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China Village Seafood Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Chinese Dim Sum Dim Sum [Edit]
600 Ralston AveBelmont, CA 94002
(650) 593-1831
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 10 pm
Sat-Sun 10:30 am - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
171 reviews for China Village Seafood Restaurant
Review Highlights
"My husband and I go here all the time."
(in 4 reviews)
"The place totally reminds me of being in Hong Kong."
(in 6 reviews)
"...been the fish with black bean sauce, mongolian beef, and..."
(in 4 reviews)
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171 reviews in English
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Review from Polina F.
San Francisco, CA
1/25/2012
Seeing a few non-asian people waiting tables at a dim sum establishment makes me highly suspicious. This, along with the less-fancy-than-usual decor, means one star off.
Otherwise, the food was fabulous, and the service significantly faster than other dim sum places. They had all our favorites and we discovered a few new tasty options. The wait time to get a table was very short, even though we arrived on a weekend. This is not the place to take someone who wants the full dim sum experience (massive, heavily decorated, packed dining rooms, long wait times, no english), but I will definitely be back! -
Review from Elizabeth S.
Sunnyvale, CA
1/6/2012 2 Check-ins Here
As many times as I've been here for their tasty dim sum, I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet. The host who seats patrons is always welcoming and accommodating. This place is generally quite busy. Therefore, there is plenty of hustling and bustling around by staff. The fresh dim sum keeps coming around. The empty dishes don't sit long on your table, and your water glass stays full.
On the weekends there is a table which exhibits some of the available dishes to indulge in. Besides that, servers stroll around with a tray full of delectable Chinese dim sum. They have your typical dim sum: sesame balls, shrimp dumplings, pork buns, custard pastries, chicken feet In addition, there are a variety of other things to feast on. I like the black bean clams they bring around. If they don't have it out, just ask for it, and you shall receive.
The decor is quite alright- nothing memorable comes to mind except the white table cloths and some Chinese art on the walls. It's comfortable enough for dim sum, and it's pretty cheap! -
Review from Chadwick L.
San Francisco, CA
11/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Terrible service, terrible food, terrible pricing.
My family saw an ad in the newspaper for seafood at a discount rate. Now we were dress very casual for a Saturday family dinner. As soon as we were lead to our table, the waiter specifically says we don't have discount seafood. Aside from the pretentious attitude, they just automatically assumed that what we were going to order. Their false advertisement would have made us leave as soon as we walked in, but we decided to give it a chance. Next it took almost
45 mins to get our meal out which looked like it was heated straight from the microwave. Finally when it was time for dessert, they placed one dessert dish that clearly was let over from the afternoon dim sum. While other tables received a cart of assortment of dessert soup to choose from. It was quite offensive. Clearly this restaurant lack any character and only wants business from wealthier class and tries to promote itself as a upscale restaurant, when they cant even have a working hand dryer or paper towel in the restroom. DO NOT go to this restaurant unless you want to be judge by people who clearly has a lack of experience in the restaurant industry. They only receive a 2nd star because of the older waiter who actually demonstrated good service. -
Review from Kyle M.
San Diego, CA
1/18/2012
Great dim sum, great combination chow mein, full bar? And all at a pretty good price really nothing at all to complain about. Will be a frequent customer.
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Review from Jocelyn L.
Belmont, CA
11/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
oh dear god... This was a horrible experience.
I tried SO hard to like it too. The reviews were mixed, but many were great. You never know with a restaurant like that.
But the lazy waiter who couldn't be bothered to refill our beverages, the manager smoking inside the restaurant, and the DEAD FISH FLOATING IN THE FOOD TANKS, kinda did me in.
I also got food sickness later that night.
This place should be shut down. Seriously.Listed in: For Masochists Only....
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Review from Jim C.
Redwood City, CA
Updated - 9/25/2011
I've been going to this place for years for Chinese takeout. They may not be the cheapest in price but I have to give it props for consistent and tasty food and dim sum throughout the years. (And dim sum any time of day!)
Bottom line: Consistent Cantonese Chinese good and dim sum.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/27/2006
My favorite Chinese take out place around Redwood Shores/Redwood City. Very consistent, good… Read more »
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Review from Johnny S.
Palo Alto, CA
1/2/2012
Really good dim sum! Also, barely a line at all which is great because I hate being in line for almost an hour, then you get inside and no food... Other pluses include the fact (and I hope I heard the gal correctly) that they serve dim sum until 10PM? That is great because most places stop at 2PM.
