| Gigantic banquet restaurant specializing in Dim Sum, Seafood, and Tea |
Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1040
Reviewed: 8/21/2005
Rating: 8.5
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Koi Palace is a big milestone for jatbar, its our 500th restaurant to be listed and hard to believe we've visited all those places in so little time. I dont even want to think about the money and time spent on jatbar. We do it for the love of food and helping spread the word on favorite places submitted by folks like yourselves.
I had a friend in town and decided to take her with us to Koi Palace. I had read the horror stories about the long lines so the plan was to have Terry stand in line while I drive to San Francisco and pick up my friend. I figured 40 minutes would be plenty of time to drive back and forth and Terry would be sitting cool at the table. As Im driving back, he calls me up and says 'dammmmmmm....Im still in line.' Im thinking wtf...is he kidding? I get to the parking lot and almost faint to see all the cars in the parking lot, its a madhouse, people are milling around outside and cars doing parking laps. I opted for down the street in some random parking spot.
Im not kidding when I say this place is PACKED. I have NEVER seen any restaurant beyond capacity like this. There had to be 100+ people waiting in line and we had already been waiting 1 hour just to get in. This is a personal record for myself as I have no tolerance for waiting in line anywhere. I guess there's always a first for everything and was more curious to see what the big deal was. If you wait inside its even worse!!! Its like the DMV but with beautiful fish tanks where you can eyeball which seafood critter is going to make it on your plate. Our number finally gets called...woohoo...1 hr 10 mins!!
The monstrous restaurant has a seating capacity somewhere near 400 seats which is about 10 times what we normally visit. We landed a nice corner table near the kitchen and right by a Koi pond. I didnt see the traditional dim sum carts but there were plenty of waiters carrying trays of food. We waited a couple of minutes and finally dug in. I wont even go into detail what we ordered as its kind of embarrassing, not to mention I dont even know what 99% of the names are....we ordered way too much food. Im not sure if we've ever eaten this much food before? Since it was our 1st visit, we didnt know that the popular items like har gaw or shu mei had to be ordered off the menu. Id say we polished off 12 plates before we had this fine idea of ordering the most expensive dim sum item on the menu - 'Whole Crab Meat Shanghai Dumpling, $26.00'. Hmmm..I was thinking possibly 4 dumplings filled with crab. After ordering A couple of minutes pass by and this wonderful dim sum item appears,
peking duck in crepe - this was absolutely wonderful, it was like a chinese-french duck burrito. The crepe almost tasted like a fresh tortilla and green onions inside had a nice crisp texture with moist duck meat. I believe it came with a hoisin (dark paste dipping sauce) that is an excellent complement to the dish. Easily a 9.5.
At this point, we are pretty full and completely forget about the crab dumplings. We ordered some fried fish, more shrimp dumplings, and Im about ready to pass out. We were all full and then they drop the bomb on us....all I heard was laughter and both terry and my friend were telling me not to turn around. I swear it took 3 waiters to deliver this ungodly amount of food...it was the funniest thing Ive seen.
whole crab meat shanghai dumpling - ENTIRE dungeness crab that had been deep friend with a light salted batter. The legs were situated on the side of the elevated platform of crab/pork dumplings with the crab shell at the top. It was soooo much food and there's no way we were going to waste $26 plate or take it home. We started with the legs and claws and slowly worked our way to the dumplings. The crab was extremely sweet and some of the freshest meatiest crab I have ever had anywhere. This was a 9.5-10 in my book. Sure it was expensive, but its not often that jatbar gets to order dishes like this. The dumplings were a mixture of the internal crab meat with pork?, heavy on the ginger. I dont know where we got the room to place this food in but we did it....we ate most of it and took the remaining dumplings home.
We're getting ready to go and Terry has the balls to order another dim sum item, they were mini malasadas and from the taste of it, they were out of the fryer. OMG....with an eggy flavor on the inside, slight-crisp outside, and covered with sugar, this was a home run out of the park. Simply amazing...what a perfect way to end the lunch.
