I went into Lotus Leaf tonight expecting a really great Vietnamese meal and I have to say I was a little disappointed. The food was not bad by any means, but I just felt the restaurant is suffering from a bit of an identity crisis. We arrived and found that they do have a nice large patio, but inside the restaurant is surprisingly small. It is the only place I've seen where the outside seating seems more spacious than the inside. A jazz band was playing in the corner, not really what you would expect for a Vietnamese restaurant. The menu included things like Lobster Bisque and Creme Brulee, not that these foods are bad, it just didn't seem to fit. The grouper that is served in a Banana Leaf, very neat concept, but it didn't live up to my expectations flavor wise since the menu describes it as being in a ""spicy XO sauce"". In fact all I could really pickup up in the dish was the ginger, and it was a little overpowering. The fish is served on rice noodles and with a few green beans on the side, and it wasn't very filling. My husband ordered the Curry Coconut Chicken, which the menu neglects to mention is actually dark meat chicken. Since he dislikes dark meat chicken or any meat on the bone, he had to send it back. He ordered the special stir fry that is served in a cored out pineapple, and it was the best part of the meal. The Fried Banana dessert, is actually bananas wrapped in a spring roll skin, and I felt they would have been much better in a light batter. Our server was clearly distracted by a large table he was waiting on outside, so he was absent for long periods of time and didn't once offer to refill our drinks which didn't help my overall impression. I'm happy I tried it but I don't see this restaurant becoming one of my regular haunts.
Pros: nice large patio
Cons: strange combinations of food, menu is a little misleading
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