...highly recommended.

• Pros: Delicious food, Knowledgeable and helpful wait staff and great decor
• Cons: On the expensive side

08/05/07

Bad Service

by qed_sf

As we sat in the car waiting, the valet just stood at the passenger window of a limo chatting with the driver. So I dropped my passengers to have them secure our table, while I drove around looking for street parking. They reported to me later that they were not seated by the host since all members of our party (me) were not there. Strangely, the host didn't seem to care that the valet was chatting rather than trying to move cars at $10 a pop.

When I arrived, it was another 10 minutes of waiting while they said they were preparing the table.

Once at the table, it was another 10 minutes for someone to welcome us. The wait staff seemed nice enough and took our drink orders and brought us water. My glass had lipstick imprints from a prior user and some crusty bits welded to the exterior.

Another 10 minutes of nice conversation and, hey, didn't we order drinks? Another 10 minutes and our waiter returned to apologized but she had spilled our drinks, but took our food order. An appetizer sampler plate for two sounded like a good start, but we were an odd numbered group could we get it to match? No problem--great!

Another 10 minutes and our drinks arrived. For an $11 drink that tasted like it was premixed earlier in the day, a bit steep.

Later the appetizers arrived, but short one serving. They rushed off with the impression they'd be right back. 5 minutes later, another 5 minutes, another 5 minutes. "Pardon, our appetizer arrived and disappeared. We're actually fine if it's a bit short."

Another 5 minutes and...the appetizer? No, an amuse bouche that our neighbors (who arrived after us) received earlier. Ours came with an apology for the delayed appetizer. But starting into the first sip, our appetizers arrive.

After that, I just stopped caring, desparate to get out. The only dissonance to this horrible experience was that the food wasn't bad--on par with Slanted Door. If you want equivalent food visit Pagolac on Larkin.

• Pros: Decent Food
• Cons: Really bad service.

06/30/07

Terrific

by apuljos

Went to Bong Su on Friday night and really, really enjoyed it. My party of four included a business client who travels in southeast asia. His opinion of the restaurant was very enlightening. First and foremost, we both agreed that Bong Su took a very unique stylish atmosphere and actually delivered with a terrific meal. The style, from the restrooms to the illuminated bar, to the very attractive hostess in very unique outfits made quite the impression. Unlike many stylish restaurants, this place delivered on the food as well. If your food knowledge of vietnamese cuisine is limited to pho, noodles and grilled meat you will be blown away that vietnamese food can be brought to such a high level of production. The fried whole fish was something that you would be hard pressed to find in almost any other restaurant in the City. The da nang beef roll, with silky rice noodle covering grilled beef was superb. The prawns covered in a crispy rice were something I had never seen before and finally my favorite, a pork dish with fried shallot served with steamed rice topped with a quail egg were to die for. My dining companion concurred that in all of his travels in asia, the highest end restaurants of Bangkok and Saigon don't even deliver something as good. All dishes were paired with wine as we requested and the server and wine director made terrific selections. I highly recommend this restaurant.

06/14/07

Average at best...not worth the $$$.

by loubrenda

This space was formerly Max's Diner and has been beautifully transformed into a gorgeous, chic atmosphere that just exudes peacefulness. Kudos to the interior decorator! Unfortunately, ambiance is all it has going for it! I've been here twice and the first time was in the first weeks that it had opened. In my last visit, it's obvious that the excitement of a new restaurant has worn off. There were only a few tables occupied on a friday night, and the bar was completely empty with the exception of the wait service passing through. My only explanation is that the food is average at best and the prices are very high. There are so many other "hot spots" in the area that Bong Su has not been able to compete.

I had the opportunity to meet the owner who seemed very impersonable. Not what I expected for a restaurant owner.

The host seemed "out of sorts", and our waiter not very warm. The ambiance of the candles and earthy golden silk fabric did not match the indifferent attitude of the staff or owner. Yes, indifferent. Btw, beware of the votive candles sitting behind the corner booth of the bar area! Anyone with long hair who may be inclined to tilt their head back may just find their hair singed if not on fire!

if you're looking for a nice place to get together for after work cocktails and you kinda want the place to yourselves, the bar is good for that. Have a few signature cocktails (their pretty good), and order some appetizers, but don't expect the place to be "the place to be". I hope they turn things around, but judging from the other reviews before me, I'm not the only one who will never go back!

• Pros: Ambiance has the feel of a day spa...very soothing
• Cons: pricey, food not memorable or unique

03/10/07

Yummy food with date ambiance

by f8d

Duck mustard wraps - yummy. Crab & garlic noodles - bland - glass noodles with not much flavor. Shaking beef - tasty, tender & wonderful! Cod - frsh & delicious. Cailan (chinese broccoli) - average, same everywhere. Banana & chocolate samosa - disappointing - no banana in fried samosa filled with chocolate.

Ambiance - cozy & romantic. Can have quiet conversation.

• Pros: food, ambiance, not noisy
• Cons: dessert, a bit pricey

02/07/07

Good place, kinda pricey

by xander1

My heading best describes this place. I'm use to mom's cooking and some of the dishes are reminiscent of those dishes (beef rolls and carmalized cod). This place cannot be compared to Slanted Door in that Slanted Door is quasi-Vietnamese. I would compare it to Tao (in the Mission) instead. The food, again, is comparable, but Tao is priced better. My main comment is the staff. The hostesses were quite rude and our waiting was very condescending. He was attempting to school me on my own culture. Anyways, good place for a mild celebration with friends...I guess.

• Pros: some good dishes
• Cons: not priced accordingly

01/24/07

Contemporary Vietnamese cuisine presented in a fresh oasis of high design.

by Joanna Currier

The Scene
"Bong su" is the Vietnamese phrase for plumeria, and the seductive, imported beauties are used throughout this sumptuous space. Long and narrow, the gauzy dining room soothes with sandstone carvings, Buddha heads, bamboo screens and a palate of earth tones ranging from bittersweet chocolate to dusky orange. Behind the hostess station beckons a stylish, modern full bar and lounge.

The Food
Chef Tammy Huynh has crafted a menu of refined regional creations from across her native Vietnam, with each dish marked accordingly (North, Central, South). Standout sides include the Empress Rice--small pillows of soft grains topped with ginger and raw quail egg--and a whole, stuffed, honey-roasted quail. Tangy salads come plump with refreshing shreds of mango and papaya. Dishes are strongest when not too sweet, such as the lemongrass bass enhanced with a subtle kick of turmeric. For dessert, banana-stuffed beignets are warm pockets of delight.