Crustacean Euro Vietnamese Cuisine

First let me start with the positive. The food is very good. The garlic noodles are great. I don't know if it's possible to eat without ordering a side of noodles but I've never been able to do it. The food on the special menu is also spectacular expecially the dungeness crab dishes.
On the flipside the wait can be very long without a reservation and on busy nights the restaurant is quite loud (very difficult to have a intimate conversation)

Pros: Garlic Noodles

Cons: Crowd noise

Posted 10/10/06

Definately the sexiest happy hour in Los Angeles!!!!! I was so excited to discover a happy hour tailored to a more professional and sophisticated clientele. Their bar menu offered a nice selection of drinks and appetizers at half off the original price. I had an amazing Kobe burger that is exclusive to their happy hour menu and excellent signature cocktails. They had plasma tvs with the latest sports game at two parts of the bar and an accoustic band that came on as we were leaving. I went there with a couple of girlfriends and found the crowd very upscale and attractive. Perfect for after work drinks or meeting with a client or potential dating partner.

Pros: Street parking available, live music, attractive crowd

Cons: More of a professional industry crowd vs a hollywood scene

Posted 10/05/06

The best items on the menu is the garlic noodles and the cracked whole crab drenched in garlic. For desert, order the fried bananas with ice cream. DELISH! It's a beautiful atmosphere with its fish tank integrated floor and very good service. Note: no tennis shoes or t-shirts!

Pros: FOOD

Cons: PRICEY

Posted 09/21/06

Very chic. Oh so Beverly Hills. Service was good. Great place to celeb watch (if that's your thing). My favorite: Garlic Noodles. If you try these noodles, be sure to pack some breath mints.

Posted 09/18/06

It is not the usual vietnamese cuisine most people experience. In fact it is nothing close to vietnamese cuisine considerin I come from a vietnamese background. However, as long as the food is good it doesn't matter. Had the crab w/ garlic noodles, some steak, appetizer platter, and a bunch of other stuff I forgot cause it was way back on father's day. We got free shrimp appetizer since it was father's day!! The food was very delicious. Had some desserts also. The ginger corbet was good but the music box cake was alright no wow factor. I don't think they make their desserts in house seems like they buy it from somewhere else and jack up the price. Speaking of price it is quite pricey, but the experience is worth it.

Pros: Ambience, Food

Cons: Waiting time even though you make reservations, Price

Posted 09/15/06

went to this place last Friday, called for reservations and got seated really fast. It's my wife's first time here and she really loved the walk on aquarium. We sat down on the second floor next to the railings overlooking the main dining room. The server was very knowledgable and very helpful. I got the lobster and the wife got the seabass that was seared and grilled. recommended by our server. She enjoyed the fish until the last bite and I my only complain is that, I want more lobster. Should have gotten more spinach, and more tapas. It was a very enjoyable night for both of us and will be back there soon. The dresscode is really not implemented. they are not that strict.

Posted 09/11/06

This place is great for a romantic dinner, but not cheap. I loved the aquarium in the floor. The best food is from the secret kitchen. It's worth the extra money! And the noodles are awesome!!

Pros: prawns and garlic noodles

Posted 08/17/06

My eyes dropped out of my head the first time I visited. The place is absolutly gorgeous-but the jaw dropper is the mini-river running under your feet. It's like walking on water!!!

Whenever I have out of town guests, I have to take them. The garlic Crab and Noodles are sensational. A true must have.

Best place it town!!!

Pros: Gorgeous and delicious

Posted 06/26/06

The koi pond was brown and dirty...the tables are quite close to each other both upstairs and down. The food itself was good but it should be considering the prices. Men are required to wear blazers but women can get away with jeans as long as they dress it up. Don't know if I'll be back here all things considered but glad I tried it out.

Pros: Food

Cons: Dress code, Koi pond?, Crowded

Posted 03/17/06

I was really looking forward to coming here despite mixed reviews I had heard, so I decided to see for myself and I loved it! We had reservations, we were seated right away and the noodles are to die for! Best I've ever had. I also had the Dungeness Crab which was a huge portion and I ate all of it! My date had the tiger prawns which were also phenomenal. I think however, the lights should be dimmed down a couple notches. STILL, I LOVED IT!

