Ben Tre - Vietnamese, South San Francisco

219 Grand Ave, South San  Francisco CA 94080
(650) 952-2243
Parking: pay parking lot, street parking
Hours: Sun-Thurs, Sat 10am-9:30pm, Fri 10am-10pm
http://www.bentrerestaurant.com/

Last Visited: June 12, 2012

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$

After a couple of lunch visits and a dinner visit, I've had a chance to try a few different dishes.  I give Ben Tre three solid stars for food, but if everything was consistent, it could get a slightly higher food rating.

Like most Vietnamese places, service here isn't great, and lunchtime is extremely crowded on weekdays, so factor that in when you go for a visit.   As for setting, it's pretty crowded.  The tables are close together and the television screens are usually on.  It feels more like a cafeteria than a restaurant. 

- Ben Tre Appetizer Combination - Imperial Rolls, Spring Roll, Grilled Meatball, Sugarcane & Crispy Shrimp, Rice Vermicelli & Lettuce - The rolls were fresh, but I found the meat items to be a bit dry.  $11.25

- Ben Tre Rice Platter - BBQ Pork, Imperial Roll, and Fried Chicken Wings.  For the rice platter combination, you can choose from a variety of meats (pork, porkchops, short ribs, beef, chicken) and accompaniments (imperial rolls, chicken wings, noodles, shredded pork, fried egg, meatloaf, shrimp cake). The fried chicken is crispy, but the meat lacks flavor.  The bbq meat is good, but they forgot to give me the dipping sauce for the plate and I had to ask them for it.  Ironically, they remembered to give everyone else their dipping sauce.  The imperial roll is good.  The quantity is good for the price and good for lunch because it arrives quickly. $8.85

- BBQ Pork with Garlic Noodles - This dish is also offered with other meat if you prefer to select something else.  I was surpised that the garlic noodles were flavored with small deep fried garlic pieces.  I'm fairly certain that garlic noodles, as known to fusion Vietnamese restaurants, isn't made this way.  While the garlic flavor is definitely present, I missed the buttery quality of the noodles that I've had at other places.  Good meat, but the noodles aren't what you would expect.   $12.50

- Shrimp and Vegetables with Yellow Rice in a Clay pot - While this isn't the exact name, it describes the contents of the dish.  Four pieces of shrimp are barbecued and put on top of slices of onions, bell peppers, and young corn.  All of this is placed over yellow rice.  It was nice to try this dish since it's new to me, but I probably wouldn't order it again.  If you like onions that are just cooked and still a little sharp, you'll enjoy this a lot.  The shrimp was a little dry since it had been grilled.  The rice looks more flavorful than it actually is.  $9.15

Ben Tre is a good spot for rice plates and bbq meats.  I'm sure the pho is probably fine too, but I found the seafood to be a little too dry because of the grill.  This is a good stop for rice plates - stick to the classic items and you should be good to go.  Expect to eat lunch quickly because if you don't, they'll be sure to give you plenty of hints - the check will come before your table is done and they'll check back with your frequently.