After this entire lunch fiasco, the big question how did Koi Palace do? This is one of the hardest restaurants to rate for a number of reasons.
wait time - if you have plenty of time on your hands on the weekend and just itching to kill 1-2 hours waiting for food, Koi Palace is your spot. Im not sure how it is on the weekdays but from what I experienced on the weekend, I would NEVER return on a sunday at 11AM.
price - we did order food for a small army but $96 for 3 people for dim sum and no alcohol is very expensive.
food - if you order dim sum, order the items off the menu as thats what most people come for. They have many dim sum items you cant find anywhere else. Im not saying the people carrying the food wasnt good but it didnt stand out among other places Ive been to. The items off the menu are in a league of their own and definitely worth trying. If you see the peking duck with crepes or malasadas, be sure to snatch those up.
entertainment value - rates very high as you'll be amazed how many people wait in line, cool animals in the aquarium, giganctic restaurant, or walk by people who have been waiting for 2 hours just to eat.
This lunch will be remembered for a long time. Even with the wait, I still managed to have a fun time at Koi Palace. Overall, I would rate Koi Palace at a respectable 8.5. Im definitely coming back and might have to look into reservations or a weekday visit.
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RETURN VISIT for Jason! 3/14/2009 - 9 Rating: Went here on Saturday and beat the morning rush. Was seated promptly and placed orders for suckling pig, har gow, xlb, pan fried xlb, lobster special, and attacked various trays. Had to cancel the lobster special because they said it was a 40 minute wait and waited 1 hr 20 mins for the suckling pig. I'm glad I didn't cancel it because the skin on the suckling pig is heavenly. They need to make chips out of those skins. Out of the $80 worth of dim sum that we ate, everything was hit out of the ballpark. As much as I hate the service and higher prices, Koi Palaces delivers on freshness and taste. Dragon Beard candy dude was there spinning away. I picked up a box for $8 and finished the box the following day. Be sure to watch the guy make the candy, quite interesting. |
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Reviewer: Terry
Total Reviews: 739
Reviewed: 8/21/2005
Rating: 9
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Jason had mentioned Koi Palace for quite some time to me as a place Jatbar should visit. Its not close by me at all, so it never really was a realistic option for me. Well the perfect opportunity presented itself to us with my wife and kids out of town on this Sunday and #500 looming around the corner for Jatbar. So we went for it!
It was determined that I would meet Jason and his friend there. Jason was thinking I should take my time getting there as there would be no use sitting around waiting for him and his friend (whom he had to pick up). Well I decided to play it safe and got to Koi Palace as quick as I could.
I get there, and the place is positively crawling with people. I had to push my way through the rather unfriendly mob of people (everyone was probably tired of waiting) to get to the front desk. I get a little white tag and then sit back and take in the surroundings.
The place is absolutely HUGE. The little sign says they hold 400 seated inside. And there must have been 200+ waiting outside to get a table. I kid you not. I arrived there at 11:15am for the Dim Sum and apparently it was nowhere near winding down yet.
I was one of a very select number of white people there, so my hopes were rising quickly. This had to be legit. The big fishtanks in the lobby area (which you could barely see behind the thralls of people) also were a good sign. Just the sheer number of people was a good sign. I was getting exciting.
I decided to wait outside. Holy crap, it is cold in Daly City. In Fremont I could get by easily in my jeans and t-shirt. In Daly City, with all the fog, it was completely not an option to go outside without a jacket. So I waited inside with all the people. Numbers were being called but it was a bit tough to hear the accented lady read the english translation (which always followed the Chinese translation). Another good sign.
Jason arrives about 20 minutes later with his friend and we all sit and wait. And wait. And wait. It was at this point we were glad I got there early to grab a number. The mob of waiting people was increasing in size.
After about an hour of waiting our number is called. It is with much effort that we push against the sea of bodies to get to the lady at the table. We were joking that it would suck bad if they said 'last call for number 103'. Noooooooo. But we finally made it and were shown our table.
The table was kind of cramped (a 2-person table converted to 3-person use) but it was ok because it was right near a nice indoor koi pond that all the kids loved coming over to watch and pet. It was actually pretty cool.
We then wait for the mother lode of dim sum selections to make itself be seen so we could gorge ourselves silly. There were a few tried and true winners, but I was quite taken aback by the rather small selection of dim sum items that were going around. I was expecting this place to surpass Mings as far as dim sum selection -it did not. Just a few of the regulars. Nothing too out of this world and nothing I hadn't seen before. Sigh. Oh well, I stuck with 3 or 4 trays and it filled me up ok.
