Tay Do

Post closing eulogy #12: Tay Do
Kind of bummed that I found out that Tay Do is now closed. This was the only place that I had milk tea with flan. Now I don’t even know where to get tea with flan. And will it be as good as Tay Do’s version? I wish there was a world where Tay Do is still open but it seems it didn’t work out that way.
This one goes out to those of you milk tea with flan drink peeps. May you find your drink with a worthy replacement.

This place makes high quality stuff, but portions are not huge like I would like. The associate was really try to pimp off the oyster mushrooms and it’s health benefits. Well it worked.
Had the lemon grass chicken, was pretty tasty! Seaweed drink, taste like grass jelly w/​a hint of seaweed, fairly refreshing. The oyster mushroom phở was a pretty healthy option, but seemed too simple.

This is no bueno. I wanted the phở and luckily this place was open. I got the one phở with most meats and it came out fairly quickly. However, the meat was so minimal that I was still hungry afterwards. Literal one one or two meatballs in there that were cut up to look like there was a lot. It was like Vietnamese spam meatballs. No thank you. The meat was too red even after being cooked in the soup and I like my meat chewy and cooked. The noodles weren’t soft and the soup was just meh. It tasted cleaner I guess since it wasn’t that heavy but it didn’t taste a home brewed soup base.

One our favorite phở places. In a bit of an odd strip mall but inside is nice and clean though a little stuffy (doesn’t seem like they have ac).
We like this place for the food. The broth is mushroom based which tastes a lot cleaner than the meat base most places have. Someone told me the owner grows his own mushrooms but this is unconfirmed. The meat quality of this place is also top of the line. A lot more tender and a different cut from most places.
They also sell boba if you want something for dessert or on the side. Yum!

Love this place. The cook is talented… I love all their dishes, from the phở soup to the fried rice to the cold noodles to the teas.
Interior décor is nice, they have Vietnamese shows streaming on the tv. I’m not Vietnamese but I can see the Vietnamese who come here enjoy watching it.
I will be back often!

I called this place on the weekend 45 min before they closed asking if they were okay with just one takeout order. The person on the phone said he was okay with it and I then proceeded to order quail legs as my order. When I arrived the person told me he doesn’t cook the meal until the people show up. He didn’t mention this on the phone and to my dismay I end up waiting 20 minutes for my meal to be cooked. When I finally receive the meal I was disappointed at how light the box felt. When I opened the meal in the car all I see were 4 tiny quail legs that weren’t even cooked properly (as in the meat wasn’t falling off the bone as it should for such a price).
Why the hell did I just pay $ 13 for 4 tiny quail legs with a over sweetened tamarind sauce? At least provide some form of carbohydrate (i.e. rice) if you are gonna serve me such a meager amount of protein. I had a horrible experience at this establishment and will not even consider giving it a second try. Although my experience may be as such, if you have tons of money to blow for meager proportions of ‘street food’ then you should definitely consider coming here.

You must be surprised why I give out 5 star since I just checked in here once, right ?..;) I will tell you why ! I got over 30 friends read my last review so it’s time for me to write another review and I pick «Tay Do Restaurant «. I know some of you are laughing at me now but I have some weird thinking sometimes.;)
I came here way before I get in to Unilocal.My friend introduced me and we’re all falling in love with Tay Do cuz of lots of reason .
Mr Long who I just found out today from my Unilocal friend (Jeanie L) is the owner. He greeted us and suggested some special dishes to try. I asked him if he’s the owner and he said that he just work there. Darn, we has had so much fun with him every time we go there .
For the first time, we only have 3 girls so we ordered Papayas Salad & Fried Chicken in Fish Sauce. Those are delicious.
2^nd time we came with 6 peoples. Beside the 2 previous dishes, we got Crab Udon, fried fish ball, shaking beef & French fries, roasted quails. It was funny that they run out of bread so we ask if we can have some rice to eat with the sauce from the «fried chicken in fish sauce «cuz it’s so good. They bought out some rice while one guy go to the store to get more bread. So bad that we were full when the bread arrived .All of those were delicious also, thumb up !!
3^rd time give me a chance to try out 2 different dishes. Fried quails with tamarind sauce & Rice Flour Cake fried with Eggs… My final decision is 5 star for all delicious foods even though I still want to try «Bun Bo Hue «here since Long said it’s good and I trust him .;)
For the drink, I just go with «Herbal Seaweed «only because it’s so awesome good. You can trust others’s reviews on those drinks cuz they’re expert.
Long said that they’re no longer serve Crab Udon for some reason (Too much work I think).
Forget to mention that they don’t serve beer. Ooh trust me with all kind of those foods plus beer, Gentlemen you’re in Heaven.;-)
For Ladies ! West Field Valley Fair mall is on the other side of the street. You can walk it off the foods if you want it too…;-)Make it double for your happiness, yay …
Let’s go to Tay Do, you’ll get good foods, friendly & funny services. Go home with happy tummy & happy mind. What’s more could you ask for ?..
Highly recommended. I’ll be back for sure !

