Fondue Fusion and Bistro

Okkk nevermind. I drive by it couple days ago and it is not a sushi bar. wth?! A week ago, there was a SUSHI sign on the window. OMG, I think I’m going mad!
Still does not change the fact that this place is terrible.

Went here for dinner with 2 friends recently — we’ve all had fondue before and enjoy it. Overall, we had a good experience. Our waitress, Cammy (sp?) was very friendly and knowledgeable. We did the All Inclusive option, which was a ton of food — we didn’t finish any course other than dessert :)
My only complaint, and its a big one, was how slowwwwwwww the service was. We sat down at 7 PM and didn’t leave until 10:15. There was quite a gap between each course, but the staff seemed to disappear after they served the dessert (about 9:15). We literally had to get up and go find someone to get our check, so there was no one around, and then it took 20 minutes to get our credit card processed. At this point, we were all pretty annoyed, especially since it was a week night.
The place was not very busy, so I am not sure what the delay was due to, but it sounds like others have experienced the same problem. I will probably give the place another shot and see if the timing is better.
One other comment — they have a TV playing over the bad in the dining room — no volume but very distracting.

The service is horrible. The food is nothing to write home about. Don’t waste your time. Did I mention that the service is horrible… even when you’re the only one there.

My husband and I hadn’t been to a fondue place before. Apparently this was a bad choice.
The food was oh, so yummy… Our waitress was pleasant. The prices weren’t awful, but weren’t great by any measure — about what we expected. However…
Upon arrival, an uppity snobbish looking spanish/​mexican lady asked us to wait while she checked on a table. No kidding, 90% of the tables were open. We waited about 5 minutes before she sat us. The table right near us sat a family of 4, which consisted of a mousy mom, overbearing father, screaming one-​year-​old, and obnoxious toddler. I love families, don’t get me wrong. I have one of my own. But this was ridiculous. (Not the restaurant’s fault, mind you.) Enter uppity snobbish woman. She stood next to their booth and they began chatting. My high-​school spanish skills kicked in, and I gather that they all knew each other. Snobby McSnobberson talked like the couple needed hearing aids while standing right near our table. Seriously. My hot, studly man and I couldn’t hear each other talk. We tolerated this for at LEAST twenty minutes before complaining to our server, who took care of it and had the (horribly awkward) job of telling El Snob-​o to shut her fat yap.
I got up a bit later to tinkle and the MegaBeast was walking in my path. She stopped right in front of me and turned to do something. I had to scoot around her. I should’ve punched her in the anus.
As we left, she said «good night» like we’d just killed her dog. I wish she’d brought him so that we could have. Just kidding. I like doggies.
We won’t be coming back here. I’m glad to see there’s another fondue place around.

I took our family here for a fun night of trying something different. After reading some reviews here I had a feeling this restaurant has a case of «Jekyl & Hyde.» I think we caught it on a pretty good night.
We are not fondue experts, so this is no foodie review. But I felt like going to The Melting Pot just wasn’t our style (we hate chains) so we gave it a shot. Over all, we were pleased.
Our family of four went the all-​inclusive route to keep things simple. This is where my first complaint enters in. I know fondue is supposed to be romantic and all, but if you chose to bring kids the price gets ridiculous right away. There would need to be a kids all-​inclusive for us to come back… the kids had fun, but a 5 year old didn’t eat $ 35 in food.
The four courses are simple enough and we were pleased with everything. Course 1 is a salad… the pear salad was excellent. Course 2 was the cheese/​bread. Mom and dad enjoyed this more than the kids. Traditional swiss cheese was not to the kids liking. Course 3 was the entrees. Everyone liked this, our kids had fun trying meats and foods they wouldn’t normally try. I especially liked some of the sauces. Our biggest complaint with this course was that 3 entrees for 2 adults and 2 kids was over the top too much food. One of our kids turned her nose up at a lot of the spices… again, a kids all-​inclusive would have saved the day.
Course 4 is what we got the kids through dinner for… chocolate fondue. We went with the simple milk chocolate and were satisfied. Fruit, pound cake, rice krispy treats, etc… that was an easy home run course.
All-​in-​all, we had 4 happy eaters. This isn’t normally our kind of food so I can’t tell you it was better than other places. But we had a good time. Everything was fresh, everything was well prepared. We liked the filet mignon best. The fish was so-​so, the shrimp was excellent.
I liked our server, Mike. He made good recommendations on food and wine. It was a tad annoying that he tried to upsell us apps, entrees, desserts, and after dinner drinks… but he’s waiting on us to make money so I can’t fault him for it. If I could suggest a single fix it would be to observe a table with kids a little more. I don’t think he had a lot of tables, so I think he paced it out the same as normal. But when you have a 5 & 7 year old, 120 minutes is too long for a meal! Our 5 yo son gobbled down some chocolate covered morsels and promptly passed out. By the time the check came mom/​son were in the car… he should have noticed that and sped things along. Courses 1 & 2 were served on top of one another. Then a huge lag before course 3. Then another huge lag before course 4. Maybe that’s normal for fondue? It just seemed like an eternity for us.
The positive: It was good food. We had fun exploring something new. The waiter was knowledgeable.
The negative: Needs a kids menu. $ 35 per child is ridiculous.

