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2010-03-08
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Went here for a late lunch, 2:30pm, in time for their afternoon tea sets ($40-$50 with choice of an appetizer and noodle/hot food) or 20% off a la carte menu. At first I came here in default because the next door Cheng's Kitchen had a long wait and I was attracted by the nice decor inside, but was soon to be surely disappointed with the food and service. Food: Since it was Shanghainese, figured I'd be safe and order some Pork Soup Dumplings; Egg Yolk steamed buns; Dan Dan Noodles; and Noo
Food: Since it was Shanghainese, figured I'd be safe and order some Pork Soup Dumplings; Egg Yolk steamed buns; Dan Dan Noodles; and Noodles with bean and meat sauce (Zha Jiang Mian).
Soup dumplings: They arrived leaking...the soup was leaking out of half of the dumplings already, which blew my mind because this says poor execution. These tasted like Crystal Jade soup dumplings - very meaty/fatty. The soup was good, but it was already spilled out. Overall - very poor compared to Din Tai Fung whose dumplings are almost impossible to break because they do them so well with the right thickness of skin and right preparation.
Egg yolk steamed buns: This is their version of the HK "Lau Sa Bao." A big NO. I've tasted better off any Chinese dimsum restaurant. Specifically, I've never seen this before, but it is possible for pure oil to drip out of my bun...the oil and the egg yolk was separate and the egg yolk filling was definitely not the right consistency for it to "flow." Again, very disappointed.
Dan Dan Noodles: The disappointment continues... The worst Dan Dan noodles I've ever had. First of all, the noodles were in different thicknesses...showing that the noodle chef does not have enough experience to make them even thickness! Some were very thick (like almost an udon...believe me, and some were really thin). Secondly, the soup was had such a poor flavor - it tasted like a diluted version of Crystal Jade's version. I literally had 2 bites and pushed it aside. I'm not one to waste food, but this was an exception.
Noodles with bean meat sauce: Came with a light bowl of soup to poor over if desired. This was the only semi-decent dish. Although I must say the minced meat sauce came with pellets of pork fat, which really turned me off.
Service: Horrible service. Took multiple "mmgoys" to wave down a waiter, even though the restaurant was pretty empty. Waiters would keep telling me to wait ...I think they may have a system of each waiter is in charge of a certain area? Bill took more than 10 mins to come back. Also, they even asked me why I didn't eat it...I tried to be nice, so I told them the noodles came really different thicknesses...and this spiralled into this huge ordeal. More waiters came and asked me to repeat, then the manager came...oh my god. But they did try at the end, by giving me a free noodle coupon - which I probably will not use.
Decor: Very very nice. There were spacious seating and private booths. And this huge bamboo ship in the ceiling - very unique.
Sizing it up: Worst Shanghai food ever - disappointed at their basic Shanghai soup dumplings; buns; and noodles. I'd go to Crystal Jade over this for sure. I'm not sure why this restaurant got so many good ratings - but trust me, the food is a big disappointment. The entire restaurant was empty at 2:30pm whereas next door was jam packed ---> HK ppl have picky palates - so this can only mean, this place is definitely not up to par. Spare yourselves, and eat at Din Tai Fung if you crave Shanghai food.
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