I had heard about this place. But when I heard that the place had a new opened a new buffet and noddle bar for lumch, I had to go and check it out. I had heard that the Vietnamese food was bland. It was especially at recent place I tried in Kansas City but to my delight, not at this place. I had tried Vietnamese food in other parts of the country and I knew Vietnamese food was better then this bland restuarant before. But here at this new buffet and noodle bar, you can see immediately the character and what Vietnamese food really tastes like.
When I entered, I chose 1 of 11 different noodle type soups, made to order by one of the cooks ( noodles with either tofu, beef and others). While that was being prepared fresh, I sampled the buffet area.
The dishes were not really spicy but well seasoned. The best was the slightly spicy sweet tomato tofu. The spicy yellow curry chicken was excellent and was thick and spicy sweet not spicy hot and was very good. The beef stew in a nice brown broth and vegetables was excellent too and had a lot of flavor. The non fried spring rolls had a lot of vegetables and was very good in the hot sour sauce or the peanut like sauce. The crab rangoon was okay and the Goi Ga chicken salad was bland. The chinese General t'sao was surprisingly good , not too sweet, moist and not burnt to a crisp. Hunan chicken and the Moo Go Gai Pan chicken were better then I had expected. One of the premier ones I heard of the tempura like sweet potatoes were mushy and not very good.But it was the noodle soup I wanted to find out about. I ordered the meatball version s I heard about it. It came with vermicelli, vegetables and jalapeno strips in a clear tasty broth. The beef ball was actually cut into little strips. It was little chewy and did not have much flavor. The owner and staff were very cordial. I definitely will come back with my wife and my son is interested too.
Rating Detail:
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Value: 5
Overall: 5
Best Mongolian BBQ ever. Every kind of meat you could want on the buffet. Lots of fresh veggies, good sauces. Try it , you wont be sorry. Bring a big appetite, its all you can eat.
Rating Detail:
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Value: 5
Overall: 5
Zen Zero is absolutely the best place to eat in Lawrence, and my husband and I always go there when we get a chance to visit the college town. Both their masaman curry and yellow curry are phenomenal, and if you're lucky you might get to try one of their daily specials like Mango Chicken curry. I highly recommend this for people who have never tried Thai food before because there is just enough of a twist to make it easier for the American palate to enjoy. Good for vegetarians and vegans - they have the best tofu in their dishes, head and shoulders above other Asian places. Good, solid, delicious food.
Rating Detail:
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Value: 5
Overall: 5
Re: “The Malay Café”
Have eaten here for years and found the service very personal and enjoyable. The food is always fresh and always delightful. Nothing is done half way. Highly recommended.