Friendly people, decent food.
If you want a big, fat meal then fondue just isn’t for you… it has nothing to do with which fondue place you go to. As a matter of fact, this place serves a lot more meat than The Melting Pot. The unfortunate thing (from my perspective) is that they don’t provide unlimited vegetables. This place allows you to split one entrée order for $ 7 which is quite good considering that they throw in a salad for the price.
Two of us got two cheese fondues, one entrée, two salads and a glass of wine for under $ 50.
Food:
The cheese was only okay (didn’t have a strong swiss taste and didn’t have enough kick from the wine base), the salad was a little better than okay (good dressing and fun ingredients but the lettuce wasn’t very crisp), the vegetable base for the entrée was delicious as was the wasabi sauce, but the chicken wasn’t great and all the other sauces were boring (terriyaki from a jar, mustard from a jar and an under-​seasoned cream cheese spread that should have tasted like chives).
Experience:
Everyone was nice and the atmosphere was fine, but I always get the feeling that San Diego just can’t support a fun and exceptionally delicious dining experience.
Quality:
The quality of the food here is only okay, which isn’t alright with me for the price you pay. Out of about 10 little cuts of chicken, i only had one piece that didn’t have some kind of toughness to it.
Bottom Line:
The reason I’m giving this place a 3, is because I have hope for it. Fun dining experiences are important to me and we just don’t have enough of them in San Diego. Maybe if enough people go for the service and atmosphere AND leave feedback that the food needs some quality improvements, then we’ll earn ourselves something to be proud of.
Tip:
Fondue places in San Diego have the silly impression that you have come for so much romantic privacy that you’d rather look at a blank wall than see anything or anyone else in the restaurant. If you, like me, feel better in the middle of the action eavesdropping on fellow diners, make sure you ask for the dining room next to the bar (same tip applies to the Melting Pot). If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a place where you can get a hand-​job during dinner without any chance of getting caught, then by-​all-​means, accept the booth they offered us in the back to the left.

I only go here because there is no other option. There are only two fondue options in all of San Diego. where are we? In Tempe, Arizona? If you are going to do cheese and bread… please don’t let the bread be stale, ITS A BIG PART OF THE MEAL. The only way I can rationalize their prices is by guessing that they must have an extremely high rate on their fire insurance, because it definitely isn’t in the quality of their food.

I had some serious doubts about going here because of prior reviews. But i had a gift card and wanted to use it so took the chance. I was SO glad i did. I did make reservations a week before, and think that was a good idea as it did get very busy later into the night.
The food and service was excellent. I split a cheese appetizer, a dinner entrée (which came with two salads with the split plate charge) and a dessert and it was more than enough food. We had no problems with anything. People who complain about having to cook their own food here are insane! We got a shrimp and tenderloin entrée and *all* you have to do is put your meat (and veggies) into the pot of boiling brot h for 2 minutes and then you have some delicious meat with 5 dipping sauces. It was tender and fantastic.
The server we had was very attentive and friendly. We did get there early so that might have helped. The atmosphere is supr casual and laid back. For the cheese fondue appertizer, the split entrée and two salads, and a chocolate fondue dessert we only paid $ 54 total. That wasn’t bad considering everything was fresh, hot, and very good.
I’m not sure what people expect when they go to a fondue place. Buf if you’re up for a good time with dipping stuff in cheese, broth, and chocolate i’d recommend it!

I’ve never been to a fondue place so I thought it was going to be pretty cheesy. I was surprised to see it was a very nice, upscale restaurant. When I walked it I noticed the dark décor, soft lighting and bistro feel.
The waitresses were all woman, dressed in black, and seemed sort of European. They all seemed disinterested and rude. The Manager/​Owner was yelling at the waitresses about what he was or wasn’t going to do… something like that. Unprofessional. The ladies just rolled their eyes and kept on working or hiding in the back… clearly not servicing the tables.
I thought the food was good, but the portions small for the price. As I read in an earlier post… don’t go hungry.
It seems like a good place to have a girls night out before catching a movie at Fashion Valley. Other that… I’d pass.

I’ve only been here once since they made the change from Forever Fondue but I have to say I don’t think I’ll be rushing back. The first thing I noticed was that the fondue menu has been only slightly updated yet the prices were raised about 25%. The service has gone downhill — our server was slow and seemed like she was really irritated that she had to come check on us every so often. The last time we came here (when it was still Forever Fondue), our server was a tranny (seriously) with really bad BO but at least s/​he had a big smile on her face. The all-​inclusives are a big meal and I can easily share one. The quality of the ingredients is good but you’re not eating anything you couldn’t find at Vons. If you’re a fan of fondue, you might want to consider skipping this place and doing it yourself at home.

