Koi Palace Restaurant

Reporting back...

We had a fantastic dinner for 7 on Sunday night. $800 was our admittedly steep bill, but it was well worth it for the level of cooking we experienced.

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall: we over-ordered this item and got 4 tureens for 7 people. 3 tureens would have been perfect. I have only had this dish once in my life, but the older folks said it was very good for a restaurant...+READ Reporting back...

We had a fantastic dinner for 7 on Sunday night. $800 was our admittedly steep bill, but it was well worth it for the level of cooking we experienced.

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall: we over-ordered this item and got 4 tureens for 7 people. 3 tureens would have been perfect. I have only had this dish once in my life, but the older folks said it was very good for a restaurant outside of Asia. The broth itself was deeply flavored, unctuous, and a perfect balance of all the ingredients. The soup included large thick chunks of dried abalone, sea cucumbers, fish maw, dried scallops, really thick shitake mushrooms, sharks fin, Chinese ham, and probably more items that I did not identify.

Lobster 2 ways: I love lobster sashimi, and Koi Palace's was sweet, tender, and refreshing. The deep fried garlicky preparation (bi fung tang) was also delicious. I noted that KP manages to make the spices and crust fragrant without killing the affecting the lobster inside the shell.

Mantis Shrimp: we asked for the salt and pepper preparation for this and were surprised when a light scent of cinnamon wafted off the plate. I've never had mantis shrimp before; they were lightly sweet but very mild. As with the lobster, the most impressive thing was that the heavily flavored crust did not overpower the fresh seafood inside.

Roast Suckling Pig: the winner of the night was definitely the roast suckling pig!! It was unanimously voted the best preparation of pork skin any of us had ever tasted, easily beating out 99% of the peking ducks out there. The whole pig is brought to the table, with the skin pre-sliced for serving in a bun with duck sauce and a dish of granulated sugar. Words elude me when I try to describe the skin: it was shatteringly crisp, crackly, airy, and absolutely perfect. I could have eaten a whole plateful.

Pea Sprouts: even the vegetables were perfect. They seemed to have used only the most tender greens and poached them until they were just tender but still emerald green. The soupy preparation was very nice after all the heavy foods we were eating.

Kabocha coconut soup: we were much too full to order some of their more unique desserts, but the kitchen sent out some complimentary house dessert that we ended up really liking. Aside from being a beautiful yellow, the soup was much more interesting than the standard red bean or tapioca soup. I unfortunately left most of mine behind; I hope they took that as a compliment to the rest of our very excellent meal!

Consensus: we purposely avoided ordering dishes that are also available at Sea Harbor, but everyone agreed Koi Palace's quality was just as good, and much better priced.

photos: http://www.chezpei.com/2010/05/koi-palace.html-COLLAPSE / REPLY (11 Replies) (by Pei, created June 1, 2010)

»More Dim Sum at Koi Palace, Daly City

Our dim sum crawl returned today to Koi Palace, six strong and ready for the famed crab dumplings with whole crab we missed last time ( http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/695577 ).

Our dishes included—

#157. Roasted Suckling Pig
#145. Pickled Veggie and Duck Gizzards
#148. Vegetarian Goose (Bean Curd Roulette)
#323. Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce
#341. Shrimp Dumpling (har gow)
#346....+READ Our dim sum crawl returned today to Koi Palace, six strong and ready for the famed crab dumplings with whole crab we missed last time ( http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/695577 ).

Our dishes included—

#157. Roasted Suckling Pig
#145. Pickled Veggie and Duck Gizzards
#148. Vegetarian Goose (Bean Curd Roulette)
#323. Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce
#341. Shrimp Dumpling (har gow)
#346. Shrimp in Crispy Tofu Wrap
#347. Crispy Fried Dough Stuffed Rice Roll
#371. Chi Chou Fried Taro Cake
#375. Special Aged Wine Poached Manila Clams
#376. Coffee Glazed Pork Sparerib
#378. Ginko with Pea Tendrils
#436. Crab Meat filled Dumpling w/ Whole Crab
#442. Black Sesame Glutinous Ball
#445. Crisp Egg Custard Tart
#461. Egg Yolk Lava Bun
#464. Sugar Egg Puff
We also had a boiled chicken dish but I’m not sure which menu # (if any) it was.

