Uyen Thy Bistro

Terrible. I ordered the steak med rare, not surprisingly, it came out well done. It was bland, dry, and microwaved. My husband ordered the egges, pâté, and ham. It was also bland with two tiny pieces of ham. The pâté was pretty decent though. The whole entire time in the store, I heard microwave buttons go on and off. I probably will never come back.

I had banh canh, it was bland and there was a blue rubberband in it. This place is over hyped. Mom had hu tieu thap cam and it was good. Dad had Chao hen and he liked it.

i feel like whenever a vietnamese place tacks on «french cuisine» to their menu, they somehow feel like that constitutes a price bump.
i ordered the sticky rice w/​roasted/​fried chicken (xoi ga roti chien?) for $ 9. the fried slab of chicken is flat like a pork chop and sliced into sections. it had an odd after taste that i can’t quite put my finger on. the fried sticky rice triangles were tasty, but when you eat this dish, you eat it at the expense of the roof of your mouth being ravaged. the sauce it came with was good, but they give you a small amount. skip this, get it at tai buu paris instead for a few bucks less. i’d even say you could get a similar dish at 1.99 restaurant for half the price.
2 of my friends ordered the steak and eggs (bo né) and the steak was a dinky steak with no sauce and a few slices of onions. skip this, this dish is much better at mon ami AND you get to pick a tasty sauce.
my other friend ordered the com bo luc lac (shaken beef w/​rice) and i was shocked at how tiny the portion was for $ 14. you can get filet mignon for about $ 8/​lb at the supermarket down the street. you can get this dish at tai buu paris as well (are they related??? pretty similar menu.).
the lady was friendly enough (we were the only ones in the restaurant), but the food was just… no bueno. on top of this, they charge for water. $ 0.75 is negligible, BUT the principle of charging for water is ridiculous when they’re already charging ridiculous prices for the food.
the NICE part about this place is that they accept card. but if you want to split the bill, forget it, because the lady supposedly «doesn’t know how to do that.»
disappointing. i’m guessing maybe if you get the breakfast dishes here (bread, eggs, pâté, etc), it’s okay, but anything else… go down the street to tai buu paris or mon ami for «french/​vietnamese» food.

If you like mint, they have a lot! Great flavors. Had beef salad n coffee with condensed milk. Wow! Really tasty!
Honestly not what I expected, but service is s l o w. I can see how you would feel ignored, not being viet. They seem to have kept the rude along with the French cuisine. Told us they had run out of bread? Saturday morning? Really? Then out comes big basket of bread to the other table? Hmm must have been the last rolls.

They have the best Bo Kho and Curry dishes cause honestly every time I go there that’s the only thing I order. I get it with their French bread which is super fresh and perfectly toasted. They have a lot of different choices too! Also dessert is waiting at the counter when you finish if you want some!

I use to less love coming here because the food is always so good even though the service itself is questionable.
I decided to take my boyfriend here since the com ga roti and bo luc lac is super good.
It took a while to get notice than the waitress started speaking to us straight in Vietnamese which was okay since I’m Vietnamese but my boyfriend however isn’t.
The whole time, she spoke to us in Vietnamese presuming he spoke Vietnamese too.
When she carried out his com ga roti it was missing what the menu stated that it came with garlic bread. Also coming here before it always came with bread and rice for that dish. When I tried to talk to her about it than she went ahead and argued with me that it was one or the other but the menu clearly stated that it came with garlic bread. Afterwards she went ahead and tried to tell him in Vietnamese but he doesn’t speak Vietnamese. Fine I let it go than she brought out the menu to clarify with me but on the menu it clearly said garlic bread and also one of the following. She stated they didn’t do that anymore. Isn’t it right to honor the menu than?
When we were done with dinner trying to get her attention. She was on the phone or staring down the whole time. When we got our check she stood there for a while when I was signing it. When I was done signing she was right there to grab it which was kind of weird like she was standing there the whole time. Than she returned the customer receipt I left there on purpose. I felt so awkward, rushed, and like she was staring at me write the tip. Worse experience ever.

Curried chicken was ok and fresh bread was amazing. Service was very slow… very very slow. Server was non existent after delivering food. Took along time to get the check. I ended up going to the counter

It’s Sunday. Sunday is the start of a new week, a new start, and a new reminder of our roots, our ancestors, our beginnings, our link to Chao rice porridge and it’s association with anatomically slanted views beginnings. With this beginning, will give this restaurant a new opportunity for a Unilocal Review: 2 Stars.

Hands down the best bo kho you can find in oc… The beef cooked tenderized to perfection the sauce is thick and flavorful the way it should be. Salt pepper chili limes pippin hot freshly baked bread on the side and their mi is super yummy with fresh vegetables! Plus the owner is a famous chef how can you beat that! Traditional Vietnamese breakfast too! Drooling again.

