I have eaten in many Hong Kong-style restaurants, and the dining experience here was very poor. The food preparation was careless and there were many mistakes in the cooking process. 1. The Macau pork belly has obviously been stored for a long time, the temperature is not enough, and the smell of fuel consumption is very obvious. 2. The prawns in the typhoon shelter were not deveined. After contacting the manager, the manager’s response was that all the shrimps were not deveined. 3. The Typhoon Shelter prawn puff pastry was not fried properly. The entire puff pastry was filled with oil. When you bite into it, the entire puff pastry is filled with oil. 4. The condiments of the typhoon shelter prawns are a bit strange. There are peppers and onions, but no green onions. 5. The fried garlic prawns in the typhoon shelter are black and have a burnt and bitter taste. 6. The stems and green hairs of the garlic green beans are not removed and picked out, making it difficult to chew and irritating in the mouth. 7. The sausage in claypot rice has a fishy smell. 8. The spicy meat in the claypot rice is not peeled, and the whole thing is like eating a rubber band.
I'm asian, and I have tasted a bunch of cantonese food and know what the food should look, taste and be prepped like. The food here is bad and isn't properly prepped.
1. The Macau Roast Pork Belly was not hot, it was probably pre-prepped and kept warm for a long time, but it wasn't being prepped properly, it had the fishy smell that you get from bad pork fat. 2. The pepper garlic shrimp had the veins inside the shrimp, and the owner said that they don't devein the shrimps 3. The pepper garlic shrimp wasn't fried properly and was super soggy, you would get a mouthful of oil 4. The ingredients for the pepper garlic shrimp isn't authentic 5. The fried garlic in the pepper garlic shrimp was burnt, you get a bitter taste when eating 6. String beans with garlic wasn't prepped properly, you get served with string beans that had the remnants and sepals of the string bean, which isn't chewable 7. The sausages in the special order rice in pot had a fishy smell 8. There is cured meat in the special order rice in pot, but they didn't remove the skin, after curing, the skin will be supper rubbery and inedible, normally, people remove the skin in this dish.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Pokemon Mom
Went based on recommendations from friends and also reviews. We were rather disappointed with this restaurant. The portions were small, some of the dishes they really skimped on the ingredients, and the quality of ingredients were no better than other restaurants we have been to in the area. Based on that, we were paying more for the same dish elsewhere. We were seated quickly but at a table right next to the door. Restaurant is small so reservation is a must, otherwise you will have to wait. Lots of ppl waiting when we went. We were seated promptly by the door. Unfortunately the door kept opening and closing, letting in cold air. Not very pleasant. Had to put on jacket to eat. Staff worked brisk and efficient. Not very friendly. For food, the best dishes were garlic beef and black pepper fish. The beef was tender, sweet peas were crunchy and sweet. The fish was fried, light and delicious. Those were the 2 dishes that came out well. Portions were small but they were good. House Clay pot was decent too, it had bbq pork, chicken, squid, shrimp, tofu and cabbage. The dishes that were disappointing were: winter melon soup. There were barely any ingredients in there. There were 5 pieces of winter melon, chicken feet and some soy beans. It seemed like they threw in scraps to make the soup. Beef chow fun had lots of noodles, but where was the beef? There was only 6-7 pieces of beef in there. That's quite sad. Honey bbq pork was a average, a bit too dry. Given the options available in the area that offer good food and better portions we will likely not return. Free mall parking.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Shiu Tsai
I was not impressed for high price House Chow Mein. An overly priced ordinary dish.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Auntie next door
i was looking for good roasted duck in town so i did have high expectation to this restaurant. the hanging roasted duck looks good. however, we bought to-go and turn out almost all fat but no meat. this is not a good siu-mei serving. busy restaurant need long wait even to-go
Cindy Wang
I order from Chinese restaurants very frequently. Generally, my estimated time is always pretty accurate. This last time they told me it was going to be an hour wait no problem. I go there and then I have to wait another 50 minutes. I just wish the hostess would’ve Let me know. Also, the soy sauce chicken came completely raw as you can see in my picture. Generally, their food is pretty decent however, this last time it was pretty terrible.
chen jinda
The black pepper beef cubes and golden and silver egg chili leaves are delicious. Roast duck with thunder vegetables and lobster from the typhoon shelter. Don’t order the scallops. They have a peculiar smell and are not fresh.
