Watercress Asian Bistro

The one star rating is for the gentleman that brought out the food. He was very genuine and kind.
The shanghai noodles and honey salmon lunch specials were our choices. I got won ton soup.
The shanghai noodles were described as curry noodles with veg. they were bland and not very much on the plate.
The honey salmon had no flavor and the fish was not that good. The bok Choy and broccoli were mushy and the rice was very bland and cold. The egg rolls were ops exception were soggy because they were places in the liquid from my fish.
The thai iced tea was a flavoring in their regular Lipton/​brisk iced tea and barely passed.
Should have asked for my money back but my husband would have been to embarrassed.
Skip it and save your money.

Great variety of dishes. Everyone in the bar seemed very happy to be watching football. Sad this place closed down. I hope whatever replaces it (another Asian restaurant, I’ve heard) is as cheery and as nice of a place to eat. The staff were fantastic here and the owner greeted us at the door. Good luck to them in the future!

Went for lunch today. I really enjoyed my Food.
We both had the hot and sour soup.
Fresh rolls with this amazing sauce with fresh cilantro, carrots and a ton of yummy spices.
Crab cakes– they were ok a little on the dark side and they had an odd flavor.
Chicken satay with homemade peanut sauce.
I was impressed by the freshness of the sauces that Lily (the owner) makes everyday.
I will go back.

I love this place. The owner/​amazing waitress is so friendly and kind. Its a great price for all the food you get. The salt and chicken dish is my favorite. I’ve had almost everything on the menu but by far its the best.:) Great for lunch.
It’s clean and decorated so nice.

In the mood for chinese food so I was drawn in by the name of Watercress name since my mom makes the best Watercress soup.
Notice right away the modern interior but also the painfully slow service because one lady was the entire staff, almost doing everything except for cooking the food. It took her forever to get me a menu. I ask her for some recommendations and she pointed on a few items on the list and took off to do something else for someone else.
I ordered the lunch special which is almost everything on the menu since you get to pick one item and it comes with an eggroll & wonton soup. So I got the salt & pepper chicken with brown rice.
Salt & Pepper Chicken was just meh, not crispy at all and the chicken was not seasoned well. The eggroll was all veggie inside so it was an odd texture like just eating the crispy outside with soggy filling. The brown rice was overcook… how do you mess up on brown rice?
The worse is the won ton soup… the broth was too salty and the won ton was just dumpling wrapping with no filling. gross & chewy.
Overall, this place was overprice & the chinese food tasted too lackluster. Exceptionally slow service from the beginning to the end for lunch takeout. Too many better option than coming here for lunch on the eastside.

While they were accommodating for a group of 12 (they have a large back room), our service was exceptionally slow. We actually had to get up to find our waitress to ask for refills, and to top it off, they forgot to bring the check. The food was mediocre. I had an unflavorful, cold beef and broccoli. My coworkers stated their food tasted like corn starch and the hot and sour and eggflour soups were gelatinous. There are too many other good Asian restaurants in the area, we will not be back.

My boyfriend and I ate here on Friday night. We went in just before eight, and the place was pretty busy. They had a man playing piano, and we were pretty close to him and a large table of adults and children. It was way too loud in there to have conversations across the table. I probably won’t go back on their live music nights again (Fridays, 6−9pm).
The service was a little off. It took FOREVER to get our drinks (two weak Mai Tais— probably should have just ordered off the martini menu). After we ordered, everything quickened, and she stopped by and was very attentive while we were eating. Then we got full, then we waited. And waited. And waited. Picked at some leftovers. Waited some more. Finally, «Oh, you’re all done, huh? I will get your check.» Yes, we’ve actually been done since before the piano stopped playing. That was just a teensy bit irritating.
Now let’s get down to the important details. Food!
He had: Wonton Soup and Orange Beef. I was a little hesitant ordering any soup at first, because it’s $ 4! However, the bowl is pretty large. He had about six huge wontons in his soup. Unfortunately, they weren’t filled with a whole lot, so they were basically just big pieces of dough floating in broth with a teensy bit of meat in the middle. He liked, but didn’t love the orange beef. There was way too much sauce, for our preferences, however it had a decent flavor. Not particularly strong citrus flavors, unfortunately.
I had: Hot and Sour Soup and Salt and Pepper Mushrooms. The hot and sour soup was pretty much your average Chinese family restaurant affair. Delicious? yes. Outstanding? No. The salt and pepper mushroom though… Yes, yes, and yes!!! The breading on the mushrooms was just perfect. It created a crispy sort of skin that held in all the mushroom juices. I love spice, lots of spice, and I was sure they wouldn’t make it spicy enough since you don’t get to choose how many stars you want, and there was no sriracha in sight. However, this dish is quite spicy, and yes, salty! Grilled red and green bell peppers and onions were served with it, making a delightful texture tango. I loved this dish! I will definitely return for it.

