"On the recommendation of a friend, I came out here with a group of friends to try their food. I think if you don 't really care about having authentic Vietnamese flavors , this restaurant would be pretty decent. But as a Vietnamese person I 'm pretty biased and have higher standards for ~my people~ LOL. From what I understand Star Anise is fusion, Vietnamese and American. But from what I 've seen tastes it 's more so Vietnamese dishes with substitutes that cater more so to the American tongue. Rice dish com tam) Pickled veggies are replaced by a chunk of mandarins and onions. Short ribs kind of plain , you can tell the marinade hasn 't set into the meat and was just more so brushed on Shaking Beef Flavors of the beef are not very traditionally Vietnamese for shaking beef, but more flavorful than the short ribs . Rather than potato, they sub it with mandarin and kale . Oof. How can you have shaking beef with no potato : . Tamarind wings couldn 't taste anything remotely close to tamarind unfortunately. Kind of salty. Salmon rolls can 't go wrong with salmon baby. Standard spring roll wrap but with salmon ! Taro i purple you drink The taro is left in like, thin strands in the drink that catches your throat on the way down. Unfortunately not a huge fan, I prefer Tapioca Express much more. Passion Fruit Lemonade Not bad , flavors were typical of what this drink is at other places. Fruity and tarty! Seating Indoor and outdoor available. Cute interior! Parking Lots of parking on the side. Overall , I would not pay these prices to have watered down Vietnamese food that isn 't authentic. If you really care about having true Vietnamese flavors just drive to SJ. This restaurant is white washed, but it 's in a techy area so understandable."