Pros
Milk teas and toppings: the milk teas here have a perfect blend of tea and milk with a right amount of sweetness. They offer more unique toppings to add into your drink such as flan or diamond jelly which are both great.
Pha Lau: The intestine stew is savory with a small hint of spices, it’s even better with the garlic roll that comes with the dish.
Cons
Prices: I personally thought the food was overpriced considering I wasn’t even full from the meal. The drinks; however, are definitely worth a visit for if you want to try different toppings in your drinks.

The Hubby and I luckily found this place thru Unilocal,otherwise, we would have never known it existed! So glad we did, because it really is a «Hidden Gem» obscurely located inside a strip mall. (You kinda have to look for it).
We ordered the «Rose milk tea» with Flan, which thankfully does not taste like flowers. Contrary to its name, it’s a standard delicious black milk tea, and we enjoyed it!
As for food, we got the #26 Bo Luc Lac (Shaken Beef with Rice), which was addictive! The beef was tender with a super tasty sauce, and the veggies included onions, bell peppers, and oyster mushrooms – a nice surprise!
The fried oyster mushrooms appetizer was delightful. The fried chicken wings in fish sauce: YUM! And the accompanying french bread? Scrumptious! (They should make sandwiches with them!)
Everything we ate was great. So Hubby and I are definitely putting this in our rotation and are excited to try all the different menu items as we venture into becoming regulars here.
Plus, I love supporting small mom & pop shops like this, especially when they are so nice! :). So if you are reading this right now, you should definitely give them a try!

DISCOVERING A HIDDEN GEM!
We had attended Janet O’s UYE here and finally got around to revisiting this great find! If it weren’t for Vu L.‘s repeated Unilocal Check-​Ins and Janet’s UYE, we would not have known about this place. It’s located in a strip mall on W. San Carlos Street (which turns into Stevens Creek Blvd.,). One may assume that there is high foot traffic here, but not exactly, as Tay Do is set inside, along a small walkway, not visible from the street. The largest and most familiar landmark in the area is, See’s Candies.
I love the seating choices here: a mix of comfy booths around the perimeter, table seating and cozy lounge chairs in the center.
Tay Do is not upscale and does not pretend to be. It’s simply, «enlightened homestyle comfort food». I say, «enlightened» because Long, the owner, takes his cuisine seriously and earnestly applies his knowledge of healthy cooking to his dishes. He grows his own Blue Oyster mushrooms which is the healthy base to his soup broths, while taking great pride in the flavors of his special sauces and milk teas.
Here is what we ordered (listed in order of favorites):
~ Papaya Salad w/​Beef Jerky — MUST ORDER! The salad arrived at our table in a large metal mixing bowl with each ingredient laying separate from one another; sauce on the side. Long instructed us to mix the sauce into the salad, a little at a time, or to taste. We complied. I wasn’t too confident about how the sauce was going to taste with the salad since it appeared to be just soy sauce. Once everything was mixed together, the wonderful flavors complemented one another and became a fragrant, refreshing and delicious salad that both Tony and I couldn’t stop gravitating toward.
~ Pha Lau — MUST ORDER! This dish was so savory and delicious, that once again, I couldn’t stop myself from finishing it (with a little help of course). The mild curry flavor and spiciness was perfect with the beef tongue and tripe. Also included was a sweet anise dipping sauce. This dish comes with bread, but I would suggest ordering a side of white rice, as this made for a nice accompaniment.
~ Tempura Oyster Mushroom — MUST ORDER! Maybe I’m a little biased, as I absolutely love mushrooms, in any form, texture, size or color. Having them fried is even better! These mushrooms were fresh, crispy and delicious! A sweet chili sauce is used for dipping.
~ Honeydew Milk Drink — What I loved about this drink was the unadulterated honeydew taste. It had a clean, fresh honeydew fruit taste without any artificial ingredients trying to replicate the melon flavor. Long knows quality and this is why he does not use powders to make his tea drinks; he only uses fresh and natural ingredients.
~ Bún Bò Huê ~ The broth was slightly thinner than at other noodle restaurants, but the taste was very good.
As I write this review, I can hear my stomach grumble and my saliva glands begin to wake up. Time for a Tay Do run!