Great cocktails, but you probably expected that from an Asian joint.
It’s also great to chill here. It has an older crowd of regulars in the lounge, and it isn’t really loud. The bartenders are engaging and fun as well. If you want a coctail before a date or something, and maybe an appetizer, you should check this place out.

Great food, good service and nice ambience.

Mediocre at best, and expensive. There’s so much good Asian in Seattle, why bother going with Americanized imitation?
Their food they export to Microsoft cafeterias is actually better than their retail location, which is odd (and saying something).

We had a company dinner here a while back and it went well. We had a pretty big crowd, lots of food, and all the co-​workers I talked to enjoyed the meal. I can’t tell you anything about price since the company paid for it, but I can tell you all the food we had was tasty. Service was good also, although they were probably on their best behavior since we had such a large group.

Yesterday, our Asian/​Caucasian family went here for the special 10 course Chinese New Year menu advertised. They offer they special menu for first 3 days of the New Year to those who reserve 24 hours in advance. This is the 4^th year the owner has developed a special menu based on the traditional New Year dishes of both her family and that of her husband’s. (Each family came from a differing region.)
Though we eat Asian many times a month and have eaten here before, of the 10 items, only a few were familiar. Each dish was prepared to order, and served one at a time. Lilly brought each dish to the table and told us the tradition which went with that particular dish and its ingredients. We were amazed. They were beautiful to behold. Clearly made to order.
And was it good? Unbelievable..

I must say, I have been to Watercress now several times and almost didn’t go in due to the reviews I read here. My fiancé and I decided to stop in after a rainy afternoon of house shopping. I had read about the gluten free salt chicken and it reminded me of a dish I had in London — so we tried the calamari appetizer. First bite –YUM…I was impressed.
I asked the waiter (who I now know is a key person — bartender, menu inventor, waiter) and overall nice guy what to order and again, each recommendation was so good. I kinda sat back and wondered why so many had really criticized the place. He was careful with what he said and very eloquently explained that there had been some disgruntled ex-​employees and they left, the restaurant had a few struggles to get back on track. With that understood — we have been there several times.
All of our experiences here have been just great. Great food, a clearly attentive owner and a dedicated staff who want it to work.
One night it was a bit tough to watch, as it was after one of those «daily deals» coupons went out — and honestly, they were overwhelmed. I wanted to shout across the room and let people know to give them a second chance. You could see that most enjoyed the food, but were upset with the wait.
Again, we have come several times — and each time the place is busy, the service better and new menu items added. For example, there is now some very interesting happy hour food selections which are very good and inventive.
All in all — this place is a great find in Redmond and I hope all will give them a chance. If you have been there before, try them again. I think you will be surprised.

They were great in accomodating my soy allergy. An Asian restaurant that can cook for a soy allergy girl? What a find!

I can only think of two reasons I went to this place. 1. I got a good deal through GROUPON, 2. I completely forgot that I had been there before and didn’t like it at all… and I fully regret that I went there again.
The green onion pancake was tasteless and greasy. The eggplant dish wasn’t bad but was way over seasoned and greasy. The spicy salt and pepper chicken was more like something you expect to see at a fast food restaurant. But you know, how you like your food is a matter of opinion, so I’m not saying that people who like their food is wrong.
But the service was terrible. We had to wait for a long time for our appetizer and they brought us the wrong one… that doubled our wait time for our appetizer. After a while our food finally came, and then it was another long wait for our bill… then another long wait for our payment to get picked up… Only thing we didn’t have to wait was to be seated! It took us about 1.5 hours to get out of the restaurant.
Then 5 minutes later, I realized that I left my personal item on the table and went back to claim it. They said they have thrown it away and didn’t even care to look for it. I know, it was just a reusable coffee cup from Starbucks (it happened to be my favorite one) … but you know what, I want my tip back so that I can buy a new cup for me.
Too bad there is no «ZERO STAR» option…

If memory serves me correctly, I had a very tasty lunch here a few years ago.
Regrettably I had a bland, overpriced, disappointing dinner here last weekend.
I like (good) modern Asian cuisine. A contemporary atmosphere, great wine list and updated, delicious Asian inspired food; it’s actually one of my favorites. Some establishments do this very well. Watercress Bistro does not. Unfortunately, they charge you like they do.
After ordering a round of wine, we started with the chicken lettuce wraps. These were by far the best thing we ate (though that’s not saying much) and were followed by the wor won soup, peking shrimp, southeast Asian mango chicken, bok choy with mushrooms and a noodle dish I can’t remember the name of plus complementary rice. First of all, this was way too much food for four people (perhaps the waitress could have mentioned that?). Second, it didn’t even all fit on our rather small table because our server brought everything at once. This was slightly annoying and made for a very awkward dining experience.
I usually love Asian leftovers in my fridge, but our entire meal apps to entrees were so bland, tasteless and boring I opted to leave the leftovers at the restaurant. Including tip our bill was nearly $ 200. This place is totally overrated.

