Fung's Kitchen

Elite '08

27

270

Chi N.

New York, NY

used to come here when i was little and we always ordered the special tofu that was soft and moist and filled with filling and drenched in this awesome gravy!  haven't found anything like that elsewhere.

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Elite '08

108

570

Cory O.

Houston, TX

In the great debate of where you can get the best dim sum, I have a new contender: Fung's Kitchen.  Sure, the parking lot is tiny and I've heard that they have crazy lines during the rush hours, but since I didn't have to deal with any of that on my recent visit, I'll give them the benefit of a whole five star rating.  And I'm not going to lie, one of the main reasons is that they had one of my all time childhood favorite dishes there: pig ears.  Oh, jeez.  They were heavenly.  And just like I remembered them.  Plenty of skin (or fat as my hubby called it) with just a the perfect amount of cartilage for that crunch effect.  Delicious.  I may have eaten more than my share, but seeing as no one else seemed too interested in it, I went to town.

The rest of the dishes continued to do well.  The chicken feet were a bit soggy, but still very flavorful.  Our fried noodle dish was very good, though not the best I've had--it wasn't nearly as crispy as it should've been.  

I plan to come back and actually get a real meal here instead of the dim sum.  Their tanks had some enormous fish and lobsters and I was just salivating at the sight of these critters.  All in all, I think I'd rather come here than any of the other dim sum places I've been to in Houston as the service was prompt, there were actually quite a few of the servers who spoke English (very helpful), and the prices were pretty good ($70 for five people, including tip. .  . .and for them charging for soda refills).

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19

38

Diana L.

San Jose, CA

I really love coming to Fung's Kitchen.  The only reason I give it 4 stars is because it's just the slightest bit over-priced, making it a bit impractical for frequent visits.  

I was just here for dim sum today, and last Saturday, I attended a friend's wedding reception here as well.

Their dim sum is top-knotch, albeit the slightest bit over-greased.  However, the taste itself is enough to make you forget about the greasy aspect for the duration of your meal.  :-)  Since we went on a Friday, we had to mark our orders on an order form and turn in the form to the waiter.  As soon as a dish was available, it was brought to our table immediately.  Shrimp dumplings (ha gao) were plump, and the skin was not too thick.  Their beef tripe came out piping hot and was seasoned just right.  In fact, everything that came to our table was piping hot.  That's not a claim that most restaurants can make anymore, I tell you.  

My favorite of the meal?  The pineapple custard bun (bo lo bao) was just a little bite of heaven.  Yum...  :-)

As for the wedding reception, I think that if I ever decide to have a Chinese banquet reception in Houston, I would choose Fung's kitchen, too.  The servers were attentive, and the restaurant actually has a decent banquet area that can be made to look nice and elegant.  The deciding factor, of course, was the delicious food.  Everything was great, what can I say.  :-)

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2

10

Tony M.

Brooklyn, NY

The food is right on with what you would expect for one of the big Chinese restaurants in Houston. The menu is ginormous and the service is fast and effecient. I've eaten here a few times, DimSum on sunday is good and not greasy, but the star is dinner. Head to the fish tanks and point to your meal. I ate a beautiful eel in black bean sause topped with fresh cilantro on a recent evening.

A big bonus for this place is they will let you bring your own wine for a small corkage fee.

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0

19

MOrgan C.

Houston, TX

Pretty good Dim Sum experience, I have been several times.  Only drawback is that most of the cart people don't speak english and cannot explain to you what each item is or understand you when you ask for something specific.  The wait staff who do speak english however are VERY attentive to your requests to assist.  I avoid the rush on Sundays and hit it up on Saturday.  Parking is no problem until the full rush at noon or so.  Houstonians are spoiled on parking though. Still, there is no wait for a table on Saturdays.

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4

45

Leila S.

Houston, TX

This is a restaurant that our family frequently visits, so that could be one reason why we've never had any real problems with their service.
We held our engagement party and wedding here and frequently host our family get togethers here as well. We probably eat dim sum here at least once a month, so we may be a bit biased.
A few of their outstanding dishes are: beer battered black pepper dungeness crab; lobster with panfried noodles, ginger and green onion; roasted squab; and stuffed eggplant with shrimp.  
For dimsum, they have excellent banh cuon rolls with shrimp or beef; sticky rice with chinese sausage; shu mai; congee (rice soup); and egg custard (if you can catch it at the right time - when they are fresh from the oven; or ask your server).
Parking may be difficult - especially if they have several parties going on at the same time - so I suggest valet parking if and when it is available.