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Review from Xiong T.
San Mateo, CA
12/22/2011
I've been here twice, and i can't comment on the food they have as i've never had any of it... but the dim sum i can.. For me, i thought it was good.. nothing too special.. i'm not a very picky eater either.. so in a way, all dim sum kind of tastes the same to me. And i love dim sum... so any place that has decent ones, i like! Plus, it is inexpensive and you get full quickly! The service is very typical... no smiles or friendliness, just vacant stares and monotone speech.
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Review from Sunny W.
8/4/2011
Its difficult for any dim sum place to get an overall rating of 4 or higher on yelp. Why? I don't know, it just is.
YAY!! I'm a fan!!
All the typical dishes I get were great and the prices were decent. All 4 of us agreed, we'd definitely come back to China Village Seafood for dim sum. The boys loved loved the HONEY WALNUT SHRIMP and I agree, they do a very good job.
The staff was attentive and not pushy. I even asked for a specific dish and they brought it over to us. I agree the HAR GOW is hard to eat because the skin is too thin. You have to request the hot sauce and mustard.
My only problem is that they charge $1.00 per person for hot tea. WTH? I think hot tea is like water at a Chinese restaurant, its on the house and standard. -
Review from Jason L.
Ann Arbor, MI
8/8/2011
Since I was born, my parents have always wondered if I actually discriminated against Chinese food. I might, but China Village Seafood is one of those few that I sincerely enjoyed eating at, though initially against my will, but my parents were visiting AND paying. It's difficult to argue in a case like that.
Customer service was gracious and warm (I think the store owners were nice people, because they even made small talk with their Mexican busboys) The food is less greasy and salty than your typical Chinese grub. Ingredients tasted fresh as well. The decor was simple, but it was strangely similar to that of a family dining room. The area was definitely small, but fairly clean and well-kept. -
Review from Kathleen W.
Albany, CA
7/25/2011
Had dim sum with some coworkers here for lunch. I don't typically leave the 5 mile radius of Foster City for lunch so this was a nice treat.
They had the basics and the basics came round often and were hot and fresh.
While it took a bit of effort to try to get a menu (non dim sum) so I could order something to go - the beef chow fun I got was still steaming hot 20 minutes later! They are happy to sell you plates of dim sum - but not much by way of service for refilling your water glasses or checking on your sodas. Still it was a lot of food for less than $16 per person and the room is spacious so easy to seat a party of 4 or 14. -
Review from BONNIE L.
Milpitas, CA
1/8/2012
my friends and i have been eating here for many times. we love going there, we love the food, the service and the desserts. the 1st time i went there was many years ago, i liked the food but i stopped going there cuz it was not the regular location i usually go.
couple years ago i went there for dinner again because of the "snake soup". in bays area, there ain't many places have good snake soup. so i wanted to give it a try. for those who like snake soup, you must go try it. you will not be disappointed. other then the snake soup, the taste of other food are above average. i would say all dishes on the menu are great.
also, the services are very good. the waiter / waitress will check on you at the right timing, make sure things are fine and change your plate. the last but not lease, desserts: most of you who have eaten at a chinese resta, you may have experienced a free dessert at the end of the dinner & the taste is usually ok. in here you will not only get a free tasty dessert, you will also have 4 choices. awesome!!!!!!!
if you want to give it a try, ask for Benny, the resta owner. he will give you a good recommendation and won't let you down. -
Review from fish i.
Oakland, CA
10/24/2011
Good food, efficient and fast service. You won't have to ask twice for something (ie. water, etc.). Definitely will visit again. fair prices.
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Review from Rita Y.
San Francisco, CA
1/5/2011
BFF from Australia was visiting her family and we drove down to take her to lunch. This place isn't a fancy, but not bad enough to qualify as a hole in the wall. The dim sum isn't as good as some of the places in SF but certainly better than Gold Mountain in SF Chinatown.
