Asian Box

Horrible place. The food was not fresh, the salmon I ordered was cooked at an unknown time, then heated up in the microwave and thrown on top of my salad. And in general everything was sloppy and careless. The tables were greasy and dirty from food, I had to wipe them myself and it was dirty all around. I'm afraid to imagine what's going on in the kitchen... I don't recommend this place, it's awful.

Expensive Salmon Salad with very small amount of salmon, dressing without flavor and a salad with just green leaves. UGH! Wanted to eat there, but all tables were sticky and disgusting.

Six spice chicken with brown rice box is my favorite. They always prep fresh food and love all the goodness in one box for quick lunch time.

Good spot for a quick bowl of rice and protein. Friendly staff and quick service. Some outdoor seating

We came here on a Wednesday night and, as always, the parking lot was a disaster (expect to spend some time finding a spot), but it was worth it: we had some delicious food here. My Chicken Curry was really tasty - I'd highly recommend the yellow curry sauce. The option of making your own box is really useful too and let my daughter pick exactly what she wanted. There's not that much seating inside (just a single bench), but there were a couple of tables outside too. Everyone was really friendly too.

Two of us had lunch here. It is counter service. The menus has an excellent selection and comes across as both tasty and healthy. The price is reasonable and the serving a well sized for all but the super hungry. The bathroom is clean. Parking is available but very crowded at lunch time. We got the Salmon salad and the yellow curry vegetables. Both dishes had great flavor and fresh ingredients the flavor of the curry vegetables is good enough to be considered one of the vegetarian meals in Palo Alto. The only negative (which is easy for the restaurant to fix) was super aggressive wasp trying to get the salmon. As the only seating is outside have to swat at a wasp all meal was disconcerting. They need wasp traps big time.

I got food poisoning here and began throwing up after my meal. I’ve tried calling the store multiple times and the computer says it will connect me to someone then the line drops. Disappointed that the quality has gone down so much as it was one of my fave local allergen friendly options. 😢

Overall, pretty good food, but a bit expensive for what you really get. A convenient place to go and get a rice and protein bow, and the food is good, not anything special though. Good location, though the parking lot was very busy when we went.

Asian Box. If you have any level of immaturity as me you might think the Asian Box is a category you find on adult websites. Perhaps that is where they draw the parallel. I mean who doesn't want to eat an Asian Box. It is kind of broad to name your restaurant the Asian Box when the Asian cuisine covers so many regions and flavors. My first impression is the assembly line is similar to a Chipotle or any poke establishment. They give you the option to customize your own box or pick one of the Chef's Signature Boxes. Each signature box covers a certain Asian cuisine. Add some five spice to the chicken and it could pass for Chinese food. Add some coconut curry to the tofu and you have Thai. Add some springs rolls and garnish the sides with some pickled carrots and you have Vietnamese. There's also boba for the Taiwanese. Unfortunately the rest of the Asians will have to wait for a menu change for their cuisine to be included. Oh by the way, everything is 100% gluten free. For some reasons those techies in the area are allergic to gluten. For my trip here I only tested the Vietnamese side of the menu. I got the shrimp spring roll and the Surf Vietnam box which is like a surf and turf rice plate. The spring rolls were actually pretty good. The sauce was good but was a bit watery and a bit lighter on the peanut butter flavor. The only gripe I had with the spring roll is the pointless bed of lettuce underneath. Garnishing with greens can make a dish more appealing sometimes but not necessary for these spring rolls. The surf and turf plate was decent. Steak was tender but tasted more like a roast beef. Shrimp was seasoned and flavorful. It also comes with a vinaigrette which made it taste more like a salad than a rice plate. I think I would've enjoyed it more with a traditional fish sauce. All in all, I think tasting the Asian Box once or twice won't hurt. It's a nice play of somewhat healthy Asian fast food. The restaurant offers limited seating indoors and outdoors. My impression is they cater to the corporate offices in the area. I'm sure you'll see the Asian Box in the menu if you work at one of those cool companies that provides lunch.

Service: fine! Ambiance: besides some high schoolers leaving a mess on the outdoor tables, also fine! Food: not my cup of tea really, and nothing sticks out to me about it. tastes healthy tho! If you're into healthy food and Asian fusion bowls, give them a try.

YUM! My mom & I stopped by for a quick lunch. Convenient location, quick and friendly service (appreciated how they brought our togo order outside to us while we waited), and food was great. It was the perfect amount for one and the chicken portion was generous. I will be back soon!