Pros: asian noodles, crab, location

Cons: none really.

Posted 03/03/06

Crustacean was bustling and beautiful. Stop by the bar on the main floor (directly across from the live music) and have a cocktail...the bar experience was stellar!

We had a large group for dinner and were seated upstairs in a configuration well suited for our size. The service was, I'm afraid, a little harried...but there 16 of us and it was a very busy night. Service was efficient...just not as personable as I have had elsewhere. The food, however, was wonderful. I also really appreciated the wine suggestions that accompanied many of the menu items.

Here's the kicker... I spent nearly $140 all in for 4 courses/drinks. You could easily choose more modestly priced, equally appetizing selections from the menu.

For a special treat, I would highly recommend Crustacean. But to truly enjoy yourself, don't put yourself on a budget for the evening...just go ahead and order away!

Pros: Food (Crab & Noodles), Wine Pairings, Outstanding Decor

Cons: Wait Staff Very Busy, Noisy in Some Areas

Posted 02/09/06

I know the restaurant business and been in for years. I understand this is a very busy time, but even then was so angry getting off the phone with them.

I called referring an important client of mine, who was looking for an asian restaurant. So I recommended them because I've been there myself.

The hostess was ridiculously rude. I was nothing but be polite and patient. I inquired about Valentine's Day and even said I understood. She disregards it, quickly recites what they are offering, snaps and interrupts me saying 'i can't do anything about it' and 'well, we have "very important clients" ourselves too'.

THIS IS ABOUT THE CUSTOMER, NOT A WAR AMONGST RESTAURANTS. DROP THE PRIDE!

It lacks even common courtesy. There are plenty of other restaurants out there, especially places that don't MICROWAVE their FISH before bringing it out (info from their former waiter)

Pros: Decor, Location, History

Cons: Lack of courtesy, Insanely rude hostess, Microwaved food

Posted 02/07/06

You can't say too much bad about this place but you can't praise it too much either.
Everything is OK but if you think this place is really good then you haven't been to a really good restaurant. Their specialty, the crab, is so entrenched in garlic that it becomes painful and messy to finish. The best dish was the noodles but it's not a dish to go out of your way for! For me this place is a "one time around the park." No need to return...been there---done that.

Pros: ambience

Cons: loud

Posted 02/05/06

Pros: food was great! we had the lobster w/ garlic noodles. decor was very very nice. and the service was grade +A... one of the best in LA i've ever had.

Cons: the lighting was too dim. the much hyped koi pond was dirty. our appetizer which barely fed 8 of us costed $70.

Cost: for my party of 8: 1 appetizer, 8 entres, 3 deserts, a bottle of wine: $630 before tip. I thought this was quite reasonable except the appetizer and water (water today is more expensive than i though!)

Pros: Service, Food

Cons: Price? maybe

Posted 01/20/06

I had arranged for pre-paid meal for my parents 40th anniversary. The day of the reservation, I received a call to confirm the reservation. I re-confirmed that the meal was pre-paid. My parents arrived and had an enjoyable time. When it came time to pay the bill, the waiter brought my dad the bill. I told my dad that it was pre-paid, so he asked the waiter if this was correct. The waiter said yes, and proceeded to charge his credit card. My dad called me to check to see if this was really the case. My dad showed him the credit card receipt which proved that it was his card. Christopher then proceeded to credit back the amount of the meal, but not the tip. I then called Christopher directly and asked him what happened. He said, "there's nothing I can say." Don't go to this place.

Posted 12/10/05

GREAT RESTAURANT. REASONABLY PRICED FOR THE PORTIONS (ENTREES). WOULD SKIP THE APPETIZERS (VERY SMALL IN PORTION) AND SOMEWHAT OVERPRICED FOR WHAT YOU GET. WILL GO BACK MANY MORE TIMES.

Pros: FOOD, FOOD, FOOD

Cons: STUFFY

Posted 11/10/05

I knew of this place from SF, but had never dined at either restaurant. From recommendations of friends, I decided to try this place out. Warning, be prepared to spend about $200 for a meal of 2+wine. Of course, it was all worth it. The dungeness crab and garlic noodles are awesome. I would definitely go back for a special occassion. The decor and ambiance was nicely done as well as excellent service...