Dishes I thought tasted pretty good:
steamed pork in blk bean sauce (pork a tad fatty 'tho)
braised chicken feet
sticky rice steamed in ti leaves
skinny chow mein noodles
Dishes I wouldn't order again:
har gow (shrimp dumpling) - the rice wrapper didn't hold up and fell apart when you tried to separate the pieces in the steamer
siu mai - the meat was a bit tough/chewy
egg custard tart - the filling was ok, but the tart tasted doughy and old
chive dumplings
It's pretty noisy and can get crowded during lunch. Not conducive for catching up w/BFF. As we left, we spied some dishes in electric pans on a table, such as beef stew. Made us wondered if it sat there uncovered for hours and got heated up only when someone ordered a serving which didn't seem to meet restaurant health code standards. Best to stick with the individual steamed/cooked dishes. -
Review from Mike M.
San Francisco, CA
5/11/2011
Average to very good dim sum quality with good variety. Nothing really stands out as a star-quality item, but there is nothing bad either. Typical dim sum prices. Clean place, service is average.
I return because of the clean quality and variety of the dim sum menu and it's right off the freeway for a convenient location. It never gets too crowded either. -
Review from Kathy K.
Sunnyvale, CA
3/22/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I wasn't feeling well and wanted some congee to soothe my aching stomach. I had been here before for dim sum and thought it was pretty good. So after telling the waitperson I had a bit of a stomach ache and wanted some congee she recommended the fish one.
I was really surprised at how tasty it was. I was expecting a bland rice porridge dish but it was really good. It had a lot of flavor and came with some of the usual toppings of green onions, cilantro and little fried wonton chips which were very tasty and also some roasted peanuts which I've never had with congee before but it added a nice crunch and flavor. There were lots of huge pieces of fresh fish in it too. I think the one we got was called Black Bass Porridge.
I haven't had the dim sum here in a long time so I'll report back with my dim sum report another time. I'd rate the fish congee a 4.5/5 stars. I really enjoyed it. -
Review from Meenakshi T.
Redwood City, CA
5/30/2011
What is your favorite food? If someone asked me to pick I couldn't pick between my mom's cooking (typical oriya - indian food), homey south indian (komala vilas kind), indian chinese (cooked the way I like it), ethiopian, pho and dimsum - as you would say depends on the mood. The best dimsum I have had is in Hong Kong - no place in the US comes close - not in LA, SF or Washington DC China Town. However, when the Dimsum craving hits, this place absolutely fills that space.
It is pricier than other places I have been to but consistent on a couple of my favorites - (a) Eggplant/ Mushroom stuffed Shrimp (b) Shu Mai (C) Har Gao (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings) (D) Chinese Brocolli with Oyster Sauce (E) Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf (F) Fried Taro Puff (G) Fried Sesame Balls - there are other things I eat from time to time but these are the staples I keep going back to...
If you are a Dimsum Newbie invent your own dip - mine is a potent mixture of the soya and chilli sauce (lots of it)...I see my french friend (with a delicate constitution) wince as she sees me mix my dip....ahem! the waiter always remembers to bring me a separate bowl of the chili sauce in deference to my needs ...and did I mention a fork ( I still haven't mastered the art of eating with chop sticks). -
Review from Nick d.
Long Beach, CA
4/5/2011
My family and I have been coming to China Village for years, since I was literally one year old (I don't think I ate much back then). I've had countless meals, birthday dinners, and graduation parties here.
This review, however, is for dim sum. It's a pretty standard dim sum lunch: servers come around quite regularly with all sorts of Chinese food favorites in single serving sized dishes. The food is always high quality and the service is very good, even if the servers don't speak English very well (that's also a sign that they are making good food that doesn't just cater to an American palette).
You can order a la carte as well, and we usually do, ordering the combination pan fried noodles, which are a family favorite. Dim sum in Belmont seems pretty hard to come-by, but China Village meets the challenge quite well. -
Review from Tran S.
Palo Alto, CA
5/13/2011
I've been here for the dim sum before, and just got back from a dinner at this restaurant. Now, even one of the waiters who has been there for 18 years admits that their dim sum is only decent. However, he emphasized that dinners are where they shine. I agree.
Had a lot of different things tonight, including a smoked fish dish that was amazing and some of their 'famed' sweet and sour pork? plates. The staff were extremely friendly to us at least, and the complimentary desserts proved to be the icing on the cake. I probably got an above-average experience for my first time here so it will be interesting to see if China Village will deserve 5-stars the next time around. -
Review from Anne T.
12/13/2010 1 Check-in Here
Passing by this restaurant for several years and never once gave it a glance. Today, my baby girl wanted dim sum and looking through YELP this place offered dim sum all day. So we drove here with the intention of eating dim sum and she was thrilled. Score for me!