Horrible place. The food was not fresh, the salmon I ordered was cooked at an unknown time, then heated up in the microwave and thrown on top of my salad. And in general everything was sloppy and careless. The tables were greasy and dirty from food, I had to wipe them myself and it was dirty all around. I'm afraid to imagine what's going on in the kitchen... I don't recommend this place, it's awful.

I did the create your own box with cold noodles and curry tofu .....the curry was delicious and I added veggies which were great especially the cabbage but the broccoli was way too soft and over cooked It needed more curry sauce as the noodles were very dry Also had their " best Vietnamese coffee" (it's okay I've had much better at Vietnamese restaurants) The woman waiting on me , Wendy, was so patient and was really fun to chat with as I made all my decisions Came to area for ekg across street

It's been 4 years since I've tried the Asian Box at this location. They now have a few more things on the menu like porridge. Being most carnivore, I went with the custom build it yourself box and chose chicken. Since I love all things spicy, they recommended the HOT BOX IT sauce. I added broccoli for 50 cents. Total price was $15+ The service is always really friendly at Asian Box and the store itself is kinda small with some casual seating outside. Palo Alto weather is usually really nice for outdoor dining. My box was okay, nothing impressive. I would consider it a small meal and you'd really have to order double protein for something heartier. Around the plaza, I would say this is probably one of the better for you options.

Appreciate that the pho came with the bean sprouts, onion shreds, pepper slices, and spicy broth sauce came on the side so that the customer could add however much they want, if desired. Wish that there was more noodle base, but it was a good enough balance with the chicken mixed in. Broth tasted really good, but got cold quickly. Very sweet of the workers to personally deliver your food to your table, but I wish that there was an inside venue to eat.

Everytime I am in the Area I always stop by, my favorite is the ox box with some shrimp rolls and a rice pudding you can never go wrong with any of these. The staff is always kind and welcoming. Definitely appreciate their new point systems where i earn points as i go. Love that you can eat inside or if its sunny you can people watch as you enjoy your meal.

Vegetarian/vegan reviewer: I've ordered a couple of times from this place and I've liked it all the times. Be sure to check the shellfish allergy box/ mention it you vegetarians. 1. Tofu spring roll Absolutely love this simple and quick eat dish. It's filling and is pretty tasty. Just that the sauce with it almost tastes like tamarind and not much peanutty- you might wanna ask for peanut sauce replacement. I love spring rolls with peanut sauce instead. 2. Garden box Pretty nice, so many customizations. 3. Tofu green curry dish I think I liked this one better than garden box - ah I don't remember very vividly, but the green curry sauces were spicier and more flavorful

I always order from this place so thought I'd try it in person! I usually get the curry but wanted to try something new so I got the Miss Jones! It tastes really good but I wish there was more meat in it! The service is good but nothing super outstanding, I really like the outdoor environment!

This was our second time ate this location. We had the rice bowls last time and they were adequate. I needed a bowl of soup and ordered the Pho. It was easily the worst Pho I have ever been served. The broth tasted nothing like the distinctive flavor of beef bone broth and Vietnamese spices. The chicken (no meatballs, flank, brisket, tendon, etc.) just grill charred dark meat chicken (complete with inedible body parts). So, 2 stars, because the rice bowl is a 3-4 Star offering, but the Pho is an epic fail.

Did a build your own chicken bowl with noodles. They have a lot of sauces to choose from, my favorites were the tamarind and the peanut butter sauce. The person at the counter was super patient and answered all questions. 5/5 for service. Wish the bowl was a little more flavorful and had more veggies-- the chicken was a tad too salty.

This was not it. I ordered the $16 "banh mi" sandwich. I left this place hungry and confused. I don't even know what kind of sandwich they're attempting to make, but there was no resemblance of a Vietnamese sandwich. Cashier was kind, place was clean. Lots of better options around

I tried the new sweet and sour chicken but was disappointed. It didn't taste sweet enough. I was expecting something a little more similar to other sweet and sour chicken dishes I have had before. I do love the tofu spring rolls though and it's good value for the price.

