I first visited Vietnam in September 1996. I was impressed in many ways, but what impressed me the most was its cuisine. My friend, who was stationed in Ho Chi Minh City, took me to various restaurants he knew of. The food that I tried in those restaurants was excellent. His dishes were beautifully presented and visually pleasing. The spring rolls, which were made with rice paper, were fresh and lightly seasoned; they were more suitable for people who had just arrived in the country and who were tired after their long plane journey. The chicken based rice noodle soup was also slightly salty and tasty. I later learned that the Vietnamese are proud of their cuisine as it is a mix of Chinese, French and native Vietnamese influences. His pride is quite understandable.

Although it is not easy to find an authentic Vietnamese restaurant in Japan, I have found many good Vietnamese restaurants in San Francisco and in the Bay Area. They are generally good; however, I was looking for something more. There had to be a restaurant in this area that served the same amazing food that I had in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

It was my wife who told me about Slanted Door after hearing about the restaurant from her Vietnamese friends. I would have liked to know the reason for the impressive Slanted Door name, but there was nothing on her website to tell me the reason behind it. The restaurant is located in the Ferry Building 1, near the Bay Bridge, and has great views of the Bay Bridge. There is a bar to the left of the entrance.

The dining room floor is set along the shoreline of the bay, and there is a patio for outside dining. The interior of the restaurant is modern and futuristic. I like how the windows facing the bay shoreline get the sunlight.

Dinner was magnificent. My wife ordered spring rolls for an appetizer, and I ordered the green papaya and oyster salad. My wife ordered crab meat noodles for main course. I ordered the restaurant’s famous “jerk beef”. My wife loved her food. She later told me that the restaurant had the best Vietnamese style dishes she had ever tasted. My oysters were fresh and tasty, and I loved my beef dish. The meat was tender and juicy. The sauce was the combination of a Vietnamese style fruity sweet hot sauce and some sour vinegar. I told my wife how good the veal was and she took an interest in my dish, even though she doesn’t usually eat veal. She sampled a bit and ended up eating half.

The only problem with this restaurant is that it is very popular and crowded. Since we went there without a reservation, we needed to kill more than an hour before getting our table. Although it was worth the wait, we recommend making a reservation for lunch and dinner.