The menu was easy enough to locate the items we both wanted. The servers were nice and attentive. Asked us if we needed more time, not ever rushing us and even suggested dishes that we may like. One waitress came back and offered water, refills on drinks, sweet kim chi and peanuts while we waited our orders to come out. I'm already wow'ed by the service here.. But I don't want to get my expectations up.
The servings here were plentiful and generous for dim sum plates. Food is not as yummy as other dim sum places, but it satisfied my baby girl's appetite. No where else is there a place that served dim sum at night! -
Review from jazzy l.
San Francisco, CA
12/22/2010
We wanted to try some dim sum in the Pennisula and the YELP review directed us to this place as we were nearby Belmont.
DIM SUM - okay, your standard fare. You can either order from the rolling carts or check off something from a menu on the table. Two types of ordering is good.
SERVICE - The people that served us were really polite and attentive. We sat at a table by the bar. They even speak English.
There were two table occurrences across from us that wanted to order something but a server had trouble understanding them. Then a head server had to help do the English translation.
The Singapore Vermacilli noodle dish $9.50 was pretty good and tasty. I like the type of noodles they used (thin).
Parking - plentiful in the back area.
OPEN X"MAS and NY DAY -
Review from Alice C.
11/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
There are quite a few dim sum places in the SF bay area, but only very few are great, and there are a whole lot of average ones.
How do I determine if a place is average? They have a few good items, but some stuff is just not up to par, especially if they screw up one of the staples.
This is one such place. What did they screw up? The har gow (shrimp dumplings). There was a lot of shrimp but no taste...the skin was way too sticky...one of the ones I ate almost tasted like there was bleach in it. Also, the glutinous rice with sesame paste dessert. The skin was too thick and they didn't steam it through! The sesame paste didn't pour out of the skin either when it's supposed to be melty...sweet tofu wasn't that great either but I haven't found a place in SF bay area that can do average sweet tofu, let alone great ones.
Other things are pretty standard. Nothing stands out too much, but nothing really tasted bad either. My friends liked the fried calamari -- the taste and the batter is great, but I think the calamari is not fresh enough =p Meh, I'm picky about my calamari.
It's in a convenient location with its own parking though. If you work or live near here, it's probably somewhere you could visit. -
Review from Anh W.
Redwood City, CA
Came here just an hour ago with my fiance and enjoyed the experience very much. There's a parking lot in the back reserved for customers. When ordered a total of 6 items: steamed pork buns, baked pork buns, siu mai, fried shrimp balls, shang hai soup dumplings, stuffed eggplant. We got both types of pork buns because they're my fiance's dim sum staple. The dim sum came out around the same time so we didn't have to wait very long. There's soy sauce and chili on the table. The chili isn't spicy and the way I liked it. The place is clean and tidy. The waiter was very attentive and came to pick up empty plates of items we finished. The total came out as $21 (not including tips). We both enjoyed the experience and would come back. I want to try their chicken feet and porridge next time.
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Review from joyce l.
9/4/2010
Took my mom and sis to lunch. wanted to try somewhere new.
Their dim sum dishes are all steaming hot and fresh. the dim sum cart ladies all speak Cantonese which is a plus. Most of the staff were also friendly. decent service. white table cloths. we walked in at 11:45am. no wait. free street and lot parking. what's not to like? did i already say no wait? it totally beats all the places in Sf and oakland chinatown (i dread the hawking for a parking space and the crowded chaotic tea houses)
my sister and mom were actually quite pleased with the food. the prices were reasonable considering the area (but of course more than SF and oakland). this is a winner. we will be back fo shizzo!! -
Review from Brian W.
Santa Clara, CA
12/22/2010
Go to place for dim sum at lunch time. My co worker loves the pork spare ribs here. I'm a fan of the sticky rice.
And Charles - well he is more interested in the owner and his stylish clothes. =) -
Review from G T.
San Mateo, CA
8/26/2011 1 photo
Everything is good, except for some dishes are really salty, like the calamari. Overall, OK.
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Review from John C.
San Francisco, CA
1/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been here a couple times, and have had a great dim sum meal each time with friends. While none of the dishes stand out to me, and I've certainly had tastier dim sum, this place is pretty good.