This restaurant needs to lose its French menu…
Advertises choice steaks but absolute cannery quality…
Gets a two star however for their decent banh can

Came here in search for a good banh Canh place and I was recommended here.
I ordered banh Canh with crab meat and shrimp.
I was not disappointed. The noodles were nice and tender with that chewy udon texture.
The soup was very flavorful, maybe needed a hint of pepper.
The shrimp and crab meat were made into one but was really good in the flavor and was soft.
Overall this is the best place for banh Canh that I know of.
The parking is a bit hard to find close to the business, but the plaza is small and is close in walking distance.
The service is friendly, very traditional. The servers speak Vietnamese mainly. The restaurant is kinda small.
The location is a bit hard to find but, if you can find the 7-​eleven, you can find the restaurant.

I love this place!!! It’s kind of hidden behind ⁷⁄₁₁.
I usually get the bo né with a side of pâté. I love my pâté and it’s the best here !!! The fresh, hot out of the oven baguettes dipped in the egg yolk and put some pâté and a piece of steak after… OMG party in my mouth !!! It’s so good!!!
The banh canh here is good too. But there’s 2 kinds, get the thick one (forgot the name). It’s very flavorful and it’s perfect on a cold rainy day. Or when you’re sick!!!

There’s a problem when the bread and iced water is the best part of your meal. I used to really dig this place for the com ga roti. Perfectly crisped chicken with a side of red rice and a sauce to just die for. They also had some tasty steak and eggs but that too has really become disappointing, almost inedible.
My last visit started off delightfully with our waitress just waving us over to an empty table, not even bothering to sit up or lift her head off the table she was resting on. WIth a sandwich in her hand, and a mouthful of food she decides to take our order. Loudly chewing as she tried repeating our menu choices. Crazy ass lady made my day, she obviously didn’t give a hoot.
Anyways, chicken just wasn’t the same, the sauce was bland and the steak was a chewy, hunk of gristle and fat. It was a sad flap shoe-​leather of a steak. Worst $ 25 lunch I’ve had in awhile. Food was about as boring and uninspired as this review.

Excellent beef stew, good baguette, love the lemon soda and crispy chicken.
My friend mentioned that Uyen Thy and its beef stew is pretty average for Little Saigon. If this is average, I need to Unilocal harder to find where there is even better beef stew!

3.5 stars. I think this is a solid restaurant.
Ordered the banh canh (sea-​food udon soup), $ 5.95, Overall above-​average. The soup broth was solid. I REALLY enjoyed the texture of the noodles.
PROS:
+Clean restaurant atmosphere (for an OC restaurant too, lol). It’s very modern. This is not your typicaly hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant, which is something you’d expect just off Bolsa. There’s decorations of Paris & stuff all over the walls.
+The soup I ordered was solid, definitely above average.
+Lots of options on the menu, rice, rice-​soup, porridge, etc.
CONS:
–They charge $ 0.50 for water

WoW!!! And here I thought Brodard Château had the best Com Bo Luc Lac (Shaken Beef with Rice)!
Someone mentioned to me that the BLL here is really good — so after getting it to go — I was excited and anticipating a showdown between the BLL at Uyen Thy, and my (formerly) all-​time favorite BLL from Brodard.
If you order to-​go, like me, you’ll wonder where the meat is when you first start to unravel your bag. Ingeniously, the restaurant puts the meat chunks in a little styrofoam cup to go — I guess this is to retain the juices and also to prevent the sauce to seep onto the salad.
At first look, the contents in the cup looked more like stew, rather than BLL. I also have to admit that at first sight, I the heavier gravy like sauce that the meat came in looked rather unsavory. Upon first bite however, the tender yet chewyness of the high quality meat was noticeable.
I opted to pour the gravy like sauce over my bed of rice — and it added great flavor to the meal. The sauce itself was sorta like a thick, sweetish soy sauce — added excellent flavor to the meat.
The BLL here also came with a salad which I didn’t touch, as the meat and rice itself was filling enough.
Honestly, I rarely give five stars on the first go, but I’m confident enough that Uyen Thi’s BLL has Brodard Château’s BLL beaten on almost every level (and it costs about ¹⁄₃^rd less too). I’ll have to update my review again after I order BLL sometime in the future — since making a great and notable meal is awesome, but consistency is also a important factor as well (Will the entrée taste JUST AS good or better the next time around?).
MAJOR warning: Parking here sucks though. Nestled in the shopping plaza behind the 7 Eleven on Bolsa and Magnolia, you’ll find that there simply aren’t enough parking spaces for the 30 or so businesses (including this restaurant) in the area.