I really wish they would follow my directions when I order - so that's the main reason I don't eat here as often. I wanted to try the beyond pork meatballs before they left the menu at the end of this month - so off I went to get one and a couple of pork boxes for the guys in my house. I really emphasized that I did not want ANY SPROUTS on my meal or carrots - and sigh - got a big ole pile which is hard to take out entirely and now they have a lot more annoying tiny shreds of carrots among the cooked veggies - so that sucked. However the meatballs were dang good. Bummer that they are soon to be gone again. Wish I could have enjoyed the rest of the box more - had to leave most of the brown rice cause of those stupid sprouts pieces and carrot shreds. Boys were happy with their boxes though. They do have GF chocolate chip cookies now for like $3.45 each - didn't try one They also offer organic tofu for plant based eaters once the meatballs are gone...

Tried Asian box once almost 10 years ago. I wish I kept it like that. Asian box is really good at describing and taking nice pictures of their menu items, but the execution is lacking. Ordered a Vietnamese hot chicken, added all toppers except egg and peanuts, but it looked nothing like the picture online, and the only thing I could taste was when I ate each part individually (e.g. sprouts, jalapeño, rice, chicken...). This is Asian ingredients (ish) but not really an Asian restaurant (if that makes sense). I'll be okay not coming back here.

Great place for a healthy and quick meal. They cater to all diets (omnivore, vege, vegan, gluten free, etc.). Crystal was extremely polite and helpful. Thank you!

Back when I worked in Mountain View, my coworkers used to get food from here all the time, but I never had a chance to try it. I finally did this year at the Palo Alto location, and it was yummy but expensive for the portion size. Asian Box follows the Chipotle style of ordering where you can select a protein, a carb/veggie, and customize your toppings as well. I tried the chicken, which I thought was just okay, but I had a few bites of my husband's ox box, and thought that was tasty. My friend got the spicy chicken but was dying from how spicy it was, so beware if you're unable to handle spicy food! Asian Box is in the Town & Country plaza so it can get busy but I've never had trouble finding parking. Honestly with all the other dining options in the area I'm not sure I'd get this again, especially for how expensive it is.

This is chipotles healthier Asian cousin. I tried this place today, after a really long three hour appointment. I was famished and saw they had a workout meal. My brain needed the energy reboost since it felt like it was running around all day. The meal was great. On the healthier side which is what I craved for. Steamed veggies and chicken filled my belly to happiness. I felt like I can go for a few more hours and maybe run some errands at Trader Joe's near by. The food felt homemade and didn't have any unnecessary junk. Checking in on yelp got me a free drink! Love the idea, what a great initiative to encourage customers. Staff was great, a young lady took my order and answered all of my questions. Will definitely be back!

I haven't written a Yelp review in literal years, but Asian Box is unreal. $20 for a box and when I opened it up --- there was hardly any food in it! Four pieces of the white part of a napa cabbage was the amount of vegetables. Barely any pork or rice -- this was robbery and just a lack of care about the food. Like someone was just rushing and put whaevs in the box. I know inflation is rough, but fr? Never ordering from here again.

Food is so so, fusion and not authentic. However, this Place is clean, service is good. Most important is food and value. It is expensive for what we got. Portion is small. So, we can't recommend this place.

A little reality check. If your body can't handle gluten, the Banh Mi sandwich is the holy grail. Its bread is three parts science and two parts black magic - it's tender and flavorful, crunchy on the outside, and doesn't disintegrate while you're eating the sandwich. If your body can handle gluten, this sandwich isn't meant for you. There are dozens of places that will make something more to your tastes. But for those of us for whom a trip to a restaurant might equal a trip to the ER, it's heaven sent, as is the whole restaurant.

Loved the workout and chicken curry box. The food was fresh, and super tasty. Service was real quick. The portion size was ideal, although the price could have been a little lower for the portion size. It is a busy complex to find a parking spot. Food - 5/5 Ambience - 3/5 Value for money - 4/5 Service - 5/5

I ordered chef salad with steak. It comes with steak, which was very tasty and tender, noodle, and veggies. The sauce (soy sauce and vinegar?) was very good. Just wish there were more sauce. This is my favorite item at this restaurant. The guy at the front desk was very friendly and efficient.

My boyfriend and I stopped here for takeout a while back and it was not really anything to write home about. I had the Surf Vietnam Box and not only did I feel that the beef wasn't great in terms of flavor and quality, but I also really did not enjoy the tamarind sauce that came on the side. That is probably my bad for ordering this box knowing it came with tamarind sauce (which I have never tried in the past so I didn't know if I would like it or not), but it definitely didn't help the overall experience. On the other hand, my boyfriend had the Miss Jones Box which was quite delicious. The lemongrass pork tasted great, and everything mixed with the fish sauce on the side was very yummy. I ended up eating part of his box because I felt that it was so much better than mine haha I don't think I will ever go back but if I do, I may try one of their create your own boxes so I can really customize things to my liking. Nonetheless, Asian Box is pretty average in terms of Vietnamese cuisine and I would argue that there are better food options in Town & Country.