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0

5

Sean C.

Berkeley, CA

I'd give 0 star if I can!

It is a terrible place. I went in at 6:45, the waitress didnt take my order for 15 minutes, then she came, and took my order. I waited for another 15 minutes, and the waitress walked by as if I didn't exist. There were another 6-7 tables of guests, but there were also 6-7 waiters.

So anohter 10 minutes passed, I finally asked their seating hostess, "Could you check my order?"  

She came back and told me they never put in my order! This has to be the worst service I ever experienced anywhere in the US and Canada.  "We are terribly sorry, and I will put in your order now." I told the waitress and hostess to f*** off, and spent my money at Shin Shin instead.  Don't get scewed by these incompetent rude people who charge you huge prices for such terrible service! And paper wrapped chicken for $12.99? I will laugh my ass off if anyone eats that.

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Elite '08

38

61

Keith D.

The Woodlands, TX

Recently, I discovered Fung's Kitchen by way of a Remy Martin Cognac Tasting Dinner.  I came for the Cognac but left with a strong desire to return to Fung's (and an educated distaste for $1,800 a bottle Cognac).  If you've read other reviews from me on Chinese Cuisine, I'm not usually impressed.  However, Fung's has reminded me of why I enjoyed Chinese food the first time.

Over-rated hard liquor aside, Fung's Kitchen had a couple downers but won me over with some new flavors that I need to, I must, revisit.........soon.

The Spring Rolls/Cheese Puffs appetizer was like any other run-of-the-mill Chinese Restaurant.  No excitement there.  But the next course was Treasure Seafood Soup.  This lighter-than-air broth full of the best pieces of lobster, crab and/or shrimp was divine.  The family size bowl prompted me  (with a little help of Remy Martin) to imagine being small enough to jump in and grab hold of a large piece of lobster as a floating device.  I could munch on that sucker until..........I digress.  Some of the best seafood soup I've ever had.

The next course brought Soft Shell Crab with Black Pepper or Spicy Salt, Beef Filet with Honey Black Pepper Sauce and Prawns in Hunan Sauce.  The stand out here was the Beef Filet.  The fresh black pepper and honey with grilled onions were to die for.  I could have licked the plate clean.

I've lost count of how many courses we had.  Next up, Fung's version of General Tso's Chicken, Snow Pea Tips with Double Veggie Sauce, House Fried Rice and a Fried White Fish dish that was covered in a light creamy yellow sauce.  I can't remember the name and it isn't on their online menu, but it was "OFF THE HOOK!" as Starving Football Player would say.  The Snow Pea Tips were bitter and General Tso's Chicken was a better cut of meat than I've ever seen with this dish, but too salty.  The Fried Fish was THE dish!  YUMMY CHOW!!!

Finally, we were served Mango Pudding.  The pudding was basically Milk Pudding with fresh mango shreds.  This was served in a fish shaped mold and was the perfect soft landing after the Cognac and large variety of flavors that we encountered.

By the number of Asian diners in the main dining room and the opinions of the Vietnamese-American, Philipino-American and Chinese-American at my table, Fung's is well respected in this community and rightly so by my taste buds.  

On another note, I heard that there is a "Family Menu" at Fung's not given to the general public.  It would behoove any of us to visit Fung's Kitchen with someone who has experience dining here.  That way, one could enjoy the best they have to offer and miss some of the average items we encountered on this night.  

Fung's is known for it's Dim Sum.  I have yet to check out this aspect of the restaurant.

Fung's Kitchen has my attention.

UPDATE:

Damn the power of PR!  I bought my first bottle of Remy Martin (the cheap $50 bottle) to mix with Ginger Ale for Christmas.  The person (Sultry-Latina-Financial-Planner) who invited me to the Remy Martin Cognac Tasting Dinner had a good chuckle when she heard the news.  She said, and I quote:  "You're a marketing department's wet dream.".  Go figure.

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Elite '08

55

78

Cindy L.