A friend took me here a while ago. The name of the restaurant really turns me off. It is such a cheesy name in Vietnamese. Apparently, it’s named after one of the famous Vietnamese female chef here in Calif. — Uyen Thy.
I ordered their house special noodle. It is sorta a combination of meats. The broth was alright.
The restaurant is a little dark in the inside with limited seating and with no air conditioner so I was literally sweating while finishing my noodle bowl.
3 stars! Definitely A-​OK

Sometimes in life, we have guilty pleasures and this time, Uyen Thy Bistro has become my latest guilt. I’ve been coming here for years for their lunches (love their steamed chicken and rice and Bo Lu Luc), but never had I even considered their breakfast! What a fool I have been! Seriously! I can not believe that I’ve been missing out on the best breakfast ever!
A fusion between Asian and French cuisines, I highly recommend their Eggs (over-​easy), Pâté, White Ham, and Fresh Out-​of-​the-​Oven French Bread for $ 5.50! Add a their Vietnamese Ice Coffee and the world always seems to be a much better place! =) A must have breakfast for those that love Pâté!

Co Uyen Thy is my mom’s friend and you may think this review is bias but IT IS NOT! She did my cocktail food at our wedding… and let me tell you. it was wiped out. I went to a bunch of weddings and there was food served and no one touched it. We literally wanted food and drinks flowing everywhere but to top it all off our food was AMAZING.
We were taking pictures and everyone was talking to us with some crazy onion breath. Matt and I were what the crap. We finally went outside for some air and we see a friend sitting there with a giant plate of cerviche. completely hoarding it.
I mean it wasn’t good for their breathes but I loved that everyone enjoyed everything thoroughly!

Le Petit Déjeuner at Uyen Bistro, Bolsa!
Typical American breakfasts include gigantic meals of pancakes, eggs, sausages, bacon, hash browns and lots of butter. In fact, so much fatty food is served that you need to take a nap after. As a child, my bomama made us small, but tasty, breakfasts that would be energizing. I have not had a meal even close to that of my bomama until last Friday morning. It was one of the better breakfasts I have had in a long time.
~~Eggs, Pâté, White Ham, and Heavenly «Fresh» French Bread
For $ 5.50
Small, well prepared and very tasty. Two eggs, the absolute freshest french bread, Pâté, and they included a freshly baked Chaud for me to try. As shown with the café su da, the total was around 8 bucks.

~ Eggs
Two. Perfectly prepared and placed atop a thin slice of ham!
~Pâté– 3.5 Stars
Another item strongly influenced by the French. There are several different types with different meats, but mostly this is a liver spread (liverworst). The liver can be substituted with any meat. Additional elements of the spread may linclude wine, veggies, various spices. The version I had does not taste good alone, but wonderful with a nice warm baguette. It is a sincere compliment to this simple egg dish.
~Pâté Chaud-​5 Stars!
«Hot Pie» (pâté en croûte). From what I could tell, this one consisted of sausage, some salt and soy sauce, shallots and the outer pastry shell, similar to that of a croissant. Fresh out of the oven!
~French Bread/​Baguette-​5 Platinum Stars!!!
I believe the Baguette actually originated in Austria, but the French perfected it. I believe the French even have a law on the books with specifications. The French roll I had was warm, just delivered from the owner’s other shop, Sing Sing Bakery. This for sure is the best I have had in a long time. Many of the local bakeries have skimpy versions of the baguette and French bread. but this one was on the mark!
The bread alone was worth five bucks. Where in LA/​Orange County can you get 10 minute old warm-​fresh bread with your breakfast other than Bolsa?
~French Iced Coffee
Café Sua Da or Ca Phe Sua Da: This is a Vietnamese version of French Coffee. It typically is dark French roast coffee, brewed via a drip filter into a cup of sweetened condensed milk. Some places use a medium roast and may even use chicory. In any case, the coffee mixed with the condensed milk is poured over a heaping mountain of ice.
In comparison to the area, mine was average. In comparison to Southern California, mine was great. The coffee was a little sweeter than I prefer. But, they also gave me a refill with more ice!
~What was missing?
A fresh bowl of fruit or fresh juice and some homemade jam and this meal would have been better than my bomama’s! But, I never look a gift horse in the mouth and am happy with this dish.
I have been here once before, a long while back. I had a bad experience and have not returned until Friday. I have been sticking to Tai Buu Paris around the corner. The menu here also sports various French dishes and steaks.
For sure I will be back to try some of the other yummy sounding dishes on the menu including Boeuf Bourguignon, Chicken Marengu, Pan Seared Soul Fillet, and Crispy Chicken! These dishes are in addition to the steak menu and the other traditional Vietnamese dishes this place serves. Watch for my Updates!!!
Le Petit Déjeuner at Uyen Bistro, Bolsa! Yet, another reason Orange County is the best place to live!