A friend recommended I try this place for its healthy alternative to traditional Vietnamese street food (appetizers) and Oyster Mushroom vegetarian options. Tired of all the usual places, my family decided to give it a shot. Not being very familiar with the area, it was hard to find and not within street view. Navigation kind of took us in a circle also. The parking lot was a little confusing with its one way but they have visible signs. I didn’t like the fact the restroom was outside also, it made me nervous to go there by myself.
Now onto the food experience: it’s pretty authentic as it gets! It feels like your in VN with its eccentric décor (alittle out there and all over the place) and it’s comfy lounge chairs, little Ikea tables feels like the night out back in VN. The food was really good! I enjoyed all the dishes, reasonable portions and prices. The milk tea was really good too, but I did order the rose milk and it had no hint of floral what so ever. But it was a good milk tea, and the diamond pearls was a nice touch. Service was alittle slow since there was only one server but he was super friendly, went over the menu with us and gave us enough attention that I’m not complaining. Overall, I would come back. My kids seem to like the setting and the food too so that’s always a plus in my book!

Highly recommende :) if i could go above a 5 star I would. Amazing customer service
. Will definitely go back and recommend to all my friends.
Thank you for making our girl time so memorable & happily :) glad I’ve found you

Was really let down they didn’t have the Corn Milk Tea, because it was one of the flavors I really wanted to try! However, I went with the Rose Milk Tea instead with the diamond jelly.
The Rose Milk Tea comes in a large cup and topped with patriotically colored jellies. The MT itself was good, but let me longing for the floral rose flavor I was hoping for. The jellies were good, it has a similar texture to Vietnamese jell-​o which is made with agar instead of gelatin so there’s more of a bite and bounce to it. The only problem I had with the jellies were they some weren’t cut small enough to go through the boba straw– bummer.
The service is good however, lovely owner! Though expect it to be a little stagnant or slow since it is a family run type business, but they make you feel right at home! Which means more than anything in my book.
They take CC here. Thank goodness.

Loved’t! At night, besides the upstairs curtained Asian massage parlor, it’s the only place open in a tiny walk in plaza.
I came in because of my fellow Unilocalers postings and reviews. My love for Boba and milk tea as well as the tantalizing dishes of quail, fried chicken wings, and tripe soup lured me in! I didn’t have the tripe soup, but I had the other two. Friendly folks. I learned that if you sign them for a deck of playing cards they will be provide you with them. Or perhaps that’s reserved for friends.
Lots of seating so bring a group of friends. Definitely loved sitting by the door so we could watch their 60″ flat screen streaming Vevo! Got to watch «What does the fox say!?»!
They could tell I wasn’t local. I was photographing the food and upon their inquiries, I told them that Unilocal led me there! They were grateful and assured me that I was in the right spot!
The garlic buns are their thing. Soft & tasty!
The fried chicken wings and quail were both saucy and delish! But I’m a rice guy! Next time I’m gonna trade my bread in for some!
Loved the mint and honey dew milk teas w pretty lil blue and red jelly diamonds!
I’ll definitely go again when I get another opportunity.
The bathroom’s outside so whenya needta warsh before diggin in, the key’s by the door. Jus don’t forget’t inside the bathroom cuz I’m not sure if they have a spare.

More like 2.5 stars. This place is alright. Came in on a weekday evening with the hubs & was told to sit down without listening (as we wanted to do to go). We sat down & looked at the menu while the server asked us what we’d like. We told her we wanted our drinks to go & she redirected us to the counter. The cashier at the counter kept chatting with another customer in Vietnamese & again told us to have a seat. I told him we were ordering to go & they finally stopped chatting.
I got the rose milk tea with diamond jelly. Overall, it was okay. Not the best milk tea I’ve ever had, but the jelly was good. At least the place was clean.
I doubt I’d come back after our first impression here & the meh milk tea drinks. I’d rather spend the amount of money on a drink elsewhere.

