jpdx

Had dinner at a local Vietnamese place (not super cheap, not super fancy), and got fried spring rolls that were cold (no, not the kind of roll that's supposed to be cold, the unhealthy kind that's supposed to be crunchy and fresh from the fryer). They weren't cold from sitting out for a minute or two, but like they hadn't been heated at all. Took a bite and sent them back (I wasn't unpleasant about it). Was somewhat surprised when they came back 2 minutes later, straight from the microwave, soggy, and clearly marked by the bite I had taken a few minutes earlier. I was somewhat surprised by this procedure; I had assumed they'd be making fresh ones. Was I wrong to expect fresh, hot, crunchy spring rolls?

kipper

Yuck! At that point, I'd have expressed my disappointment with how they handled the situation and asked for fresh ones, or for them to be removed from the bill.

usagishouse

I tend not to complain too much when people are handling my food. I used to work as a banquet server many moons ago. Be really careful how you say things!

TMOliver

Who knows? The spring rolls may have come from a food service box in the freezer, already fried back at the "factory", and heated (not long enough) in the oven. These days, one's almost afraid to investigate.

As a cautionary note re:food prep, read that ole book by Helen McInnes, "Assignment in Brittany", where in a little restaurant at Mt. St. Michel the French waiter rubs spittle on the fish destined for the Wehrmacht officer. Read in my childhood, the book has made me leary of French waiters ever since.

slawecki

a company belonging to a friend of mine makes almost all the egg rolls and spring rolls that are sold in the dc metro area. they are prepared on approx 4' x6' racks, dropped into hot oil vats that are about 3' deep, pulled, packaged, and shipped to everyone.

cordelli

Nope, not wrong. At least they should have asked if you wanted those warmed up or redone.

printingray

You have a right to ask the serving staff, if you are paying for the stuff.

VivoPerLei

It's sort of a mystery to me what you can microwave and what you can't. When we have leftover hamburgers they are great microwaved. A steak however, becomes inedible. Someone must have a scientific explanation?

MrColdShower

Your expectations are not out of line.

It amazes me when restaurants take the microwave approach, or serve cold food, and then get lazy about fixing it. That's a sure-fire way to lose me as a customer.

How long has this place been in business?

jpdx

Thanks, guys (and gals)! I eat at restaurants frequently and am not under the illusion that everything is fresh and cooked from scratch. I assumed these rolls are manufactured somewhere and come to the restaurant frozen, and then deep-fried on site. But the "let's toss it back in the microwave" and bring it back out approach just really took me by surprise, I'm not sure why.

MrColdShower: They've been in business for perhaps 3-4 years. They're the only restaurant located in a newly built part of town with fancy highrises with low occupancy levels. Lots of upper-income singles, so the restaurant seems very busy (mostly takeout).

Starwood Lurker

There probably is one and, far from being a scientist, my best guess is that it's because of the density of the item being microwaved.

Cooked hamburger patties have more space between the particles of meat that probably allow for a better result. I've never found reheating steak or even BBQ via microwave to give a desirable result, but setting the oven to 200 degrees and reheating steak or BBQ on a rack tented with foil and a small amount of liquid underneath it gives a good result.

I did this recently with some BBQ I bought before Lent. I placed it in the freezer wrapped in foil inside a freezer bag, then when I wanted to reheat it, it spent one day in the refrigerator and then into the oven as described above. It was as good as the day it was purchased.

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printingray

Microwave cooking is time-saving, simple and more convenient as well as energy-saving are the main sales arguments. That's why the use of microwave ovens in commercial, domestic and other premises has in creased substantially over recent years. The quick heating of food-substances can lead to uneven and non-calculable heat distribution in the food - causing so-called "cold spots" and "hot spots" respectively. Thus germs are often not sufficiently inactivated and eliminated.

traveltuna

Could this be a ... "you get what you pay for" kind of thing??

either way... staring at the bite you just took, not what I would expect. Fresh rolls should have been served.

NEWEXP1

There maybe two reasons why this happens.

As described, "only game in neighborhood" proven by high take out traffic.

This most probably is owned by a first generation immigrants who are very tuned into saving every penny.

This I have observed in multiple ethnic restaurants ...they even " count" ice cubes for a glass of water.

MSchott

Even if the restaurant had bought them precooked then frozen, the proper way to heat any item like a crispy eggroll is in an oven or under a broiler, not a microwave. They should have replaced them with new, properly heated eggrolls.