Samba West - Framingham

First, make no mistake these guys can cook. Both the more Chinese menu and the sushi are excellent. A great four star dinner spot. Unfortunately, I'm more of a lunch person, and the buffet they used to have was pretty good. I've been informed that the buffet is now only on Fridays, replaced the rest of the week by lunch specials. Things kind of fall apart here hence the three stars. First, it's way too expensive about $11. Second, for that you get an entree, rice, and an appetizer but no soup. Portions are OK, but the value overall is poor, as with tax and tip this will run you about $14 way too much for lunch. The food, again, is good I had Paradise Chicken, a kind of Szechuan dish with pea pods and red peppers (and some rather limp, cooked shredded lettuce that was way out of place here). It's served in a bento box, which seems to make the portions look even smaller than they are and which is, again, out of place. Finally, the waitstaff is indifferent, and an empty water glass will remain such until you so indicate. Dinner is, again, good I've been here several times, and I'd recommend Samba West for that. But lunch is out of the question now, except perhaps on Fridays, and if they bring back the buffet as a daily affair.

We had a great experience at this restaurant. We started with some appetizers before trying a couple of specials. The crispy sesame shrimp dish was delicious, with a side of broccoli and an orange sauce. The Mambo roll with tuna was also very good. The service was excellent.

Tried the moo shu chicken tonight for the first time... very nice but has a lot of cabbage... liked the plum sauce served wtih it. Other items, apps, very good. Service a little slow but acceptable. All in all a nice meal.

I made a reservation at Samba West for a party of 8 on New Year's Eve, hoping it would be a great choice. However, when we arrived, the restaurant wasn't very busy. We were seated promptly, but the service went downhill from there. It took a long time for our server to greet us and take our drink order. Even after that, it was still a wait to get our drinks and order appetizers. The menu was limited, and we couldn't order certain types of sushi, which was strange. The sushi was good when it finally arrived, but all of the hot appetizers were cold. It was difficult to get the attention of the waiter, and overall the service was subpar. I have been to Samba for New Year's Eve in the past without any issues, but Samba West seems to consistently have problems. On a normal night, the service at the bar is slow as well. We will continue to dine at Samba for New Year's Eve dinners, but we will not be returning to Samba West. It's always a disappointment.

We had a pleasant dining experience tonight... although the service was a bit slow when we arrived early on a Tuesday night. The staff was very attentive and the hot towel at the beginning was a nice touch. Overall, it's a great spot for traditional Chinese cuisine.