My company has this catered for lunch today and it was pretty good! The curry was more Japanese and very creamyand chicken was juicy! Wouldn't mind having this for lunch again.

It is, hands down, the best Asian restaurant in this part of Palo Alto. And the ability to order with one's meal is a bonus. This place is the only upside to visiting a family member or friend at Stanford Hospital.

Sadly the quality of the steak has really degraded, it is just chewy and unappetizing. Asian box used to be my go to for Vietnamese bun, not exactly the most authentic but still very satisfying fresh crunchy and delicious. With their lower quality steak I've completely lost interest in going back unfortunately. If you're looking for a noodle bowl I highly recommend pho element in San Mateo

I ordered a banh mi sandwich for delivery and ended up with this. The bread is a dense burnt mess, and I found a piece of foil wire in the filling (ouch on my dental fillings!). Usually Asian Box has tasty food but this was terrible and should have never passed quality control.

Used to come here all the time but I moved to LA so I just got a chance to come back again and Asian box is amazing!! Above all, the service is always wonderful and today, Shawn who took my order was so kind and courteous! My box was ready very promptly! I Highly recommend coming here for lunch. They have great outdoor seating as well as some indoor high top seating.

Have eaten there many times and always feel happy that it was the choice. In fact, it was never a disappointment Highly recommend for anyone who loves fresh healthy food.

The service here was amazing. The cashier was very kind and knowledgeable and had the most excellent attitude. Also, he was great about following the Covid guidelines and making sure the customers were safe. Service was definitely a 5/5. I ordered the ox box which was packed with flavor. The double-garlic soy steak was tender and juicy and the portions were generous.

Tried this place today via Uber Eats. Pros: lots of vegetarian and vegan options, colorful and flavorful dishes that I certainly could not make if I tried Cons: pricey, a bit too much sauce, would like to see more options for carbs beyond white rice

After a quick jaunt up to the Dish (first time doing that despite living here for 20+ years), we came to Town and Country for a quick and easy lunch. We walked around the complex checking out every restaurant, but two of my hiking companions were fixated on the banh mi on this menu, so this is where got our nourishment today. The menu is small and posted on the exterior of the building, but the details were a little hard to read. We made our selections and walked in to place our order. We were greeted immediately with a hearty "welcome to The Box" and for a moment I thought we had entered a fight club and I started quickly looking around for weapons, only finding a selection of kombucha and ginger beer in the refrigerated case by the register. Our lunch today consisted of: Lemongrass pork banh mi sandwich - only one choice here (pork). Admittedly I have certain expectations of what a banh mi should be, since I live walking distance to a great little place and go there at least once a month. What we received today, unfortunately, wasn't quite what we hoped for. The sandwich was smaller than expected, and the bread was this quasi Dutch crunch roll. The pork was a little on the salty side, and the vegetables didn't have enough acid to balance it out. At $13, it was quite expensive. The Miss Jones - the same lemongrass pork served with chilled noodles. Again, the pork was saltier than we'd prefer, but flavor-wise it's still good. I'm not sure the the chilled noodles was quite the right starch pairing for this, however. The caramel egg was interesting, with a subtle sweetness but it had been slightly overcooked and the egg white had a rubbery texture. The Ox Box - sliced beef served over rice with both raw and cooked vegetables and topped with a house-made sriracha. The composition of this dish was good, and the vegetables were a good complement to the meat. The beef, however, was also overcooked but fortunately still remained tender. The flavor profile was good but I think they could back off on the sriracha so that it doesn't overpower the rest of the dish. The latter two dishes came in at $13 and $17, respectively. This is perhaps a little pricier than other similar dishes, but not egregiously so. Service was friendly and we got our food quickly. There's water cups and a carafe of ice water by the door for cheapskates like me who don't like to pay for drinks. The restroom is outside, just around the corner, and you'll need to get the key from the register.