Parking: Very good parking
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: 牛肉粒
花心大萝卜
Recommend the fried pepper leaves, the beef is extremely tender, the roast duck is not very authentic, the cucumbers and green onions are not shredded, they have been improved, the slices are large and greasy when eaten alone, the scallops are not fresh
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
S W
Below-average Chinese food for such a long wait. Their waitlist system is a mess and allows bigger tables before people who arrived first. The place is also way too small.
Came here on vacation and wish I had gone literally anywhere else.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Russell Lo
Is this $23 for claypot rice? ?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
JP
Thumbs up for the pea shoots with garlic and beef with black bean sauce. The 2 course Peking duck was a rip off for $60. Service was really weird. Don’t think I’d come back.
The Noble Chef is a traditional Cantonese BBQ restaurant, and it might just be the most popular spot for authentic Cantonese-style roasted meats in the area. With limited seating, it’s clear why this place is in high demand—when we arrived on a Saturday evening at 5:30 PM, we waited for 40 minutes to get a table, which speaks to its popularity.
At the entrance, a glass display showcases the day’s freshly roasted offerings, including BBQ duck, BBQ pork (char siu), and pork knuckles. Once seated, we were promptly served Pu’er tea, and they don’t charge extra for the tea, which is a nice touch!
We ordered the Combination Platter with a choice of three items: BBQ Duck, BBQ Pork, and Royal Yellow Chicken. While the char siu had a bit too much fat for my taste, and the roast duck had a slightly thick layer of fat under the skin, the flavors were spot on! The Royal Yellow Chicken was delicious, especially when paired with the dipping sauce.
We also tried the French-style beef cubes, which were incredibly tender, though the soy sauce flavor was a bit strong. Another standout dish was the Two Mushrooms & Silken Tofu—the tofu was lightly fried, giving it a crispy exterior and a soft, custard-like interior. Paired with enoki and shiitake mushrooms, it was super flavorful and perfect with rice!
The service was attentive, with the staff coming by to replace our plates and clear away bones from the BBQ platter. While the roast meats are excellent, the vegetable dishes are on the pricier side. Given the long wait during peak hours, I’d recommend coming during off-peak times, or opting for takeout or pickup during busy hours to save time.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Cantonese Roast Duck Soy Sauce Chicken, Beef Chow Fun, Peking Duck, Chicken w Black Bean Sance
Jane G.
"Missing a Whole Duck" in the 2-Course Peking Duck Dish
Peking Duck has always been a favorite for my kids, especially the Cantonese style. Based on its glowing reviews, we decided to try The Noble Chef for the first time on 10/6/24. We ordered their 2-course Peking Duck, anticipating the traditional experience. The first course, featuring the crispy duck skin, was served, and we appreciated the chef’s skill in delivering thin, well-prepared skins.
However, the second course was a letdown. After waiting for a while, we were served a dish with a disappointingly small portion of duck mixed with a large amount of filler like water chestnuts (as shown in the image below).
This wasn't what we expected, so we inquired about the rest of the duck. To our surprise, the server informed us that this tiny portion was all we would be getting. Even more shocking, they blamed us for not specifying we wanted a whole duck when we ordered! Apparently, it was our fault for assuming the standard would include a reasonable amount of duck.
For my kids, this was their first time experiencing such a lackluster Peking Duck dish, especially with the main ingredient—duck—being so sparse. Considering the restaurant’s high ratings, the poor service and condescending attitude were a huge disappointment. This is why I felt compelled to write this review. I’ll now continue my search for a Cantonese restaurant in San Diego that serves a proper 2-course Peking Duck for my family.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Yung Hsu Cecilia Chen
Very busy place. Traditional Cantonese style food. Worth to try.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Martha Molina
Omg the best Chinese food place in San Diego is definitely here. Excellent service, correct portions and incredible flavor.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
jianren huang
The cooker is good and the taster is good. But too expensive for example, I order assorted seafood $30, for a small plate and there are almost all fish with two or three shrimp.