I like the fact that the servers aren't super pushy about selling you the dishes from their tray/cart; pushy servers working on commission are the worst at a dim sum place. Additionally, the prices are very reasonable (~$15 per person out the door; believe me, you'll be full). It's not the biggest dim sum place you've been to, which allows them to pay more attention to your needs. We were able to special order a couple items quite easily.
Overall, this is a good dim sum place. I'll certainly be back. Sure, there are places with better service and slightly better tasting dim sum, but most likely it'll cost you an arm and a leg. This suits me just fine. -
Review from Kevin L.
7/11/2010
The head waiter thinks he's the French maitre d' of lore. Doesn't crack a smile and just swishes around the restaurant dropping the food off and hustling off in a huff before questions are even finished. The other staff made up for it though. Like the cheery waiter who brought over the cart with the FOUR choices of piping hot dessert soups (corn and black rice, taro and tapioca, green bean and tapioca, papaya and white fungus).
Main meal itself was pretty tasty. The pickles that came before we ordered were like a tangier version of kim chi. Nice kick. We got the half-chicken that came smothered in dried garlic flecks and scallions. Yum even if the dried garlic was a little excessive. XO-sauced oysters were good as usual with the carmelized bits that stick to the platter. We also got the ma po tofu with fish, which was an interesting spin on things. -
Review from K H.
Berkeley, CA
10/23/2011
I just had dim sum here. Food was mostly good, with a few disappointments (egg custard tart and tofu skin rolls). Service was excellent. They were good about adding hot water to our teapot without being asked and quick about removing empty dim sum trays. Came out to be $18/person, including tax & tip.
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Review from Christine K.
San Jose, CA
6/1/2010
Had Memorial Day dinner here, which my boyfriend thought was the strangest thing ever. He associates Memorial Day with American BBQ..ha! BBQing on Memorial Day? Who would have thunk it :P
The food came out on a cafeteria looking plastic tray O_O. The waiter placed our soup down, then ditched our table to go deliver and serve soup at another table and then saw that I was dishing up the soup and said sorry.
Hot and sour soup is my fav, so my boyfriend and I ordered it despite the $10 price tag. The soup came out and was ORANGE! Hot and sour soup is supposed to be brown. Okay, so the color is off. How was the taste? This dish should be renamed HOT AND HOT SOUP (with zero sour). What a waste of money.
Ordered chowsubao, lo mai guy (steamed lotus wrap), shu mai, which were all just okay. Next time, I will be going to San Mateo for Chinese food because personally, I don't think Chinese food and Belmont go together. -
Review from Ken K.
3/1/2009
Totally unrelated to "China Village" in Albany (that is Sichuanese)
And has absolutely nothing to do with the 120 year old dim sum house in Central Hong Kong "Luk Yu" on Stanley Street, even though CV Belmont's Chinese name is Luk Yu Gohn.
But even with that said, this is arguably the "best" dim sum restaurant between Mountain View to Belmont. Easily better than Fu Lam Mum in Mountain View. At least CV bothers to keep their dim sum piping hot, whereas FLM somehow likes to keep their $im dum at room temperature or below from 3 random weekday visits.
Typical run of the mill $tuff here, so if you are looking for things that challenge a dim sum iron chef's "senses, skills, and creativity, and looking for artistic dishes never tasted before" in hopes that he or she will "win the people's ovation and fame forever", then don't set yourself up for disappointment.
For a Dim $unday, get here no later than noon, otherwise almost parking in the back and adjacent/neighboring lots (where you are theoretically not supposed to park, but hint, that dry cleaners ain't open that day). Your chances are better with a table for 4 than anything bigger.
Mixed crowd here, mostly A$Ns and watered down A$Ns (who look remotely the part but you can't tell if they speaka the lingo), and of course non A$N Dim $um lover$.
Breakdown of what was sampled today
Cha $hizzle Bao - not bad. But one gripe, there were 2 out of 3 pieces of CSB where there was a half thumb's size of pure unadultered PORK FAT. Depending on your porcine proclivities, this could either be a blessing or a blasphemy. The other gripe, when I tear the muddafugga in half, it easily crumples apart (cha shiu falls off into the plate, and separates like a very badly molded nigiri sushi). The dough of the bun was a bit too moist
Beef cheung fun - the skin was a tad bit too thick, resulting in easily oversteaming and dryness, where the soy sauce only provided so much lube. Good cheung fun should be perfectly steamed, with the skins at the right thickness, and so smooth that there's a near non existant friction coefficient.