Love the ability to order anything since it's all gluten free. Soy-free option of pork for meat, which I appreciate. Ended up getting vegetable curry over broccoli. I love curry! This was a bit too spicy for my liking & too many potatoes so had trouble eating much of it. Next time will probably do over greens to mix it up a bit since there's already broccoli in the veggie mix. Parking can b tough here simply b/c the lot is quite congested but we found a spot & service was quick.

i've been to this location many times in the past few years and have always enjoyed the tofu spring roll, shrimp spring roll and salmon & shrimp boxes. the concept is pretty simple, choose a base: rice/noodles/salad, choose a protein: pork, steak, chicken, tofu, shrimp, salmon, choose toppers: pickled vegetables, bean sprouts, scallion oil, jalapeño, lime wedge, herbs, crispy shallots, chopped peanuts, vietnamese caramel egg, choose sauce: tamarind. miss jones sriracha, hot box it, peanut sauce, asian street dust, yellow coconut curry, fiery red curry, green curry, classic fish sauce. when i'm hungry and wanting a big meal, i'll go for the salad + shrimp or salmon + all non-spicy toppers + peanut sauce. i find this to be a hefty, filling portion and i walk away satisfied. when i'm not as hungry, i opt for either the tofu or shrimp spring rolls. each box comes with 2, and even though they appear small, they are quite filling and that works for me as a petite woman. this particular location is limited on real estate, so there is no indoor seating, but they have some seating outside, but during a busy time, you may not find a vacant table and have to find seating elsewhere within the shopping center. parking is very plentiful in town & country, during busy times, just need to park in the rear of the center vs front of asian box and other stores.

This place continues to be a favorite. The food is great, but the service is really what makes it. One of the cashiers always greets me with a smile and a made up jingle to welcome you. I would like to see this moved more to the line of sight of traffic.

Came here randomly on a Friday afternoon with some friends. We ordered the Chefs Salad, Workout Box, and Build Your Own with chicken and peanut sauce. Veggies for the Build your Own box was overcooked and there wasn't enough sauce. The sauce for the Chefs Salad is too sour and the ratio of salad to noodles was not ideal. Workout box was ok - healthy option that came with six spice chicken and brown rice. Veggies looked old, the bean sprouts were raw, and the carrots were not good. Overall, this place is overpriced for the food you get but if you're craving "Asian Chipotle" and you're really hungry, it will get the job done. Would not recommend the food. Service was great. Cashier let us try samples and brought out our food to us. Super nice! Also you get a free drink when you check in on Yelp.

Folks who go to Asian Box go because the food is reliable and tasty. This is NOT what this review is about (because it is still reliable and tasty). This review is for the service. Door Dash screwed up my order (not surprising) so after realizing that I was NOT going to get my Asian Box order delivered, I drove to the restaurant to place the order again. I spoke with Wendy, the Executive General Manager, and she was understanding, kind, and most importantly, professional. She immediately helped me with my order and expediated it so quickly, I should have just gone to the restaurant to place my order instead of relying on Door Dash. Also, I want add that their crew quickly put together 6 orders in 5 minutes. Go there if you want to be treated kindly and respectfully because fewer and fewer places nowadays seem to remember that service is just as important as food quality and taste.

Asian Box has changed, it used to be that you received broccoli with the Tofu Curry. No more. The dish does not remotely look like their photos. I tried to remember why I haven't ordered from them and that is why. It's too bad, we used to really like it. I looked at the price for adding broccoli and it was $7.50? I liked the way they prepared food before, but not now. It's also in a shallow dish. Who knows... so it is just to tofu and bean sprouts. I don't know what else they could remove. And now you can get a broccoli base, I think they are trying to get people to buy the base for $7.50? It's very strange and not transparent. I would not have ordered it if I knew that this is how it would arrive. I called to ask and no one answered. I can't take a photo because I was too hungry, but I will not order from them again, it's not worth over $25. Not at all. I don't enjoy the food here anymore, it's cold when it arrives in this shallow dish and there's the bare minimum for $18.80? Just want to let people know so they can make the decision themselves if they want to order from Asian Box. Very skimpy and wasn't very good today or for the past few months. A little transparency would be nice.

I like the food well enough and the staff were friendly. I am upset that there is an "operating overhead" charge added (in my case $.51). This is straight up deceptive pricing. That should be included in the price of the meal, not arbitrarily added at the end. I don't care if "everyone's doing it." They're not, they shouldn't, and I can't stand it. I don't want the Ticketmaster experience when I have lunch

I get takeout here all the time! Obsessed with the salad add Salmon. The rest of our family likes the sandwich and soup. I like this place- a lot. The cashiers are always friendly too.