With an 18 per cent tip we paid $29 per person for a whole lot of very good food.

So that I don’t monopolize the early conversation as much as I have in my past dim sum posts I’ll limit myself to comments on a couple of dishes until others have had a chance to post, then add more later.

I enjoyed the crispiness and full flavor of the shrimp in crispy tofu wrap—I would definitely get this one again.

The chicken feet were soft and tender with a little something extra in the spicing that pleased me. Maybe it was just more star anise than is used elsewhere.

The crisp egg custard tart was the best of its kind I have had in a long time—very light filling with great flavor and light crust. I might still prefer the Portuguese style we had at Champagne a few weeks ago due to the brûlée technique but I put that item in a different category.

The crab was the main event for me. More on this later.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (31 Replies) (by charliemyboy, created April 8, 2010)

Koi Palace:
#321 Shiu Mai with Diced Mushroom - this was the first dish to the table and in my haste to taste I forgot the photo.. delicious in flavors, juicy and a hint of sweetness, with a light thin wrap.
#157 Roasted Suckling Pig - lovely crunch of skin and creamy pork on sweet beans
#337 Bee’s Nest Taro - ethereal on the tongue, the creamy smooth taro melting into the lacy crunch
#341 Har...+READ Koi Palace:
#321 Shiu Mai with Diced Mushroom - this was the first dish to the table and in my haste to taste I forgot the photo.. delicious in flavors, juicy and a hint of sweetness, with a light thin wrap.
#157 Roasted Suckling Pig - lovely crunch of skin and creamy pork on sweet beans
#337 Bee’s Nest Taro - ethereal on the tongue, the creamy smooth taro melting into the lacy crunch
#341 Har Gow - big shrimp is mouth-filling
#376 Coffee Glazed Pork Sparerib - wow! that coffee flavored sauce is a total buzz both in fragrance and taste, the whipped cream melts on crispy-fried ribs that are sweet-but-not-too-sweet-COLLAPSE / REPLY (19 Replies) (by Cynsa, created March 19, 2010)

»Dim Sum Crawl – Koi Palace and Asian Pearl (Peninsula)

Pia, Cynthia and I had dim sum today at Koi Palace and Asian Pearl. I eagerly anticipated my first visit to both places and was especially eager to see if Koi Palace was really a level above the competition as suggested by some hounds.

At Koi Palace we had—

#157 Roasted Suckling Pig
#321 Shiu Mai with Diced Mushroom
#337 Bee’s Nest Taro
#341 Har Gow
#376 Coffee Glazed Pork Sparerib

...+READ Pia, Cynthia and I had dim sum today at Koi Palace and Asian Pearl. I eagerly anticipated my first visit to both places and was especially eager to see if Koi Palace was really a level above the competition as suggested by some hounds.

At Koi Palace we had—

#157 Roasted Suckling Pig
#321 Shiu Mai with Diced Mushroom
#337 Bee’s Nest Taro
#341 Har Gow
#376 Coffee Glazed Pork Sparerib

With only three of us it wasn’t practical to order the much-heralded Crab Meat Filled Dumpling w/ Whole Crab. The steamed XO diced mushroom and pork dumplings praised in prior posts were not available today (or even on the menu). They are not the same as the XO Spicy Sauce Dumplings.

The shiu mai had a thin side wrapper and very good flavor— even better than the version that was one of my favorites at the now-defunct Joy Luck Place.

The har gow had a fairly thick and soft skin. Most of the shrimp was whole and too big to allow a tight wrapping with an even shape and they fell apart easily. The flavor was nice but a bit too subtle for my taste.

The suckling pig had very crisp skin and great flavor.

The bee’s nest taro was light, fluffy and virtually greaseless. The flavor was very good but the puffs were really small and didn’t fully satisfy my taro craving. I’m not sure if the taro ratio was lower than in most other taro balls or if I just didn’t get enough volume. They were very good regardless.

The coffee glazed pork sparerib came in a coffee cup with large pieces of pork in a coffee sauce with some whipped cream. It was entertaining but my piece of pork was mostly fat.

