When Alice Laussade spoke with the owners during the course of her first look at Mot Hai Ba, she called the fledgling Vietnamese restaurant My Hot Butt. Owner Jeana Johnson was kind enough to continue the interview, but the joke likely stuck with customers who subsequently dined in the restaurant. The seating forced you to consider your ass throughout your entire meal, and depending on your height, the backs of your thighs and the rest of your legs, too.
Reviews of the restaurant have described the stools that line the tables and the counters with disdain, which is a shame because they add some personality to the dining room. The space is filled with art and Vietnamese knickknacks that evoke a vaguely Asian feel, while the majority of the dining room is sleek, modern and appealing.
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While the stools might remind you of something you'd pop a squat on while eating a bowl of pho from a street stall in Hanoi, they were tall enough to make some feet dangle, and the sharp edge on the plywood top pinched the back of your legs. If you sat for a little while your toes might start to tingle, and if you ate a whole meal without getting up your legs could go numb.
Johnson finally addressed the issue with some colorful and flowery cushions. It's hard to tell how well they work with the decor in the dining room from this picture they sent, but the seats look like they could be significantly more comfortable. Hopefully, diners can now take a little focus off of their backsides and turn their attention on the vermicelli noodles.