Pan fried Daikon cake - I like the fact that there's a corner of the restaurant dedicated to pan frying this stuff to order, and it looks like they make their own daikon cakes in house. But, despite the frying, the insides were still mushy (reminds me of Doctor Seuss, My Name Is Dake, I do not like Mushy Daikon Cake). Decent flavor otherwise. Mixture must be too moist that it cannot be solidified a bit further.
Seen Jook Guen - vegetarian (and teeny bits of shrimp) yuba roll, fried, then sauce poured over. Good.
Beef meatballs (ngau yuk cou) - WTF, these were the reddest inside looking steamed meatballs I've seen. They should be at least a shade of brown, but not red like this. Those who prefer their steak well done might cringe at this. Luckily did not taste foul, but nowhere near as good as the likes of Joy Luck Place in San Mateo or the Foster City duo (Diamond Harbor and ABC).
Fish congee - Oh riddle me this. Standard plain congee (with some dried scallops and scallions) is $7.50. Beef congee (sliced or grouded) is $7.50. Seafood congee is $8.50 (whether you want mixed or just plain fish). So plain congee is a ripoff here (as with ABC and other dim sum places). Fish congee is most sextacular at Joy Luck Place in San Mateo. ABC/Foster City isn't bad. Then China Village comes next. Not bad, better than most HK style cafes, but not by much. Good chunks of fish but I am not so sure they are from a fresh piece of fish.
Baked Pineapple Bun with custard inside (bor lor lai wong bao) - Now this one is good. The top crusty part where it looks like a Japanese style melon pan (in shape only) is great. The bottom part is not so sexy as it is darker (but not charred). Either way, much better than what you can get at Sheng Kee.
And one pot of watered down chrysanthemum tea (recommended if you are a caffeine wimp, this is just flower).
Mofo's charged us tea for 3, when there were only 2 adults and a little kid.
I swear you need to check that bill carefully before you sign.
Service was great otherwise. It's a nice change of pace when you want an escape from the even busier Dim $unday joints.Listed in: Dim Sum Dood weighs in
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Review from Cat C.
2/11/2010 2 Check-ins Here
The fam & I have been coming here for years, mostly for dim sum but sometimes for dinner. Came here earlier this week for dinner.
I ordered one of my faves: zaa zi gai (crispy fried chicken), but then the guy taking our order told us that the special that night was tea smoked chicken and asked if we wanted to try it. I said I don't like tea though, but he told us it doesn't taste like it, so I agreed to try it. I hope I didn't sound like a blonde..but I seriously thought it would taste like Jasmine tea! However, it was a great recommendation! It's like zaa zi gai with the crispy skin but has a wood smoked taste to it and it came with hot fluffy buns! The spinach stuffed tofu with (don't know the english translation) dah miew is excellent! The winter melon with crab meat isn't bad either and I usually don't like traditional Chinese soups.
The wait staff has always been friendly and attentive whether it's at night for dinner or dim sum. The dim sum has always been nice and hot whenever I've been...lukewarm/cold dim sum is a big fat no no in my book! -
Review from Geoff D.
7/22/2008 1 photo
I've been here 5 or 6 times now... most recently last weekend for a Red Egg and Ginger party for a cute young (4 month old) friend of ours.
I've always enjoyed the food here - it seems to satisfy my in-laws' bar for authenticity and also my simpler (gringo) preference for noodles, chicken, pork, duck and the like (e.g., feet are not on my personal list of favorites). It's also a big venue and probably packed in a group of ~150 of us this past weekend in one half of the facility.
I've also been here for Dim Sum in the past and have been happy with it.
If I had to pick a beef, it would be that the staff is not especially friendly and that the hallways are incredibly tight. But that's a pretty lightweight complaint when you are dealing with good food at a reasonable price.
PS, the fresh seafood tanks make for great kiddie entertainment. just don't tell them what's for dinner. ;-) -
Review from Stephanie C.
San Mateo, CA
4/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
My family and I have been coming here for years. I think it used to be a lot better before (or mb just newer looking). If you walk the hallway between the parking lot to the main restaurant.. its kind of dirty looking and already turn me off a bit. BUT I am a big supporter of this place. The dim sum's not bad. The manager remembers us. They have your good basics. i think they lag a bit on the take out, so minus one star. otherwise, I'd given them 4 stars for being not bad and being super close
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Review from Monica L.
