had the Mala beef soup noodles, and they were amazing. The hand cut noodles had a great texture and…read morejust the right amount of chew, while the broth was rich, flavorful, and packed with spice. The bowl also came with a generous mix of fresh vegetables and tender meat, which made it feel hearty and well balanced. Every bite had a great combination of noodles, broth, spice, and toppings. Overall, a delicious and satisfying bowl of noodles. I'd definitely come back to try more from the menu.

非常地道的继承了东大兰州拉面优秀的传统，给我四五片牛肉的牛肉面。 咱就是说来美国了，你要赚的rmb…read more我理解你给这点，但您收的是美金，批发牛肉什么价格自己有点数好吗 一颗星，我去吃李面请刀削面，面吃完 肉还有，差距就在这。 Ok, guys, you will pay $15 for noodle with several piece of cooked beef......

I've been coming to Sumika for many years. Since I live in the area, it's one of my go-to places…read morefor lunch, and I usually get the bento box. I've come with friends as well as with my mom, and the food is always fresh and consistently good. One of my favorite things about coming here with my mom is that she speaks Japanese and sometimes likes to ask the waitstaff if they speak Japanese. Surprisingly, we've had at least two servers who do! She'll happily chat with them in Japanese and tell them about how she lived in Japan when she was young. It's always fun to watch her make that connection. Sumika is very popular, so I usually recommend making a reservation, even for lunch. On weekends, there can be quite a line. A longtime Los Altos favorite that I'm always happy to return to!

We came back this time and we had a great experience as well. We got sat quickly and there was no…read moreline. Space is on the tighter side but there's enough room. Service was prompt and food came out one at a time, ending with the skewers which all came out together. I thought they were all very good except for the skin (kawa) which I thought lacked flavor compared to the others. My favorite item from them isn't even one of the skewers, but the oyako don which is my favorite Item here. It's so good. The chicken meat is soft snd juicy with the egg and the rice has a bit of an egg chicken broth taste.

I've wanted to try this place for a while and it definitely lived up to the hype. Every dish was…read moreextremely flavorful. It's hard to pick a favorite but I have to go with the crispy rice claypot with black cod. I went with one other person but this place seems like it would be perfect for a medium sized party so you can try more of their amazing offerings! Make sure to make a reservation in advance because the place is pretty small. I can't wait to return!

Busy spot with limited seating, so they're usually booked out or full. They were accommodating with…read moreour party since we arrived slightly late and separately, which I appreciated. The tomato appetizer was literally just a sliced tomato with some salt, so that was pretty underwhelming. The scallop appetizer was like one scallop was sliced extremely thin, and the shishito peppers weren't too flavorful either. The crispy rice dishes were definitely the highlight for me. They had a really nice char and good texture, and the unagi on top was really good as well. The other dishes were just okay to me. Overall, I thought the crispy rice dishes were the standout.

I'm not a huge going-out-to-breakfast person. Breakfast out usually tastes overly greasy and a bit…read moreflavorless and has fruit that texture of styrofoam. But after an early-morning appointment at Stanford, I was looking for a place to sit down and eat for a while--and I'm so glad I chose Sweet Maple. I had two scrambled eggs, which were cooked perfectly, and the brussels sprouts and potato mix was so good that I'm still thinking about it. It was savory and lightly salted and caramelized in all the right ways. I also had the Millionaire's bacon, which wasn't overly sweet and perfect with my breakfast. The ambiance is friendly and professional, and the decor shows that it's a bit more of an upscale place--which was reflected in the service I received.

We arrived at the restaurant around noon and were told there'd be a 20-minute wait, so we popped…read moreinto a nearby café for coffee first. Perfect timing -- by the time we finished our drinks, our table was ready, so the wait didn't feel long at all. The menu had so many tempting options that it was a shame there were only two of us to try everything. Next time I'd love to bring more friends along so we can order more dishes to share. The service was wonderful -- our server checked in on us throughout the meal and was genuinely friendly. The plating was really creative too. The eggs were cooked to perfection, and the chicken & waffles combo was such an inventive pairing -- very Instagram-worthy. Overall, a really enjoyable meal. Can't wait to go back with a bigger group!