I like the concept, especially for togo boxes, but the everything tasted fresh but missing a chef's signature. Seemed to be all cooked separately and packaged nicely together. Presentation is wonderful but lacking in flavors. Not something I enjoyed, unfortunately.

Asian Box is a delicious, healthy, AND filling option for Asian-style food that you can enjoy sitting down or just as easily take away - in a box! See picture of what I got - the Chef's Salad. Last time I went, they also had warm congee on a menu - that is also a must-try!!! Nice vibes, warm and friendly staff.

Its a Box...its Asian...no its Asian Box, a super box of delicious, healthy, asian food! Asian Box serves boxes with various combinations of asian inspired ingredients such as bbq meats, soy sauce eggs, and pickled vegetables on top of rice, noodles or a salad mix. It reminds me of what you would get from an asian food truck, but much higher quality at a slightly higher price ($10-13/box). Any of the pre-designed boxes can be customized or you can make your own box combination. I usually switch out the base of rice with the asian salad, which is a combination of lettuce and cabbage. I have tried the following two boxes and like them both: The Ox Box: With a double serving of beef and a soy sauce egg. Has a dry spice blend and peanuts. It is great if you are hungry, but a bit more expensive than the other boxes. The Workout: Tasted great, but less protein than the ox box. It has chicken with a bbq like sauce. The restaurant is very small with two tables that seat 4 per table inside and a few spots outside. I usually go during odd hours, but would imagine it is difficult to find a seat to eat in during peak hours. Definitely not a good place for a slow meal. Fortunately the boxes travel easily and are a great to-go option.

Disappointed. Quality of food has noticeably gone down at this location in Palo Alto. I recall it being much better in the past. First, I think the meat put in my Miss Jones box was substituted with something else because it was shredded and not sliced. Secondly, it was very salty. Third, the meal was on the cold side. Finally, there was alot of liquid on the bottom that it ultimately made everything just simply soggy. Not good at all. Maybe, it was an off day or maybe the staff is not paying attention to the quality of the food being served to customers.

Ended up getting a box to go with some rolls. Great food! The portions are good for what you pay for. I did want a little more spice to my box but maybe I didn't pick up any sauces (if they offered it). I got the tofu box which was great! I hope to try the other options too!

I tried calling the Palo Alto location twice, left messages each time and did not receive a reply. I ordered catering for a work event hoping for the best and was disappointed when the bread for the banh mi was stale and difficult to eat. I will not be recommending Asian Box to any of my colleagues, friends or family.

So its been a while since I reviewed Asian Box. As I stated in my first review 6 years ago, I have a pretty good handle on Vietnamese cuisine. Having gone to San Jose State I cut my teeth on the various Bahn Mi vendors that dotted the campus. We have spent several decades dining at Vung Tau. We were lucky enough to eat at the Slanted Door both before and after they moved. Forays to Le Colonial, Phorage (In LA) etc has only deepened my love for the flavor profiles. I do remain skeptical of 'Interpretations" and really have mixed results. However in the case of Asian Box its an easy 5 stars They check all of the tropes we are suckers for: Locally sourced, sustainable practices, and the employees share in the success of the restaurant which makes the customer service top notch. Its a typical fast casual eatery. You walk up to the register, your order your box and drinks, then grab a seat and wait for your buzzer to go off. You get to customize your box and get a choice of rice (or other base), protein, and toppings. For my box: The brown rice was perfectly cooked. That slight al dente than many places miss. The nuttiness is a perfect muse for the rest of the box The Beef: I go for this every time and I am rewarded every time with a perfect mid rare, tender pieces of flank steak that is seasoned JUST right. It has a nice char on it as well. I went ahead and ordered extra meat for this bowl. Then thee are the toppings. As the menu states, most just go for it all and we always do. The scallion oil adds a rich oniony taste, the fried shallots add that savory sweet crunch, the herbs, pickled veggies, peanuts, and sprouts all add their own unique flavor to the whole affair. The Tamarind Vinegrette is the the unifying being both savory, sweet , and rich all at once and binds the elements like the Ring binds Gollum but in a good way and not for Middle Earth Domination. I also "Hot Boxed" it. Hot Box is a cup of super spicy chili sauce. It packs a kick so be warned. Its really a can't go wrong situation here for sure. Its what we call a 'Why" restaurant as in why don't we come here more often.