7/3/2010 1 Check-in Here
Pretty good as far as Chinese food goes but I am a tough critic. We came here for a birthday dinner celebration so the dishes were already pre-selected. Typical food but happy to see that not every dish was Americanized. Friendly service and quick.
I would have to come back on my own to really get a feel for this place and order dishes on my own rather then in a large party. -
Review from Linda C.
5/31/2009
The short version: Good service, minimal wait times, solid dim sum.
The long version:
It's kind of a dumpy looking place on the outside, but there's actually a decent amount of room inside. Not very busy for a weekend dim sum place - we were able to be seated right away. The asian to non-asian ratio was decent, although there definitely were more non-Asians here than usual. Bathroom was... a roll up your jeans kinda place...
Service was great - quick, attentive. Food was decent. We had the usual - shrimp dumplings, shu mai, etc. They had a vegetarian dumpling that was pretty good, but nothing was "must-return" spectacular.
Overall, a solid choice if you have a big group that wants dim sum and don't want to have to wait at other places... -
Review from Robin K.
Hayward, CA
9/28/2009
A fine selection of Dim Sum goodies. The service was good, and very accomodating to our special needs. Upon sitting at our table, we were immediately bombarded with ladies showing us anything and everything in their dim sum carts. My eyes were definitely hungrier than my stomach, and I started devouring all the steaming sustenance at an alarming rate.
I sampled (apologies if I butchered the spelling on any of these)
pan fried churng fun, chow mein, siu mai, haw gao, char siu bao, siu lung bao, spare ribs, vegetarian rice noodles, jah leurng, chicken jook, maw lai go, custard cake, curry fish balls, and some other items I just can't remember right now.
Everything tasted good, however, the few misses were the jook, and jah leurng. The jook was way too thick, and the tenderized baking soda chicken was nasty.
This place is definitely worth a second visit. I'm interested in trying the northern style beef stew, green onion pancake, and dishes from the vegeterian dim sum menu. They also take 30 percent of your bill and return it to you as a coupon, that you can use again on your next visit. Pretty schweet, if you ask me. -
Review from Breezy M.
Foster City, CA
3/6/2009
Thursday night, this was not a happenin' joint.
therefore for the whole meal, we had three waiters staring at our table since we were the ONLY people there. All I could think is "don't make eye contact, don't even look at them, crap I did, now they are coming over AGAIN"
I would hate to distract them from the basketball game/ nickelodeon channel they were flipping between on the tv in the room.
if that were not awkward enough, when we ordered I was ready but honeyb needed some time, that apparently was not possible. It went something like this
"She will have the mongolian beef and seafood hot and sour, but I need more time"
waitress "ah ok" *stands there at the table
honeyB "You can come back, I need more time"
waitress" ah ok ok" *still stands at table
HoneyB "ok, I guess kung pao shrimp"
Kung pao shrimp is basically a few prawns with alot of peanuts that you can't pick up with chopsticks, we used our soup spoons.
Mongolian Beef was ok, tender but not amazing sauce.
Hot and Sour was pretty good, spicy and huge bowl.
they gave us lychee icecream on the house, super good. I would only come back to try the dimsum at lunch, maybe not so awkward then. -
Review from Kit L.
San Francisco, CA
7/31/2010
One day, I was craving dim sum and was told this is the only decent restaurant in the Redwood City/Belmont area. Now, if I'm craving something and I eat what I want but it turns out to be mediocre, I'm just not satisfied to my liking! I decided to try out the dim sum here; don't know if you try right?!
Since I've eaten at quite a few other dim sum places and I'm Chinese, I think I'm a pretty good critic in this area. I can say this place was OK. Have to say I've had better. Dim sum can be greasy but I felt it was more greasy here and there wasn't a whole lot to choose from. Dim sum is also about variety which this place lacked. -
Review from Thai N.
San Jose, CA
11/27/2007
BEST SIM DIM BEST EVER! I use to work for start-up down the street from this place. I use to eat here two-three times a week for dim sum with my IT colleagues.
Great service: They change your plate once it gets a little dirty or have bones on them.
When I ever get a chance I drive up for DIM SIM!
Forgot to tell you yelpers: TRY THE FRIED SHRIMP BALLS! It's the best!!!