I am surprised they use small plates for almost every dish with a price over $25.
I have eaten in many Hong Kong-style restaurants, and the dining experience here was very poor. The food preparation was careless and there were many mistakes in the cooking process.
1. The Macau pork belly has obviously been stored for a long time, the temperature is not enough, and the smell of fuel consumption is very obvious.
2. The prawns in the typhoon shelter were not deveined. After contacting the manager, the manager’s response was that all the shrimps were not deveined.
3. The Typhoon Shelter prawn puff pastry was not fried properly. The entire puff pastry was filled with oil. When you bite into it, the entire puff pastry is filled with oil.
4. The condiments of the typhoon shelter prawns are a bit strange. There are peppers and onions, but no green onions.
5. The fried garlic prawns in the typhoon shelter are black and have a burnt and bitter taste.
6. The stems and green hairs of the garlic green beans are not removed and picked out, making it difficult to chew and irritating in the mouth.
7. The sausage in claypot rice has a fishy smell.
8. The spicy meat in the claypot rice is not peeled, and the whole thing is like eating a rubber band.
I'm asian, and I have tasted a bunch of cantonese food and know what the food should look, taste and be prepped like. The food here is bad and isn't properly prepped.
1. The Macau Roast Pork Belly was not hot, it was probably pre-prepped and kept warm for a long time, but it wasn't being prepped properly, it had the fishy smell that you get from bad pork fat.
2. The pepper garlic shrimp had the veins inside the shrimp, and the owner said that they don't devein the shrimps
3. The pepper garlic shrimp wasn't fried properly and was super soggy, you would get a mouthful of oil
4. The ingredients for the pepper garlic shrimp isn't authentic
5. The fried garlic in the pepper garlic shrimp was burnt, you get a bitter taste when eating
6. String beans with garlic wasn't prepped properly, you get served with string beans that had the remnants and sepals of the string bean, which isn't chewable
7. The sausages in the special order rice in pot had a fishy smell
8. There is cured meat in the special order rice in pot, but they didn't remove the skin, after curing, the skin will be supper rubbery and inedible, normally, people remove the skin in this dish.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Went based on recommendations from friends and also reviews. We were rather disappointed with this restaurant. The portions were small, some of the dishes they really skimped on the ingredients, and the quality of ingredients were no better than other restaurants we have been to in the area. Based on that, we were paying more for the same dish elsewhere. We were seated quickly but at a table right next to the door. Restaurant is small so reservation is a must, otherwise you will have to wait. Lots of ppl waiting when we went. We were seated promptly by the door. Unfortunately the door kept opening and closing, letting in cold air. Not very pleasant. Had to put on jacket to eat. Staff worked brisk and efficient. Not very friendly. For food, the best dishes were garlic beef and black pepper fish. The beef was tender, sweet peas were crunchy and sweet. The fish was fried, light and delicious. Those were the 2 dishes that came out well. Portions were small but they were good. House Clay pot was decent too, it had bbq pork, chicken, squid, shrimp, tofu and cabbage. The dishes that were disappointing were: winter melon soup. There were barely any ingredients in there. There were 5 pieces of winter melon, chicken feet and some soy beans. It seemed like they threw in scraps to make the soup. Beef chow fun had lots of noodles, but where was the beef? There was only 6-7 pieces of beef in there. That's quite sad. Honey bbq pork was a average, a bit too dry. Given the options available in the area that offer good food and better portions we will likely not return. Free mall parking.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
I was not impressed for high price House Chow Mein. An overly priced ordinary dish.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
i was looking for good roasted duck in town so i did have high expectation to this restaurant. the hanging roasted duck looks good. however, we bought to-go and turn out almost all fat but no meat. this is not a good siu-mei serving. busy restaurant need long wait even to-go
I order from Chinese restaurants very frequently. Generally, my estimated time is always pretty accurate. This last time they told me it was going to be an hour wait no problem. I go there and then I have to wait another 50 minutes. I just wish the hostess would’ve Let me know. Also, the soy sauce chicken came completely raw as you can see in my picture. Generally, their food is pretty decent however, this last time it was pretty terrible.