Would not have known about this if not for the internet. Its dug in the back on an old style strip mall. We walk in and it’s bigger and more bustling than i expected. Everyone is speaking Vietnamese and it’s almost like you left San Jose. Friends rose milk tea was good as was my black iced coffee. Solid place if not hidden off the beaten path

**3.5 Stars**
Tay Do is different and unique and, frankly, I like that. Located a short drive from Santana Row, Tay Do is hidden in an interior courtyard of a strip mall off San Carlos Street.
With a menu featuring Vietnamese street food as well as more typical staples including phở noodles, Tay Do is a place you’d expect to find in San Jose’s Little Saigon but not really in this part of town. [update: looks like they moved from that area and are not related to the similarly named, but different, Tay Ho]
The surprisingly spacious interior features an eclectic décor like the menu of booth seating, table seating as well as multiple lounge chairs aimed at those stopping by for just milk tea and boba drinks. It’s a very casual feel and I wasn’t sure whether to order first or seat myself.
While the Vietnamese street food is the most unique, the phở noodle soups balance choices of vegetarian noodle soups featuring oyster mushrooms (a handout touts the health benefits) and several crab-​centric dishes of udon noodle, hot pot and tamarind crab.
I was here for a quick bite so chose the street food. Although I’ve been to Vietnam, I hadn’t tried any of the 4 – 5 dishes listed so was curious to try.
Pha Lau — $ 6.95. A small bowl of curry pig intestines is served accompanied by a large roll of banh mi bread and a dipping sauce. The curry was flavorful and the intestines were cooked well and tender. It’s definitely a different dish but as I eat intestines often in Chinese cuisine, it wasn’t too different. Flavored were solid and the bread was surprisingly fresh and soft dipping well in the curry sauce.
Deep Fried Fish Balls — $ 3.95. Two small skewers of cut up and deep fried fish balls are served with a side of tasty dipping sauce. The portion size, especially of the fish balls cut into smaller pieces, is a bit less than I expected but it was tasty. Hard to go wrong with fried food and the dipping sauce was a mix of soy sauce, chili and sweet. Would have been nice to have whole larger fish balls.
Jasmine Milk Tea — $ 3.55. Very nice milk tea that had a subtle Jasmine tea taste without being overwhelmingly sweet. Refreshing.
Overall, despite the hidden location and unique décor, I had a good meal at Tay Do. All the items were solid and I especially liked how they’re pretty unique. I look forward to returning and see how their crab dishes are and maybe even trying a phở, either with oyster mushrooms or not.
Tay Do accepts credit cards but not American Expresss.

Tay Do was a pleasant surprise. A fitting ending to a meat filled dinner. Coming from just next block from my favorite KBBQ place. Adam found T. D on the Unilocal app. That’s why Unilocal rocks! We’ve been back twice since then.
I know I can say that their snacks are really good. The Pha Lau is really hearty. It is beef tongue and tripe in a very satisfying broth. This is a one person dish that comes in a small bowl with a warm roll. The roll is perfect for scooping up the broth later. Delicious. This is my favorite!
You will see a dish that says Calamari Heads. They no longer make those. Just FYI. In place of that they do offer calamari rings. Too bad. I love the former :(We also tried their viet version of the Papaya Salad. My first time and I will get this again. It is really good served in a stainless steel bowl. The Shaking Beef is very good here. Adam and Vu loved it! I concur.
The servers and owner are awesome. The place is huge. A bunch of chairs and tables. Three televisions. Clean. Fast. Transparent about the process how they do things and are very willing to show you the steps how they got to a certain dish or drink. We personally saw the owner dissecting a pomegranate to turn it into a drink. Super cool!
The business has an awesome parking situation. It’s in a strip mall that sits to the left of a See’s candies store as you’re facing it. You have to walk in to the building after you park. It’s not accessible with a door from the parking lot like See’s candies.
The milk drinks are super awesome! I tried the Aloe Vera drink. The Milk and flan. Let’s just say it’s Vu L approved.
We will be back for more! Yes they take credit cards. Closed Monday’s.

