Blend @ Annette's Cafe

Stanford in campus counter style cafe offering a blend of Southeast Asian flavours. One has to lower expectations given that this is within the university and caters to a diverse set of diners, so the tastes are milder vs the local Asian staples. A good representation nonetheless of Asian cuisine. The dining area is soley outdoors but relatively clean and provides a good campus spot to have ones meal and to meet up. No toilets available.

Cafeteria in a university, can’t expect too much. Food was fresh, liked the crispy onion added and the sauce. Service was not ideal, the staff there didn’t like to answer questions about the food.

Long lines, make sure to order online beforehand. Food selection is pretty standard for "bowl" type lunches, portions also on the smaller side which I do appreciate. Seems consistent, and the brown rice option + pickled veg are great add ons! I recommend getting half and half for the proteins.

Simple, easy selection of your homestyle cooking! Yes the line gets long but it's worth it, see the pictures for a "Chipotle" fast casual style ordering process.

PLEASE DON’T give this white paper bag for take aways, it’s not strong enough. I took only two boxes and there was minimum amount of sauce on the beef, but with very little amount of sauce leak the bag was torn apart and all my food was on the ground! They have amazing coffee and lemonade

Guided from the visitor center, totally tasty and not expensive. Brown rice+grilled chicken+all toppings <$14

Decent Asian fusion food, but there are a few things that could use improvement. The meats are tender but a bit dry. The kimchi is ok, but it's vegan, so you'll miss the savory element of non-vegan kimchi that normally includes anchovy or salted shrimp. I still think it's one of the best places to get lunch on Stanford campus, and I usually get the marinated beef. That being said, the beef doesn't look particularly appetizing; it's actually grey, rather dull in color, and almost looks like it's been steamed or boiled. It's very tender, but, as I mentioned previously, it's rather dry. I tried the fried rice this time around, and it was pretty disappointing; the rice was overcooked, mushy, and lacking in flavor. Next time, I'll stick to the steamed white rice. There are plenty of toppings to choose from, and they cost nothing extra, so load up on the scallion, fried onion, achara (pickled shredded daikon and carrot), corn, spinach, etc. I was pleasantly surprised the first time I ate here because I noticed that they have (presumably) fresh squeezed calamansi juice. If you've never had it before, calamansi is a Philippine(?) hybrid citrus fruit; the result of crossbreeding kumquat and mandarin orange. It has a very unique taste and is absolutely DELICIOUS. Kind of a fragrant, perfumy, incrediblely sweet, and tart flavor. If you're not excited about the food, at least stop in to get the calamansi. My only critique of the calamansi is that they apparently squeeze and pour the cups ahead of time, with ice. So, the ice tends to melt a little and dilute the flavor before the customer gets to taste it. Perhaps you can ask for it with no ice, or with less ice, and they'll pour a fresh one for you that hasn't been sitting at the pass. I'll have to try this next time.

There is always a line at this spot on campus because the food is just that amazing. The dishes are absolutely delicious, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It's truly a treat!