Eric W.
Yelp
If only this mall were placed in a better, more accessible location, it would have received a higher rating. As it stands, being right next to the worst traffic nightmare in the Bay Area known as Interstate 80, getting in and out of here during peak hours is a pain and a half. God bless you if you are ever stuck here on a Saturday afternoon because it might take you almost an hour to drive those short seven miles to the Maze. Believe it or not, it's even worse on weekends than on weekdays. On Saturdays, you have all the people traversing 80 to go for an evening in SF. On Sundays, there are the travellers coming back home from Reno. It's a no win situation.
The street access into Pacific East is horrible as well. Central Avenue is cramped and full of potholes, and I'm surprised more accidents don't occur. It seems like the city planners must have taken a nap when the board reviewed proposals for this place.
Anyhow, if you can make it here, it's actually a very pleasant area to pass some time. It reminds me of the indoor Chinese malls in Vancouver or Toronto, which are a rare breed here in the Golden State. Although mostly Chinese owned and operated, there is good mix of other Asian cuisine, such as Thai, Korean, and Vietnamese. Surpringly, there is no sushi restaurant.
Here are some mini reviews of a random sampling of shops:
-J&S Coffee and Tea House (http://www.yelp.com/list_details?userid=P006Tkm3ef0DFCf4bnpl7w&list_id=ICDxDELSdNpLqYfkP7qkvQ) - There is really only one thing I need to say about this place. If you are a newbie to milk tea, please DO NOT come here first because you are only setting yourself up for disappointment at every other place visited here on after. Yes, it's that good.
-Music Tunnel KTV (http://www.yelp.com/biz/g6ixD-i4STRF0yz-Sg2CGg) - This is one of the finer KTV (what HK/Chinese people call karaoke) establishments around. Their food and drinks are served by J&S, so that alone is enough to rank them near the top.
-168 - The numerology is Cantonese for "road to riches," which would make a good name for a restaurant, right? Well, the odd thing is that this is not a Cantonese restaurant. In Mandarin, the numbers mean absolutely nothing. What they serve here is your typical central Chinese cuisine. It's actually pretty good, if nothing spectacular. However, I have a bad memories of a date here, so I can never return.
-Pho Saigon - I'm not a pho enthusiast, so although some have mentioned the high quality here, I really can't tell the difference.
-VH Noodle - To be honest, I have never dined here, but it always seems very crowded. I believe the VH stands for Vien Huong (same as the famous noodle shop in Chinatown), and if that's the case, it's no wonder why everyone flocks here.
-Shanghai Gourmet - Yet another stereotypical Shanghainese restaurant depicting photos of their "beautiful" city. The Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, and Jin Mao Tower. We get it. Yaaawn. This place is usually very empty.
-Daimo - It's much larger than the San Leandro location, but way more crowded. I actually enjoy the more intimate, cozy feel of the SL branch, whereas noise and bad service are to be expected here. It's your typical Cantonese jook/fun/mein diner, but all snazzed up. Supposedly, this is the same Daimo as the popular chain in HK.
-Sheng Kee - I'm more of a Kee Wah guy over Sheng Kee, but their cakes and buns here are decent. The flavoring is pretty generic, and "safe," I suppose, but certainly won't leave you salivating for more.
-Come In... Shop - Most of the items here are knockoffs or bad imitations, but they do have some cool traditional Chinese dragon shirts, as well as women's fashion tops at very low prices.
There is a host more shops and restaurants, including the centerpiece Ranch 99 market, but these I have just mentioned should give you the general gist. There used to be a Japanese housewares shop that I was sad to see go belly up. There was also an ill fated branch of Ay Chung Noodle in the former site of a Goldilocks, which is now some sort of struggling Korean restaurant (with tropical bamboo decor, no less). The feng shui Gods must have something against this particular location of the mall.
In closing, say I start with five stars, I must deduct one for the atrocious traffic and access. So, four stars? Well, not exactly. One thing I must really call to attention is the absolutely horrid, odorific bathroom. For some reason, the stench is simply unbearable, often trickling into the outer corridors. It doesn't even look all that dirty, but there must be something in the air. Perhaps I should set up a little booth right outside, peddling some of those SARS masks. I would make a killing. I was almost tempted to subtract two full stars, but a moment ago, the thought of sipping that Japanese green milk tea at J&S mixed by one of the cute Taiwanese school girls ran through my mind, and just about made up for it.