Do not go there hungry because you will be leaving the place HUNGRY, come on you got to be kidding with this menu … you get bit of different veggies and bits (tiny bits) of cheese and dip in their cheap chocolate and that’s your meal.
You can do better at home and save a lot of money, I would not recommend this place to anyone. STAY AWAY!!!

If you have dietary restrictions… reconsider.
If you are on a diet… just don’t go.
Otherwise, by all means, go!
This is a great place to gorge yourself full of a 4-​course fondue meal… at a reasonable price. Pick the all-​inclusive, and you will indulge in a cheese fodue with bread, apples and veggies, followed by your choice of a salad (the pear salad with the raspberry balsamic is decadent) followed by a savory broth with a mixture of meats, veggies, potatoes, and seafood. Finally, end with a dessert fonude… most involve hot, melted chocolate. All of this from around $ 35 – 45 per person.
My friend and I go every year for our collective birthday dinner. Yes, we only go once a year, as this is SO indulgent. If you want to go more frequently, you can order a la carte… which is tough to do, as we want everything.
The restaurant has large wooden booths, but somehow, the atmosphere is not quite as cozy or rustic as I would like a fondue restaurant to be. The staff is friendly enough, but doesn’t seem to care too much… not that they are unattentive, maybe just unenthused.
Otherwise, the restaurant receives a gold star… they stayed in business, serving fondue… revival of 80s culture in a health-​conscious, veggie and lactose free San Diego.
My favorite part, is that there is a large choice for every type of fondue… so yes… expect to make a few decistions, expect to feel really full, but expect a long leisurly meal and enjoy.

This place is fondue fun, Alex the owner makes you feel like family as soon as you walk into the place. I have yet to have a bad plate there, and the service is always very good. Try it you’ll like it!!!

Good Food, Great Potential
I have worked up the road from this place for years and had never been in when it was called Forever Fondue. I decided to go today because I have been hearing nothing but excellent things from the girls at the office, so I went down with a friend for lunch.
I was very skeptical at first because the place seemed almost empty. There were a few other customers there, but our host, Alex, had them seated strategically around the restaurant so that our booth seemed very private. The atmosphere was nice, some decent music playing, not too loud, although I was a bit confused by the décor. There were a lot of polished wood carved into very fluid shapes on the wall. It reminded me of something that I might see in a fancy African restaurant, although I have never been to either an African restaurant nor a Fondue restaurant before so I really have no basis of comparison. It was not ugly, gaudy, or cheap… it just didn’t feel right.
All that being said, this is probably the one complaint that I had the whole time. They have a specific lunch menu with different soups, salads, pastas, sandwiches, and a few meat plates. Oh yea, and fondue, they have that as the restaurant’s name implies. We took a look at their vastly expanded (as compared to the lunch menu) dinner menu, which featured a wide variety of foods, as well as a full page dedicated to different Martinis, and a decently priced wine list, a quick glance showed a range of 25−40+ a bottle, with some decent looking wines and a nice variety. All 5 beers on tap sounded good… Fat Tire, Stella, Karl Strauss, and some others that sounded tasty. Unfortunately I was working, so no alcohol.
I ordered a club sandwich, and my friend a seafood linguine. Our food and drinks came out promptly, and Alex always came by at the right time to fill our drinks, and to make sure that everything was a-​OK. He came by just enough, and made good small talk but did not over do it like many waiters seem to do. He is very professional, A+ service.
My club was excellent, the bread was toasted right, the veggies were fresh and crisp, the bacon was crispy, and the turkey tasted good, although not Boar’s Head (A little over-​hyped anyway IMHO) it was not pressed turkey. I really wish that they had fries instead of just chips, but they were good chips at least. I was told the seafood linguine was excellent but I am not a fan of the sea so much.
This seems like a really good place to bring a date, however the location isn’t really near too much night life, although it would be a nice place to go before a date at the movies; if that is, you decide to go to Fashion Valley which is right up the street. If you find yourself in the area, be sure to check it out.

I came here for lunch with my coworkers and friend Brigette. A Fondue Fusion restaurant would not be a typical place that I would visit but Brigette insisted and so we went. Wow what a pleasant surprise. I did not partake in any of the fondue but my Seared Ahi salad was amazing. It was seared perfectly with sesame and olive oil. Also the chips that came with Brigette’s sandwich were delicious and I usually. don’t like chips. Alex the owner made for entertaining company and let me sample their white sangria which would be a perfect beverage for when summer hits and something refreshing is in order.
This place just opened and from what I experienced it’s gonna be around for a long time. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

So this place was pretty lame, music with no words (elevator music). Geriatrics getting ‘constipation, lam — — e… So Alex came in and rocked this places world. He is the new manager /​owner that has really done a great job!
First of all he got Belvedere for yours truly… He now serves lunch, seared ahi salads, Filet Minon, club sandwiches this place is totally different. Much worth another try, go if you can you won’t be dissapointed. DO IT! He has happy hour everyday for lunch
Love you Alex…
PS order a pina colanic or a mango daquari or a tequila diet coke and tell him Brigette, the little toadstool F**** & the Ambidonol Snowman sent you, he’ll love you! :promse:
O hell yeah HOLLA!