Pros: service, food

Cons: busy

Posted 09/23/05

Finally went to see what the hype is about. Yes, have the crab (BIG dungeness) and the garlic noodles. The prawns got a nod of approval also. The tenderloin...not so much. Our appetizers were overpriced yellow-tail, ahi and tuna roll for $45! Should have gone to Zooma. The mango and lobster salad is also excellent. Great place for a date, unique decor. Excessively noisy...tainted my over all impression, but I will go back for a second impression. Stay with the signature dishes, avoid extras before hand and you will come away happy.

Pros: large, full crabs, see and be seen

Cons: noisy, noisy

Posted 09/11/05

ALL the good reviews are posted by restaurant insiders.
FOOD was BAD and served COLD

Pros: NON

Cons: PRICY

Posted 08/13/05

I went to crustacean one friday night. the crab was divine, aswell as the noodles. we had crispy chicken rolls, corn soup, crab, and noodles. the resturanuts ambiance was lovely, the service fantastic, and the food (need i say more)... uhh!!!! this is my favorite resturant in all of beverly hills. this is an excelent place to go with friends, on a date, or alone.

Pros: Food, Service, Ambiance

Posted 07/11/05

This is definitely the best Crab I ever had! You must try the garlic noodle too. It is not that cheap but well worth every dime. The garlic jumbo prawns are good too but I perferred the crab.

Posted 06/07/05

Ok, the crab and the noodles are to DIE for... the rest, not so much. In our party we also had the corn-lobster soup, coconut prawns, and a banana and a pineapple fritter. Eh. I would definitely come back again for the crab - you get a LOT of crab so the price makes it worth it - and like I said the garlic noodles are fantastic, but I would skip the other courses. Also, we had no problem with rude watistaff or a long wait to be seated, and we were there on a busy Friday night.

Pros: Main Courses, Drinks

Cons: Non-Main Courses, Loud

Posted 05/23/05

I wanted to know if all of the hype was worth it. I went with a party of six and between all of us we ordered all of the "most talked about" dishes on the menu. The crab that is cooked with the An Family "secret" recipe was so buttery that I had to drink a gallon of water when I got home. I was enjoying the garlic noodles until sooner or later everything eventually just tasted like butter. Eating here left me thirsty all night.

Overall great ambiance, but the hosts/hostesses need to check their attitude, and you'll love it if you love butter. Not worth the hype and not worth the time (which you will need a lot of since they make you wait forever even if you have a reservation). There are much better shi-shi restaurants in the Bev. Hills area.

Pros: ambiance, valet

Cons: food, host/hostess

Posted 04/28/05

Excellent food, good for groups and romantic. Just a little above average service. Host was a bit snobbish. Overall I highly recommend.

Pros: Food, Ambience, Location

Cons: Host

Posted 03/09/05

The only con I have for Crustacean BH is the wait. Whether it's packed or empty, you have to wait! Once you get pass the reception area, it's all smooth sailing. Our waiters/waitresses are always friendly and attentive. The manager often time comes by to say hello and chat with us. Go with the seafood salad w/ miso dressing (about $15)! The mixed appetizer is to die for (about $10/person)... crab puff, grilled beef satay, dumpling, coconut shrimp... main courses... the cracked Dungeness crab (about $40) is awesome although heart-clogging. It's basically crab w/ a peppery butter sauce, but it's totally worth it! Their fish dishes are very unique, and the prawns are huge! You can't really go wrong with their seafood menu. Dessert is always wonderful too~ yuuum to the chocolate lava cake! The ambience is a given... beautiful. Crustacean is good for small and large groups.

Pros: Valet, Ambience, All seafood

Cons: Long wait

Posted 03/01/05

I went there six years ago with a few friends and it wasn't bad. The service was great and the food was splendid (of course if you spend the $$$$$). I am hoping to go back perhaps on Valentine's Day '05, it kind of triggers me a bit to see all the new reviews about long waits and unattentive services.

Pros: location, food

Posted 12/06/04