Went here for lunch today on a whim. I had been here once before for a group lunch meeting and remembered it to be good…
Here’s the run down of why this place gets two stars:
1) The food was bland. When you order things like coconut prawns with mango sauce and chicken curry, you expect bold flavors. I was completely underwhelmed by it. My curry was supposed to be spicy… I would have maybe given it 1.5 stars as compared to any Thai place. And the shrimp was overcooked. Oh and if you don’t feel like eating grease, stay away from the spring role that is served with your meal. It was not a good experience for me.
2) Overpriced. I guess I just expect more from a place like this and am willing to pay for what’s worth it, but our meals were not worth the price tag.
3)Service: meh… She didn’t do anything wrong, but nothing was incredibly right either. Just meh.
Positives: I did like the ambiance and would be curious to come in the evening for drinks and entertainment. They did have a wide variety of choices on the menu, so maybe there are other options that are better.
But is this a place I see myself coming to again in the near future? Not so much.

We came here in a group of four and ordered: Wonton in Chili and Peanut Sauce, Shanghai Noodles, Green Beans with Garlic, Mongolian Beef, and the Fragrant Crispy Duck.
The amount of food here is really small especially for the price tags attached. For $ 12, I expect to have a little hill of Shanghai Noodles instead of a flat plateau. As well, $ 18 for ¼ of a duck? That’s just wrong. For $ 18, you can get an entire duck in the International District! Taste wise, the food is fine, not particularly great, but not bad either.
The waitress here is a little bit fake and awkward. When asked for recommendations, she responded with, «Is there anything I wouldn’t eat off the menu? Nope.» Thanks for your suggestions, I guess.
On top of that, our waters rarely got refilled, it took forever to even pay the bill, and they kept forgetting to bring out our rice. In addition, our entrees had a 10 minute delay in between orders. Luckily we were doing family style, because if we waited for everybody’s food to come, then the first few items would have been cold.
Conclusion: They’re missing the fusion aspect of Asian Fusion cuisine — Mongolian Beef is not Asian Fusion or «contemporary» like Watercress would like you to believe. This is just overpriced, small-​portioned, Panda Express-​fare with really bad service.
My advice is that you should just drive across the water to the International District where you will get much better food for a lower price. Even with gas money, you still come out ahead in both money AND taste.

Really like 3.5. (Not sure why I’m into half stars lately). Just not a 4 star joint– after my visit. Went for a lunch after a trip to the dog-​park with my new beau. We had some veggies and salt and pepper mushrooms (so yum!). Service was a bit slow but it was a slow kind of lunch, she was easily found when we wanted her. She did seem to interrupt conversation every time she came up to us.
The tea pot had the tea leaves in it and it clogged the spout and made him spill on the table. (cute but a bit embarassing).
They are in a great location, very easy parking, looked like they had the take-​out situation well under control (a separate area!).
I’ll be back! Those mushrooms were so delish! Booth was a bit uncomfortable and the napkins were really thin and disappointing (yes, I know, but with the spilled tea…)

Alright, I’ve read a few of the reviews here and I gotta say, I think they’re a little harsh on these guys. Lets take em apart and see what we find…
For starters, they’re in the heart of Redmond with access on both Redmond Way and Cleveland. Second, there’s not a whole lot IN Redmond. The parking’s no bad, and really, neither is the traffic if you figure out which way you want to get there from.
Moving on to the building itself, it’s very nice and nicely kept. Everything is kinda stylish, and looks very sleek. It’s got that weird upscale night-​club/​restaurant feel. The music isn’t too loud, and the bar area is down right posh.
But, the heart of any restaurant is the food. There are two times to go, lunch or dinner. The prices at dinner are Redmond average; that is to say, generally higher then they should be. Lunch however, is downright reasonable.
Here’s my beef with the food (rimshot), it’s so damned close to be really damned good. For example, I got the hot and sour soup and the General Tso’s Lunch, right? The soup had virtually no flavor. It was spicy, but had no taste to it. But there was so much STUFF in it. It was clear that it was made with love, ya know? All the kelp-​y bits, and tofu, and veggies. So CLOSE to being really good.
And the general’s chicken… The portion was awesome. Very worth the cash I dropped on it. And the chicken was actually chicken. You know when you go to a place and they serve you that nasty frozen-​fried chicken? The kind that’s like 80% breading and it’s not even GOOD breading? Yeah, you don’t get that here. There’s actually MEAT in the chicken.
My problem with it is the sauce. Again, somewhat lacking in flavor. It’s got a good heat to it, not too overpowering, not too weak. It just lacks any sort of flavor profile.
The long/​short of it is these ladies have a damn good concept, it just needs some polish, that’s all. if they change up a few of their recipes, they’ll probably be downright fantastic.