Flower Lounge

Haven't been here in years! My friends owned hair shop across the street.

Service was still the same. Friendly, welcoming and fun. We ordered Mongolian chicken, fried rice no eggs, spicy prawns and chicken wings. Everything was A-1 like I remember. Parking is wild cause it's a Main Street but it's worth looking for a park

Popped in and gave the Flower Lounge another try. There are some new people tending to the customers, they were very friendly. The food was identical to our last visit 3 years ago. They still have the lunch specials, which are mostly rice plates. Out the door, this place is about $20 per person at lunch time.

They have an impressive business serving contractors. Those contractors are likely working on properties up in the hills. They drive up. One of the staff of the Flower Lounge runs out with a box full of Chinese food - hands it to them - and then they quickly drive off. Impressive efficiency.

I had been wanting to visit Flower Lounge for a while. I was incurably curious to try it after stumbling upon its yelp page and noting it was a 4.2 star establishment with a name akin to the legendary Hong Kong Flower Lounge (closed as of 12/2022) in Millbrae. The latter Lounge in it's 80s and 90s heyday was the epitome of Chinese fine dining in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, it had been on a long decline since it's peak in the glory days of yuppiedom and unsurprisingly shuttered.

Could Flower Lounge mirror some of the panache of its Peninsula near-namesake? I had wanted to find out for a couple years but was thwarted by its pandemic closure of the dining room. (I knew a take home experience wouldn't do it justice.) I was happy to find out that they've re-opened recently for dine in.

As I entered and looked around, a hint that it wasn't just catering to suburbanized "American" clientele were the written in Chinese-only specials pasted as flyers on the wall. I have no idea what they said or if they were any good since I'm an ABC (American Born Chinese) and wasn't able to read and order. So my Americanized eyeballs stuck to the standard English menu. I ended up choosing the Peking Style Spare Ribs, Salted Fish with Chicken and Bean Curd clay pot and, indulging in my irresistible ABC inclinations, the Tomato Beef Chow Mein.

The Salted Fish with Chicken clay pot arrived first. It was still hot and percolating and remained bubbling for a full two minutes! After waiting for it to cool a bit, I took a taste. It was incredulously good. I hadn't expected this at all. The salted fish flavor permeated its whole contents--the chicken, tofu and sauce. It's un-ABC of me to love salted fish and its profound pungence, but I am unapologetically still Chinese. The pot was so hot and heat retentive, the dish stayed that way until the end of the meal on a cold winter's night.

The Peking Spare Ribs were also a revelation. Lightly fried and surprisingly soft, the biggest surprise was that it was slightly more sour than sweet. Most places, the ribs are basked in an over-powering, sweet red glaze sauce. Not here. Its subtlety made the dish perpetually inviting. Unlike other Peking Rib experiences, I kept on eating, never succumbing to taste fatigue.

Alas, the letdown was the Tomato Beef Chow Mein. Thanks to years of said indulgence, I am probably a connoisseur, albeit reluctantly. First, it was clearly lukewarm. Definitely, a poor first impression on the taste buds. But the main transgression were the thick Udon noodles. Huh?? Why huge Japanese soup noodles in a Chinese-Am wok dish?? The massive strands simply overwhelmed everything with their mouth-monopolizing gobs of dough. The delicately sweet tomato sauce and the tender texture of the beef were left in the dust. Where was the ole classic spaghetti-sized pasta or the trendy, pan-fried noodles? Just a strange culinary choice.

But otherwise Flower Lounge would be worthy of a Michelin mention in my book. Definitely Bib Gourmand level (or even a one star albeit without one star service. More below). It was as if one of the Millbrae HK Flower Lounge chefs from its heydays quit to open his or her own. (This was exactly the rumored dynamic of Silver House in San Mateo.)

Now about that service. The food was plunked down, and we were left alone. Not asked if we needed anything after that. It hearkened back to the typical mom and pop Chinese kitchens of yesterday: "The food is good, so get in and get out. You want to be friends and be nice? Go to your Family MahJong place. Here is to eat!"

And so I did. Shortfalls aside, the place overall was still quite pleasing to both the Chinese and American sides of my palate.

I love the most is salt and pepper chicken wings with a lot jalapeños. Really crispy pork ribs

OMG!
My new go to Chinese spot.
I could not have asked for better service and better food.
I called very late around 11am and she managed to get my order for 26 people in an hour.
Great service. Great food. Very happy customer!

Vegetables are fresh & crisp! Multitude of choices on menu. Take out available. Conveniently located off 580 freeway in Diamond District.

My Go to- Veggie Fried Rice- Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings or Cod (fish). Hot Soup- Bok Choi See menu online

All really good!
Shrimp with lobster sauce, spicy green beans, salt and pepper chicken

Food was overpriced and subpar. Staff, however, were surprisingly friendly. Oh, and I didn't get a fortune cookie.

Excellent, fresh meal, prepared quickly with happy, funny service, and delightful conversation when paying the tab. Flower Lounge will even pack your to-go containers like old fashioned good quality service.

We will be back to this cute place with the funny waitresses.

Came home for a visit and was craving some good Bay Area Chinese food. Decided to give this try, even though it only had 4.2 stars, banking on some of the reviews that read as reasonable and honest... GLAD WE DID!! Ordered our food to go, with the sauces on the side (so no soggy things occurred on the drive home), and dug in as soon as we walked through the door. We had: sweet and sour soup, wor won ton soup (added a little salt to it and elevated it to the whole next level), hot pepper and salt ribs, lemon chicken, Szechuan chicken, tomato beef chow mein and bbq pork fried rice. I tasted a bite of every dish, and they were all really good (and I am pretty darn picky about my Chinese food; I have standards). The customer service was also amazing. The lady up front gave us free hot tea while we waited, since it was pretty chilly outside, which was so kind. Thank you Flower Lounge, for fulfilling my craving!!