Houston, TX

Everyone says the first impression is the most important.  Unfortunately, Fung's Kitchen wasn't able to win me over in that department.  Who knew it'd be so much trouble to find parking?  We circled the lot several times and got cut off by some very rude customers.  We were on the verge of going elsewhere had it not been we were meeting others here.  Finally, we resorted to parking on the side of the building.  Luckily, I didn't get towed, or else I would ban this place with wrath and never visit again.  Once inside, it was apparent why parking was so difficult:  they had expanded the restaurant but forgot to upgrade the parking!  By this time, we were hungry and frustrated.  We just wanted to get some food in our stomachs.  I was not impressed with the food.  Half of it was cold already and it wasn't the best quality dim sum I've ever had.  On the upside, there was plenty of seating since the place was huge and the place looked nice and clean.  I think I'll go elsewhere for dim sum next time and save me the headache.

*edit*: I also forgot to add that there wasn't much food going around, and it was still during lunch hour on a Saturday!  We only sampled a few things and that was pretty disappointing.  On top of that, it came out to be $10/person!  We didn't even eat *that* much.

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1

7

Farah V.

Houston, TX

The first time I went to Fung's Kitchen was during a wedding reception. The food didn't impress me but I wanted to give them another chance because cooking for a big event is always a challenge. I came back for some dim sum with the family and when the food came out it was already cold. I'm a little disappointed.

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Elite '08

30

176

Huana P.

Los Angeles, CA

When I drove up to Fung's Kitchen for dinner, I got the sinking suspicion that they were trying too hard to be Chinese.  There are two stone dragons flagging the entrance, and then there are the two buddhas smiling at you when you walk in.  The roofs look like they should be on a Chinese temple, and there is a lot of red everywhere in the restaurant.  Is this the type of place with a cheesy decor and Panda Inn Express type of food?  Or cheesy decor with really excellent food?

Fortunately for us, it was the latter.  Fung's Kitchen has excellent Chinese food, specializing in their seafood.  They have delicious Chinese dishes which are not too Americanized.  We tried the minced beef soup with egg drop, fried squid, fresh young sprout veggies, sauteed filleted fish with veggies, clay pot with eggplant with Hunan sauce and their dessert tofu.  Yum.  All were excellent.  

I didn't think I was going to like the fried squid, because most fried squid dishes I've had were not too good.  The squid usually is too chewy and tough for my taste.  However, at Fung's, the squid was fresh and tender.  Much to my surprise, it was not nasty tasting at all!

My favorite dish was the sauteed fish fillet with veggies, which was really really good.  I love fish, and I certainly loved the soft, delicate fillets with the mushrooms, snow peas and carrots mixed in together.  I could really taste the fish and it did not taste fishy.  Really light and really good.  Yum.

My only complaint about this place is that the portion sizes are rather small.  Weird, huh?  Normally Chinese places give you large portions.  That being said, for each plate, the prices are rather high.  Not what I would expect for a Chinese restaurant!  But the food was good.  Check this place out if you're in the mood for a hearty Chinese dinner!

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Elite '08

517

499

Teri C.

Las Vegas, NV

This review is for my dim sum experience at Fung's Kitchen.  

With a party of 11 plus baby, we were seated immediately on a Sunday afternoon.  This is a large restaurant that looks like it is used for banquets.  I was pretty impressed with the wide selection of dim sum that Fung's Kitchen offered.  At times, it did take awhile to get the cart ladies' attention as they would bypass our table.  But when they did come along, they had a nice selection to choose from.  

They even offered the Pineapple Custard Bun and the Shanghai Dumplings!  (They didn't have the elusive Shark Fin dumpling though!)   The Shanghai dumplings came with about five or six per order, and it was pretty tasty.  Not fabulous, but definitely doable.  We had shrimp dumplings, bean curd, deep fried shrimp dumplings, pan-fried taro cake, custard tarts, shrimp rice noodles, barbecued pork rice noodles, chicken feet (very tender with the meat falling off the bones) in black bean sauce, pork buns, silken tofu, Chinese broccoli, and a bunch of other things I can't remember.  

A surprise offering - Durian pudding!  It was shaped like a fish, and had a gentle taste of Durian with chunks of the fruit within the pudding.  I have never seen this offered before at a dim sum restaurant, so that was pretty cool.

Total cost, including two sizzling plate orders (less than $10 each) and a pot of rice, about $14 per person.  We left with a pretty content stomach as well.

Overall, I would definitely return again if I were in the area.  I liked how they gave 'mini-tours' for those new to dim sum or the restaurant.  I saw a waiter leading a couple to the carts and explaining what the dishes were, which was definitely a nice touch (especially for those unfamiliar with dim sum).  The staff were also pretty good about following up when we requested specific dim sum dishes.

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Elite '08

93

202

Doris K.