The black pepper beef cubes and golden and silver egg chili leaves are delicious. Roast duck with thunder vegetables and lobster from the typhoon shelter. Don’t order the scallops. They have a peculiar smell and are not fresh.
Parking: Very good parking
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: 牛肉粒
Recommend the fried pepper leaves, the beef is extremely tender, the roast duck is not very authentic, the cucumbers and green onions are not shredded, they have been improved, the slices are large and greasy when eaten alone, the scallops are not fresh
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Below-average Chinese food for such a long wait. Their waitlist system is a mess and allows bigger tables before people who arrived first. The place is also way too small.
Came here on vacation and wish I had gone literally anywhere else.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Is this $23 for claypot rice? ?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Thumbs up for the pea shoots with garlic and beef with black bean sauce. The 2 course Peking duck was a rip off for $60. Service was really weird. Don’t think I’d come back.
Food: 3
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
Authentic Cantonese BBQ That’s Worth the Wait
The Noble Chef is a traditional Cantonese BBQ restaurant, and it might just be the most popular spot for authentic Cantonese-style roasted meats in the area. With limited seating, it’s clear why this place is in high demand—when we arrived on a Saturday evening at 5:30 PM, we waited for 40 minutes to get a table, which speaks to its popularity.
At the entrance, a glass display showcases the day’s freshly roasted offerings, including BBQ duck, BBQ pork (char siu), and pork knuckles. Once seated, we were promptly served Pu’er tea, and they don’t charge extra for the tea, which is a nice touch!
We ordered the Combination Platter with a choice of three items: BBQ Duck, BBQ Pork, and Royal Yellow Chicken. While the char siu had a bit too much fat for my taste, and the roast duck had a slightly thick layer of fat under the skin, the flavors were spot on! The Royal Yellow Chicken was delicious, especially when paired with the dipping sauce.
We also tried the French-style beef cubes, which were incredibly tender, though the soy sauce flavor was a bit strong. Another standout dish was the Two Mushrooms & Silken Tofu—the tofu was lightly fried, giving it a crispy exterior and a soft, custard-like interior. Paired with enoki and shiitake mushrooms, it was super flavorful and perfect with rice!
The service was attentive, with the staff coming by to replace our plates and clear away bones from the BBQ platter. While the roast meats are excellent, the vegetable dishes are on the pricier side. Given the long wait during peak hours, I’d recommend coming during off-peak times, or opting for takeout or pickup during busy hours to save time.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Cantonese Roast Duck Soy Sauce Chicken, Beef Chow Fun, Peking Duck, Chicken w Black Bean Sance
"Missing a Whole Duck" in the 2-Course Peking Duck Dish
Peking Duck has always been a favorite for my kids, especially the Cantonese style. Based on its glowing reviews, we decided to try The Noble Chef for the first time on 10/6/24. We ordered their 2-course Peking Duck, anticipating the traditional experience. The first course, featuring the crispy duck skin, was served, and we appreciated the chef’s skill in delivering thin, well-prepared skins.
However, the second course was a letdown. After waiting for a while, we were served a dish with a disappointingly small portion of duck mixed with a large amount of filler like water chestnuts (as shown in the image below).
This wasn't what we expected, so we inquired about the rest of the duck. To our surprise, the server informed us that this tiny portion was all we would be getting. Even more shocking, they blamed us for not specifying we wanted a whole duck when we ordered! Apparently, it was our fault for assuming the standard would include a reasonable amount of duck.
For my kids, this was their first time experiencing such a lackluster Peking Duck dish, especially with the main ingredient—duck—being so sparse. Considering the restaurant’s high ratings, the poor service and condescending attitude were a huge disappointment. This is why I felt compelled to write this review. I’ll now continue my search for a Cantonese restaurant in San Diego that serves a proper 2-course Peking Duck for my family.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Very busy place. Traditional Cantonese style food. Worth to try.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Omg the best Chinese food place in San Diego is definitely here. Excellent service, correct portions and incredible flavor.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The cooker is good and the taster is good.
But too expensive
for example, I order assorted seafood $30, for a small plate and there are almost all fish with two or three shrimp.
I am surprised they use small plates for almost every dish with a price over $25.
I will not go.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
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