My wife and friends convinced me to drive over to ChinaTown and try out the new Vietnamese restaurant. For us, it is a bit of a hike from Henderson. I would have just been happy to have dinner at Pho Mailan (which is really good by the way) or some other place nearby. My wife tells me that 3 of the cooks walked out and left Pho Saigon 8 and work here instead. Given the fact that I can't stand the management at Pho Saigon 8 and their customer service (note: based on our last and final experience there), I decided to give it a swirl (yes, kinda personal there). Anyways, the restaurant is rather new. As you walk in, you will find the restaurant is quite spacious. There are about 30 tables or so, they were evenly spaced, and there is plenty of room to walk by. We were seated and our meals and drinks were takened promptly. Like many Vietnamese restaurant (except Pho Mailan -- really cool there), the customer service is a bit lacking, but not rude. Man, I wish Asian restaurants shore up their wait staff. It probably would bring in more customers and definitely better tips.... a simple hello, smile, and several follow-ups would be nice... however, I find this always lacking... My wife ordered the Fried Rice cakes with Egg and Onions. I ordered the Bun Bo Hue and a drink called 3 color dessert (che ba mau -- spelling.. i can't write viet for the life of me). Btw, 3/4 through the meal, our waiter had to be reminded to bring our drinks. I guess they were a bit busy... Well, my 3 color dessert was pretty good. It had the right mixture of beans and coconut. In addition, they used crushed ice (like the "icies"... i hate it when restaurants serve this with cube ice -- it just does not mix well). Only issue was that the bottom tasted a bit salty. Hmmm, for a dessert, I thought it was a bit strange. Possibly due to the water softener/ice mixture??? Owners may need to check into this. My Bun Bo Hue was served in a large bowl. Usually, the bun bo hue has a "reddish" color to it. When it was served, it had very little color ~ usually, this is a bad sign. However, as I dipped into it, I discovered that the broth was actually pretty good --- good sign. There could have been more meat; however, the meat that was provided was very tender and quite good. My wife's Fried Rice cake was good as well. She commented that this was the only place that she has found that serves this. Pretty interesting. For two, our meal cost about $25 bucks - includes tip (1 dessert, 2 entrees). Here are my ratings: 4 stars - restaurant layout 2.5 stars - service and wait staff 3.5 stars - food Need fixing - outside entrance (safety issue - see below). Overall, I would recommend this place ~ 3.5 stars average. I would list them as one of the restuarants that I would go to in China town. By the way, there is a step right out the door. If you are not watching, you can easily trip and fall down onto the pavement. I would recommend to the owners to put up guard rails. Otherwise, they may be liable to a possible lawsuit down the road...
How would this review be described in terms of sentiment?
Select from the following. (1). negative; (2). positive;
(2).