Coming to Tay Do on a Friday night at around 7pm, we were the only customers there, but about half an hour later, people started coming in, and as I left the restaurant, they had about 4 parties there.
Tay Do is surprisingly spacious and well decorated but hidden away in a strip mall off W. San Carlos. I don’t think location is an advantage for Tay Do when it is new and unknown; however, if people do love Tay Do, I think it’s not a bad location because the parking is pretty big and it’s like in the central area.
Tay Do presents itself as a restaurant that offers Vietnamese street food. We usually find street food/​snacks in form of bubble tea/​milk tea shops rather than restaurant. But Tay Do does offer different types of Vietnamese noodles and hot pot and other main dishes in addition to the street food category.
We had Pha’ Lau, Bot Chien, Rice Paper Salad (Banh Trang Tron), and Crab Hot Pot.
This is actually the first time I tried Pha Lau in the US, so I have nothing to compare to. It’s not the same as the Pha Lau I had in Vietnam when I was very little. This one tastes a bit like curry. My friend said it was pretty good. For me, it’s okay.
Bot Chien Trung– Rice Flour Cake with Eggs– The sauce is very important for this dish, and their sauce meets the expectation. Bot Chien is crispy. This is much better than what we normally got from TK noodles or any noodle places. I like it.
Rice Paper Salad– Banh Trang Tron here is definitely on the better side of all the places i’ve tried recently. It is not the best that I’ve had. But it’s better than most places. The rice paper is not too wet and becomes mushy. It stays dry and tastes good. However, for improvement, they can add more dried baby shrimps (te’p). I do notice that they added dried tangerine skins which I have not seen anywhere else. It could be a nice touch that creates uniqueness. But I don’t care for that part.
Crab Hot Pot came with some mushrooms, clams, beef and vegetables. The beef was very tender. They use tenderloin and hand cut it, so it was thicker and better quality as compared to what you normally get at any hot pot restaurant in town. The hot pot comes with what looks like a whole crab, but I say it’s about ½ of the big dungeness crab. The broth is really good. I tastes like home cook.
Service was good, very attentive and friendly.

Attention all snack-​lovers, this is where you need to be! I’m so glad Tay Do has opened up a new location, because after the previously closed their store, I was desperate to find a replacement boba place.
I finally got to order my Jasmine milk tea with boba and flan. YES, I said FLAAAAN. The texture and sweetness make the drink even more delicious :) The boba is also my favorite because it has the perfect amount of sweetness and has a good chew to it.
My boyfriend got a fruit milk tea. I know what you’re thinking, fruit? It’s hard to describe, but it’s a mixture of multiple fruit teas I believe? At least that’s what it tastes like. Just know that it’s worth trying and I haven’t seen any other boba place with it on their menu!
As for snacks, we ordered Pha Long and papaya salad.
Pha Lau:
This was my first time trying this dish. (Intestines stew). And I had no regrets. It came out in a small bowl but don’t think that the amount of intestines was not enough. It’s served with a side of garlic baguette bread to dip. The hot broth was very flavorful with spices and aroma. The intestines itself was not overly chewy, there were a variety of types, and had good texture. Will definitely be ordering this again!
Papaya salad:
Came out in a silver mixing bowl with shredded papaya, mint leaves, peanuts, and shredded beef jerkey with the spicy sauce in a side dish so you can mix it to your liking. It may not have looked like a lot, but this was also a generous portion size. It filled us both up!
The owner then brought us two sample cups of their honeydew milk tea wish was soooo good also because it wasn’t an over-​powering fruit taste and it was perfectly creamy. Omb I want more now haha. And the second sample was the rong bien drink (seaweed) which was really refreshing instead of savory and creamy.
It’s located in the back of a shopping plaza. You have to walk through this walkway and you’ll find it back there. It’s a very spacious store with booths as well as a lounge area with foldable cushion chairs for a more relaxing atmosphere.
The menu has also expanded to offering savory dishes like rice plates and noodle dishes. In addition they also have their snacks such as fried fish balls and buttered sautéed corn. Yum! Can’t wait until the next time I can come back.
If you haven’t been here before, you need to go noooow before I order all their food and drinks ^_​_​_​_​^