I am used to lighter, greener tea with dim sum than the pu-erh tea that Cynthia ordered for us. I have now been converted to darker tea—it seemed a better balance to the intense flavors.

Overall for me Koi Palace provided some really good dim sum but I didn’t feel I had experienced a meal that was at a clearly higher level than the best of the rest. Since we didn’t have the whole crab in dumplings or some of the other signature dishes I can’t really judge yet. Even without those it compares well.

My KP experience was much better in other respects than I expected. Some posts have implied that only regulars get decent service. My prior efforts to get friends to go to KP have resulted in depictions of a madhouse with interminable waits and poor service. Maybe that’s a good description of weekends but we got seated immediately in a soothing environment with prompt service. Not having a Chinese speaker in attendance was not a problem and our waiter was available to answer questions and make suggestions. The order form is a colorful menu with English descriptions and pictures of many of the dishes.

Though I usually prefer rooms with lots of natural light, the highly decorated room was a pleasing oasis of calm today. Extra touches like a flame under the teapot to keep your tea warm added to the feeling of quality. My one gripe with the high style was the pretty but tiny condiment dish which could only hold puny quantities.

At Asian Pearl we had—

#1 Steamed Shrimp Dumpling (har gow)
#3 Steamed Egg Custard Bun
#15 Shrimp and Chive Dumpling
#33 Beef Rice Noodle Roll
#58 BBQ Pork Neck
Durian Custard Rolls (not on menu)

The har gow was mostly whole shrimp in a thinner skin which held together better than at Koi Palace. It was sweeter with more intense flavors. I suspect a more sophisticated palate might find the sweetness and intensity a bit over the top but I loved it (especially with mustard). This was my favorite savory dish here.

The shrimp and chive dumpling was good and very similar to what I have had elsewhere.

Though I usually prefer meat other than beef in my dim sum, the beef rice noodle roll had good flavor and that nice slippery silky rice roll texture.

The BBQ pork neck was a bit too fat and oily for me.

The durian custard rolls had a flaky crust and a nice creamy texture and flavor. I wasn't overpowered by the durian, which pleased me but might disappoint a real fan of durian.

My favorite here was the steamed egg and custard bun. It tastes just like it sounds.

All in all, it was a very satisfying dim sum crawl— good food and good conversation. It’s hard to improve upon that! All we need now is a few more participants so we can go back for more variety and the bigger items like the whole crab.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (19 Replies) (by charliemyboy, created March 18, 2010)

A visiting friend was going to the airport so we finally got around to trying this place.

The roast pork was first-rate, served warm with perfectly crisped skin.

Taro cake ($6.90) was dry and starchy, needed some sauce. Ridiculously huge helping, I tried to get a half order but language problems interfered.

Pan-fried oysters ($6.90) were very nice, though not as good as Great China's.

...+READ A visiting friend was going to the airport so we finally got around to trying this place.

The roast pork was first-rate, served warm with perfectly crisped skin.

Taro cake ($6.90) was dry and starchy, needed some sauce. Ridiculously huge helping, I tried to get a half order but language problems interfered.

Pan-fried oysters ($6.90) were very nice, though not as good as Great China's.

Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce ($6.90) was first-rate, they either use a higher quality sauce than I've had before or they make it themselves.

A bowl of stuff we couldn't identify turned out to be pork ribs simmered in a sweet sauce, I didn't care for it.

Shrimp-stuffed eggplant ($3.60) was good but a bit short on the eggplant compared with versions I've had elsewhere.

Spareribs with preserved vegetable over flat noodle ($4.50) was hard to eat but really good.

XO spicy sauce dumplings ($4.50) was new to me, shrimp stuffed in an open-topped rice wrapper and topped with spicy shredded dried scallops.

Shanghai dumplings ($4.50) were tasty but a bit sloppy and the wrappers were a bit thick.

Good place, but not much cheaper than Yank Sing, which is still the best I've had (with the possible exception of the defunct Harbor Village), and overall I think no better than East Ocean in Alameda, which is significantly cheaper and has less of a wait.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (52 Replies) (by Robert Lauriston, created March 8, 2010)