Then Jason decided to look at the menu. He pointed out some $30 crab thing (I'm sure his review will speak to the actual name). It was the most expensive dish on the menu so we felt it our duty for #500 to take it on. We did. And oh my god, it was larger than I was expecting. We were already so stuffed, but we pushed the boundaries of consumption and managed to take it down. The crab was among the best I have ever had. There were some pork dumplings that came with it, but I didn't eat those. I just went at the crab claws relentlessly. I would definitely order the crab at Koi palace again.
After being completely wasted in my chair, I needed something sweet to finish me off. I saw something that looked like rounded Malasadas so ordered them. Oh MAN. These things are AMAZING. They taste almost like Malasadas but are a bit more eggy and less oily. I don't like the eggy as much but I like the less-oily part of it. So overall, they probably were at least as good as Malasadas. I wish I knew what they were called. They were amazing and the highlight of my meal (even more than the crab). I feel embarrassed to say that we got like 4-5 of them and Jason and his friend split one and I ate the rest. And I was already stuffed. Crazy I tell you.
When we were leaving (or rolling ourselves out of there), we saw a few of the people that arrived just before our number was called. That was like an hour and a half ago! That is completely insane.
So overall, I found Koi Palace to be a bit of a letdown in the Dim Sum department. The wait was completely out of hand and not something I would do again (unless a member of my party went ahead an hour to get a number for me - haha). The menu is the way to go here. You really need to dig into the menu to find the stuff that will blow you away. And if you see those Malasada thingys, get a few plates of those. Its a MUST eat.
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Reviewer: ne00
Total Reviews: 187
Reviewed: 5/27/2006
Rating: 8
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Is Koi Palace worth the wait? It might be…
1. One of the few restaurants Jason and Terry wrote a long review.
2. Jatbar picked this as their 500th restaurant to review.
3. Want to see and taste the hype.
4. Want to try a dim sum restaurant that offers more than your everyday flare.
5. Want to see the tiny tea cups served here.
How long is the wait? Depends on what time you arrive. Koi Palace opens at 10am on Saturdays and 9am on Sundays. If you are like the usual dim sum eater, you will arrive around 11am to 12pm. Expect to wait one or more hour.
The driving directions to get there is easy but Koi Palace may not be as easy to find. It is located behind 24 Hour Fitness and next to Outback Steak House. The best place to park is within the local business areas closed on the weekend. Before you park, send one of your mates to collect a number. Do not be afraid to fight your way to the front desk and ask for a ticket. They print a ticket for you that tells you the time, number of people in your party, your number, and how many numbers are in front of you. From there it is a waiting game. Chances are good that your party will wait over an hour.
It was windy in the bay area when we left and was even windier in Daily City. The wait was not pleasant as most of the time our group stood outside freezing in the wind. The person at the front desk calls out numbers over the intercom. They announced half the numbers in Cantonese and the other half in English and often times mixed. They never called the numbers in order as the smaller two, three seated tables usually went first, and the table for four usually took the longest. Do not get too excited until you hear several numbers within your range called.
They called our number after one and a half hour of waiting, but by that time, we stood inside as the first wave of guests cleared out. We requested the type of tea and they brought out an iron cast pot of tea with tiny teacups. Besides the typical dim sum stamp sheet they also brought out a special ordering menu with items not typically found at other dim sum restaurants. You may directly request orders from this sheet and they will bring it out direct.
I was impressed that the cart system is very organized and efficient as the cart pushers offered our group several choices of dim sum as soon as we sat down. I was impressed that they served the hot foods steaming hot and served the cold foods cold. They got all the temperatures correct.
The wait staff was very accommodating as our party requested spoon several times for the steamed dumpling and each time they brought us spoons. We also requested water and they brought us our water immediately. Their only downfall was the refills. Refills did not come automatically. Instead, we needed to flag down a waiter to request a refill on our water or tea.
Our orders consisted of the following…
XO Shrimp dumplings
Your standard shrimp dumpling but with XO sauce on top of the dumplings. A little pricier but contained two large shrimps and served steaming hot. These dumplings were so hot they stuck to the parchment paper causing a messy outcome as the shrimps spilled out of the skin.