A bit of a late post, but we had our wedding dinner here in December. The event was last minute as…read morethe goal was to have my mom join before she couldn't anymore, so this was incredibly meaningful. We kept it small and intimate (12 people) and Michelle was absolutely fantastic with answering all my questions and making sure everything went smoothly. We reserved a portion of the outdoor area with a few dividers, and the staff were kind and accommodating. The family loved the food - in fact, it was the first time I had seen my mom eaten so much in a very long time. The noodles were my favorite :) We had come here a few times before and all were great times, but very special shout out to the staff here. Thanks for making that evening special for me, my husband, and our family.

Unfortunately we were disappointed by the quality of food. We were expecting dishes with a more…read moreheavier taste profile of Indonesia but we felt that it was more Chinese/Western based. We tried the sea bass which we had to ask to give back because it was really not what we expected. The fish filet itself was dry and did not taste fresh, it was very different than what was detailed in the menu and there was a broth under the filet. I don't know, we just weren't expecting a fish soup. Next, we tried the crispy pork and mie goreng with high expectations, and instead we were disappointed yet again. I think we will try to explore other Southeast asian cuisines. Thank you!

My wife picked Tamarine for my early birthday celebration dinner. The restaurant was packed on a…read moreSaturday night but we snagged a 7pm reservation during Labor Day weekend. The restaurant is lively and loud, with walls adorned with cool art highlighting Vietnamese culture. The menu and prices reflect the upscale nature of the cuisine - you can have Wagyu for Pho or Shaking Beef. It reminds me of Slanted Door in San Ramon, only Tamarine has better food and selections: 1. Shaking Beef - a must-get dish, and the default filet mignon beef cooked medium is still super soft and juicy. 2 Chicken wontons - the appetizer is a riff on the Sichuan style red chili oil pork wontons and is just as good. The ground chicken really works here. 3 Green Papaya Salad is okay, but the standout it the beef jerky which is excellent - our 6yo gobbled all of it. 4. Clay Pot Cod - super flakey, soft and moist and packed with sweet-savory flavors. A luxurious fish best eaten with Jasmine rice, which comes nicely steamed in a large banana leaf. 5. The Hoisin-Land Chops cooked medium were good, but still somewhat fatty with some pink parts. Maybe medium well would have been better. 6. Basil Tofu - excellent appetizer - crispy soft tofu and aromatic crispy basil leaves. 7. Roti Banh Mi - basically a buttery, crispy Roti with curry-like dip - no beef flavors or pickled elements. Its beyond me what its called Banh Mi. 8. Lastly, save room for dessert - a slice of Hojicha Burnt Creme Cheese Cake with Strawberry Compote. Thick, creamy, and hint of green tea and definitely shareable with three people. Highly recommend for a dinner splurge in Palo Alto. They have a good sized parking lot in the back of the restaurant.

Met up with some old colleagues here the other day for dinner and the food was was amazing as…read moreusual! I'm glad we made reservations as the restaurant was quite packed on a Monday evening. Because they are located at the beginning of downtown, there is usually plenty of parking on the adjacent streets and also a parking garage directly behind the restaurant at the Webster/Cowper Garage. The restaurant is well-lit, clean, and inviting. The tables are well-spaced from each other. For the appetizer we started with their salt and pepper calamari. This was excellent and was was served with a cilantro lime dipping sauce. Since a few of them have never dined at Tamarine or it's been years, I recommended one of my favorite dishes to share, the Empress Rice. The garlic and ginger sticky rice topped with a sunny-side up egg and drizzled with sweet soy sauce is a must. They break the egg and mix it in table-side. We also ordered their garlic noodles which was also great. Traditionally other restaurants use lo mein noodles or thin spaghetti, but they use egg noodles here. You can taste that wok-tossed garlic, butter, and parmesan cheese flavor in the noodles. I think there was a hint of black pepper too. For the mains, the shaking beef is always a hit. The filet mignon beef cubes are so tender and cooked a perfect medium rare. It's served with a side of arugula salad. It was our first time trying their lemon grass sea bass and we all loved it. Since this was pan roasted there was this flavorful lemongrass and garlic crust on the fish! The service here is consistently friendly and attentive. Our waters were constantly refilled and empty dishes removed promptly. Even though there are many new restaurants in downtown Palo Alto, year after year, I keep coming back to Tamarine and have been for the last decade+!

