Zao

Furkan Aksungur

3.0

Among the usual Asian choices, Vietnamese cuisine is probably the least popular and familiar among Pinoys. Despite this, a few notable Vietnamese joints have persisted through the years. Zao has been around even before the popularity of pho and banh mi shops. Offering a menu replete with authentic Vietnamese fare, it remains a welcome alternative to the congested Japanese / Chinese food scene. Highs:1. Green mango salad: Carnivores need not be put-off by this surprisingly enjoyable salad dish. The green mango slices are topped off with tender angus beef strips, whose grilled flavor matches the light sourness of the mango. Perfect starter. 2. Crispy spring roll: An ubiquitous dish in any Viet/Thai shop. The roll was crisp yet not oily. Packed to the brim with pork filling, which tasted a bit gamey but was neutralized by the sweet sour vinegar dip. 3. Zao Satay Platter: A good choice if one can't make up their mind on which satay to order. The chicken was juicy and tender, as well as the beef. The shrimp was a bit small and a tad dry, but all 3 had that distinct smokey taste. Paired well with vinegar dip but should be better with the usual satay peanut sauce (which I skipped because of my current low uric acid diet restriction haha). 4. Firecracker prawns: Succulent prawns lightly stir fried in chili and lime sauce, giving a a unique twist in flavor. The prawns were average sized but retained its juices. The spice level was underwhelming though. Lows: 1. Fish in Tomato sauce: Huge fillet of fish but other than that, nothing spectacular. It was over-fried and a bit burnt on the edges. The sauce was also tamed and underwhelming. I needed to add a dash of that sweet vinegar for added taste. Actually, that sauce saved most of the low dishes. 2. Salt and pepper squid: the usual calamares given a Vietnamese touch with a dash of lime. But it failed to impress. The batter was too thick and the squid too thin. Although the squid was briny and tender, the flavor again was too tame. Compared to other Vietnamese joints, Zao's flavors admittedly is toned down. The sourness of lime and other ingredients are a bit lacking in power, as is the spices. However, that may be the reason also why they have lasted so long so far, able to cater most people who fear the spice or tanginess of this cuisine. Nevertheless, the satay platters do stand out and remain consistent (even as far back as 5 years ago, the flavor remains the same as I can remember). The rolls also remain consistently good. The seafood dishes need a bit of amped up flavor, but the meat are spot-on. Look for Zao to persevere in the Vietnamese food market.

Bengü Hakyemez

5.0

Ambience is a bit dim but overall, food tastes great. We had seafood pho, satay platter, vegetarian fresh spring rolls, catfish pot, and water spinach with tofu. I love how their food are prepared savory but not salty. Price is good too compared to serving size.

Lollette Oliva Alipe

4.0

We tried this restaurant after walking all over greenhills looking for a new place to try. Zao got our attention because we haven't tried vietnamese cuisine before. So we were seated along the veranda styled edge. We ordered Char-grilled noodle bowls-Garlic butter glazed shrimps and seafood noodles. The char-grilled noodle bowl was a definitely delicious and unique! The noodles with bean sprouts was served chilled and the sauce was very well suited. The shrimps were tasty and cooked perfectly. I really liked this cuisine,it offered a new experience for my palate.The seafood noodles was tasty and the serving was goo enough for two people. The Vietnamese coffee was served with the filter itself and you'd have to wait for about ten minutes before you can drink it. All in all we had a wonderful dining experience here because the food was really good and worth its price. Recommending this resto for those who want to try something new. Sadly I wasn't able to take any pictures.

Dinda Sudibya

4.0

Hoping for a quick bite with dad and my sister before watching a movie with the cousins. We were undecided and my sister suggested their default pre-movie restaurant - Zao.We started with Fresh Rolls while waiting for our food. As usual, I requested for the vinegar dipping sauce. Not a fan of peanuty hoisin sauce that were served with it. this is a good and healthy appetizer.My sister really likes the Banh Mi here but prefers it without the pate. Although she was asked at the time she ordered, it was still served. We just returned it. I had a tiny bite and all I could remember is the hard bread.We liked the tender and flavorful Vietnamese Beef Stew. I was expecting something spicy but it wasn't.I loved my generous serving of Zao Bowl with the cold noodles, vegetables, assorted grilled meat and spring rolls. Although we couldn't figure out which was which, everything was tasty and good. The sweetness and acidity of the sauce was just right. Dad and my sister liked their Refillable Tamarind Iced Tea which I found a bit sour. I prefer my iced tea on the sweet side.The servers were nowhere to be found a majority of the time. A bit weird considering we were the only ones there on a weeknight. We had to stand up and go to them if we needed anything. They seemed preoccupied as well.The portions were huge. The three of us must have been famished to have wiped out everything. On a normal day, this much would be considered over ordering. Or maybe we just really liked how all of the dishes tasted thus a clean table. I'm sure we'll be back for their delicious food but I hope they improve on their service.*visited in March 2016

Burak.etc

4.0

On the table:1. Meatball Pho -- broth and noodles were great. Meatballs meeeeehhhhh! 2. Chicken Pho 3. Pork Vietnamese Satay -- tender pork. Reallyenjoyed this one with my pho.4. Vietnamese Coffee -- this I found really odd. In Ba Noi's and other Vietnamese restos, they let the coffee drip in a coffee mug then you put the condensed milk and then your pour it into a glass of ice. This one was weird. They let the coffee drip in a glass with ice and the condensed milk was at the bottom. That's why coffee was watered down cos it melted the ice as it dripped. Really weird.But all in all, good dining experience. Ang konti ng tao though. Good value for money and good ambiance. You'd think it was a fine dining resto cos of the interiors. *Dined July 2016

Seniye Cemre Naimoğlu

4.0

Excellent food and very nice grill aroma on the grilled items like satay and the bbq. The pho was good as well with a nice level of taste (saltiness) on the soup base. Not too salty. Plain rice was a pricey but i think that is the going rate nowadays.Satay did not have peanut sauce served with it which might be a vietnamese thing (thai has that peanut sauce)? The satay and the bbq grill kinda tasted the same.

Ravv

4.0

Before watching movie with friends, we had a dinner at Zao. The food was delicious and their staff were friendly. I really loved their seafood salted egg rice. We also had shaken beef and we were shookt, it was soft and delicious. The chicken curry was also similar to thai curry. Overall, we loved the food and ambiance. Will definitely go back!

Irma Rachmawati

4.0

zao pho- it got a lot smaller. fewer beef slices and fewer tendons. inflation? i dont know.fresh rolls- really good as always. it has more veggies than glassnoodles. just the way I like it. honey garlic spareribs- so juicy, so fatty, so tasty. ambiance is really good. not too many people. servers were attentive.

Hatice Sarı

4.0

This is our go-to vietnamese resto when we’re in greenhills. Ambience is so-so. Could be more well-lit, but inspite of that, we always look forward to their fresh vietnamese rolls, zao satay platter, zao bbq platter (perfectly marinated and grilled assorted meats good for sharing), caramelized chicken wings and my personal favorite- chargrilled zao noodle bowl! 🍲 quality of food, taste and serving size are much, much better than the other (relatively new) vietnamese resto with branches in SM Aura and Podium.

Mau Louise Correa

4.0

Zao was a good experience, except for their garlic prawns dish, everything was good. Service was good. The fried rice was delicious, their Zao pho was really good, their cut up fillet mignon dish was awesome, but ended with a really bland and weird garlic prawn dish.