Belmont, MA

Stop wasting your money! Go somewhere else. I have a strong hatred for this place since it is such a rip-off. It's true that they do have a lot of unique Asian foods that most places don't offer but there needs to be a limit in the price. We tried to have king crab that night. First they told us that it cost $30/pound. Next we wanted a 5-6 pound king crab and the waitress comes out and tells us that the smallest king crab that they have is 10-11 pounds. So you're telling me that although we're willing to spend $30 a pound, you are still trying to make us spend more money? We got up and left, went to Sinh Sinh and had our king crab the way we wanted it.

This isn't the first event that has happened. Some of my friends have been to Fung Kitchen several times for their salt/pepper crab so because they have eaten it so many times before they know the price of the crab. Well, one time they didn't bother to ask the waitstaff the price and the bill came out and guess what? They got ripped-off. They haven't been back since. If I was able to give this place zero stars, I would have done it.

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Elite '08

263

247

henry w.

Austin, TX

Fung's started offering Dim Sum a yr or two ago.. which was good for Houston b/c Ocean Palace at that pt was the big dog and the only choice for me. I was pleasantly surprised at the good service and wide variety here. Nothing really stood out foodwise but I was just glad to have competition.

Regarding Dinner, I think they are a bit overrated and overpriced. I've been here 2-3 times for dinner and each time I think yah it was decent but too expensive.

Food : 7/10
Service : 6/10
Ambience : 6/10

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5

21

Tim M.

Houston, TX

I work close enough to Fung's that I walk there to lunch at least once a week.  It's true that it's pricier than other Bellaire restaurants, but the prices are comparable to other higher end Chinatown eateries (Hong Kong Food Street, Cafe 101 to name two).

Favorite dishes:  Singapore Noodles, Young Chow Fried Rice, Tossed Fried Flat Rice Noodles with Beef.

Dim Sum: At least as good as Ocean Palace or Kim Son

Try the lunch menu too.  Lunch includes hot and sour soup and entree for around $7.

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Elite '08

25

798

JD N.

Miami, FL

Very authentic Chinese food. Probably the most authentic actually now that I think of it. The Chinese consulate stops by here to eat as well as many other Chinese government officials. It is highly popular among the Asians in Houston, and right when you step into the door, it shows. This is where the Asians dine -- not at P.F. Chang's.

The menu is extensive and exotic. They have duck tongue, chicken feet, frog, and tons of exotic items as well as Chinese classics and even some Vietnamese to cater to the large Vietnamese community in Houston.

Dim Sum here is popular and definitely is one of the best in Houston. Try to come as early as you can since it can get packed despite the large restaurant seating.

Dim Sum, like elsewhere, ends at 3 pm everyday.

Oh and if you can... try to finish off your dim sum with this little fried dessert of which the name escapes me at the moment. But it has crab, shrimp, cream and mango. It is heavenly!

*edit: found out the name... mango shuun (something like that, can't verify the spelling). Also I recommend the shark fin dumplings. Other dim sum classics can't go wrong. Weekdays have a smaller menu and they don't have mango shuun but the ambience is less crowded and more romantic (i.e. nicer tablecloth, quieter)

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Elite '08

10

140

Andrew M.

Houston, TX

Before coming to Houston I used to live in Hong Kong, which has given me a taste for some of the best Chinese around.  Fung's is very authentic to say the least!  I went here for the dim sum, and it was almost as good as any place in Hong Kong.  I will definitely recommend this place to everyone.

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3

49

Roy L.

Houston, TX

Food: Good
Selection: Good
Location: Good
Ambience: Good
Price: Good
= 5 stars

Rec: dim sum everyday

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7

37

Mello H.

San Francisco, CA

This Houston institution has done well for itself, expanding in the strip mall that it has called home for many years -- but at the expense of the food. My family dined there over the holidays and found not a single dish memorable. The sizzling beef wasn't even sizzling. It came out cold with a lot of gravy and overcooked onions. The fried fish fillet we ordered ($26.99) was tasteless. The XO wine seafood claypot only had a couple shrimps and scallops. It was mostly filled with cheap squid and tofu, and the sauce had no flavor. The portions are much smaller than what you would get at comparable restaurants. They also use MSG in their food, and you can tell. To add insult to injury, they have started charging for tea -- $1.20 per person!  They are coasting on their reputation and claim to be the only seafood restaurant serving Hong Kong-style cooking in Houston. I beg to differ. You can walk into any number of restaurants on Bellaire Boulevard and have a better meal.

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