No wait for my party of 5 on a Sunday evening. Service was very efficient and dishes came promptly…read more We shared Chef Chu's famous chicken salad, minced chicken in lettuce cups, boneless crisp aromatic duck, Sichuan-style string beans, pan-seared black pepper steak, and steamed Chilean sea bass with black bean sauce. Everything was pretty good. My favorites were the boneless crisp aromatic duck which was very flavorful, minced chicken in lettuce cups, and steamed Chilean sea bass with black bean sauce which was super tender. We thought the pan-seared black pepper steak would be thinner slices but they were large chunks. Pretty tender though. The chicken salad and string beans were just ok for me compared to the other dishes. Overall not super authentic but still a tasty meal and fun to eat here given the hype and history of the restaurant.

4*Chef Chu's Chinese Los Altos…read morePopular historic Cantonese food with traditional dishes Mu shu Peking duck with bao and "tortillas" All high quality, delicious food Mango sherbet dessert was good Food service was efficient Dozens of tables "Chef Chu" refers to Lawrence Chu, owner of the famous Chef Chu's restaurant in Los Altos, California. He is the father of Jon M. Chu, the Hollywood director who directed the hit 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians and Wicked

My wife and I love wildfire!! Gabriela gave great service and Karina makes the best Paloma's. My…read morewife likes her mojitos too!

Ok we went back and Yall Got to Try to Carrot Cake Dessert! (If they have it...). It actually is…read morereal healthy caked carrot, not like you're thinking, but it's made good with spices and talent! The momo's were delicious! And we also got the bison jerky plate again, which is kinda what I want here . We're gonna be back!

Stopped by Charley's for a quick to-go order and the service was fast and friendly, which I…read moreappreciated. Unfortunately, the food itself was just okay. I ordered the veggie egg roll, fried dumplings, and the eggplant ground pork fried noodles. The egg rolls came with ketchup instead of any kind of sweet chili sauce, which was a bit disappointing. The dumplings were fine, nothing special. The noodles were pretty dry and lacked flavor or spice. The ambiance during lunch wasn't great- no music, just one server managing everything, and a few high school kids on their lunch break. Overall, it's probably better as a takeout spot. For the price, I might go back if I need an easy, fast lunch, but I'd be going in with low expectations.

I've been going to this place since I was a kid (maybe even before I could remember). I remember…read morewhen Charley was around and used to go around and greet all the customers, so I have very fond memories of this place. You can't beat their prices as well! I can speak for the dishes I've tried which include the ramen, tofu, and a few other apps (I do not eat meat so I can't review those dishes). All of these dishes came in a timely manner and had good flavor and taste. It's a very homey atmosphere and the host is always very friendly with us.

Incredible birthday dinner for my family - though they didn't catch it was a birthday, I did see…read moreother tables get candles. The food was incredible - very unique and creative fusion dishes. My favorite was were the corn tartlet, Lu ruo lasagna, scallion croissant, and the Wagyu was great. Very quiet and nice inside with attentive servers. The price was reasonable for four of us

First time here, was lucky to get the only available reservation time 8:45pm on Thursday evening to…read morecelebrate birthday. I was concerned that the restaurant closes at 9pm. I left a voicemail and the manager returned my call assuring me we will get the full experience and we did! It was the restaurant manager who made our meal an awesome one. Our server was a bit lackluster unfortunately. Hubby and I ordered cocktail drinks and 3 dishes: - Vesper: nice and strong - Yuzu: a little too tart - Hamachi (no amberjack tonight): our favorite dish - croissant loaf: a must try. The meat floss butter was a nice Taiwanese touch! - Lu Rou lasagna: Recommended by manager. It was unique! I wished the lu rou was better Overall, we enjoyed the food and the experience. Would love to return to try different dishes!