Peking duck in crepe
One of the specialty plates that was expensive. Thin slices of lean duck meat with duck skin, cucumbers and scallions rolled up in a crepe served with hoisen sauce. The duck crepe served as four in fours, but honestly, the slices were small. A tasty treat not found elsewhere.
Shanghai steamed meat dumplings
These dumplings served on cabbage leaves. At first, we ordered a tray of four but then ordered a larger tray of 12 found on the special order menu. The steamed dumplings were the only dish served that cooled down quickly. You have to eat this dish hot, as the broth juice will evaporate when cooled. The dumplings skin served was thin and fillings balanced.
Shrimp rice noodle rolls - There was a large shrimp in every bite. The photos above show a much larger version than the ones served to our group.
Chicken feet - Large chicken feet served steaming hot. Larger size than the ones served elsewhere.
Steamed chicken - Standard flare but served hot.
Steamed pork - Standard flare but served hot.
Taiwanese tamale
This was loaded with chicken, Chinese sausage, cooked salted egg yolk. There was plenty for our group to share. The rice was well seasoned, so even without the extra fillings this dish could stand-alone.
Meat in steamed buns - Standard hot steamed buns with an evenly balanced pork and cabbage filling.
Siu Mai - The standard flare. Not an exciting choice but a must have at any dim sum outing.
Mango pudding with coconut milk
Individual mango flavored gelatin bites served in four pieces specially shaped. The gelatin was firm and served room temperature with unsweetened coconut milk to balance the sweetness.
I was disappointed that the lobster balls or turnip cake did not make the rounds.
Final bill with tax and tip came out to be 17.50 per person for our party of four. I personally think it is not worth the cost as there are cheaper places with the standard flare. The food did not taste mind blowing and most of the non-traditional stuff was the special plated prices. The only plus was that all the food served came out piping hot when they should have.
Unless you plan to eat all the non-traditional dim sum items offered here and afford to go all out, expect to pay the higher than average price even for the commonly ordered items. This is the place to make a good impression or to try out something new. I cannot see myself coming here every weekend or even once a month. Maybe I will stop by twice to three times a year for that special occasion.
Pluses: Good service with wide range of dim sum items, specialty items not found anywhere else, piping hot steamed items.
Minuses: Expensive, difficult to find parking, long wait, not all traditional dim sum items served.
*** Update 7/30/2006 ***
I went with a few of my dance friend for early dim sum at Koi Palace. Unless you know someone that has been here and that person drives or you have been here previously, the place is difficult to find and can easily be missed. You want to turn right into the plaza as soon as you get on Gellert Blvd. If you miss the turn, turn right at the light.
My friend and I arrive first and wait for the others. She goes in, grabs a ticket for six, and was told the wait is about 45 minutes. We only waited 15 minutes. Koi Palace opens for Dim Sum at 9am on Sunday mornings and we had planned to meet at 10am.
A quick break down:
Shanghai dumplings: Below average as there are no soup within the wrap. They tried to get a little too fancy, as the shape of the dumpling was not correct.
Crab claw balls: Salty and served barely warm.
Shrimp wrapped in rice noodle roll: Took around 45 minutes to arrive, as this item required a special order. I am confused as to why this had to be ordered direct as this dim sum item is common as turnip cake.
Chinese tamale: Rice with Chinese sausage, ¼ golden yolk from salted eggs, mushrooms wrapped and steamed in banana leafs. Great item to order.
Pan-fried chives and shrimp bun: Excellent flavors and very strong chives taste if you are into that herb.
Malasadas: Super soft egg custard like consistency dough covered in sugar. Super good treat without it being overly sweet. I could have ate the entire plate and ordered seconds.
Egg custard tart: Good with flaky crust but too small to make an impact.
Lau Saa baked bun: Buttery sweet crunchy crust with buttery sweet yolk filling. Excellent, but this item took over an hour and half from the time we ordered to arrive. They had to bake it fresh and it was the last item we ate.
Discoveries: Service is erratic. Could be good or could be poor depending who you engage. Waters were refilled but required finding the right person. Teacups are ridiculously small, about the size of a shot glass. |
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