I had planned on ordering but upon my entry noticed that they were several dead fish in the case which I found disgusting and therefore I walked out
Eileen A.
This is the second time we ordered from this acclaimed restaurant; last time it was awful, but we thought to try it again, especially because the food critic in a local paper raves about it; this time, it is inedible. Disgusting. Bean curd with NO bean curd--none--; grizzled, bolied "spare ribs" in black bean sauce: full of bones & fat and a couple of black beans. Everything smells of amonia & very bad Chinese spices. It is very expensive (with 15% delivery tip, it came to $95.00 --for take out! Stay clear of this rip-off! One-star is too much, but it is my only choice.
Gary D.
I didn't realize that rice was not included in the already more expensive price. So, not ordering from here again
Benjamin M.
I came here with my wife on a dark, rainy night. It is a shotgun style restaurant which made it hard to see the whole thing when we walked in. The colors were dark with lots of Asian accents and gold trim, and it felt a bit mysterious and exciting. My only wish was that they had Asian music on in the background. Anyway, I looked at their extensive menu. The pictures were worthless as most had no captions but I could sort of figure out what was what. I had the house specialty "Spicy Fried Chicken" (boneless) which consisted of lots and lots of crispy, thinly battered fried chicken covered in a mess of hot peppers and garlic. There were at least four types of peppers (dried red, sliced fresh green of several varieties, and red chili pepper flakes) and yet it wasn't mind-numbingly hot. It was pleasantly hot. My wife had the "Singapore Fried Mei Fun" which is the thing, spaghetti like yellow dish you sometimes see on buffets. But this was much better. It had lots of pork and shrimp and strong flavors of curry and spices. We also ordered a side dish of broccoli in oyster sauce (but it had small mushrooms and carrots too) just to bump up our intake of healthy vegetables. A side dish of white rice was $1.25 and well worth it to provide some relief from the rest of the food. Even their tea was nice. One thing I questioned was whether the servings were supposed to be for 2 or more people. Sure, you can only eat half and make it last two meals but as I was eating my dish I kept thinking "no sane person would eat this much grease and hot peppers". Indeed, at most other restaurants you can polish off a full entree and feel like you will explode but here I don't think I would try that. I think it would be better to order one entree for two people and have them share it. In that light, I thought that their prices were very reasonable. We took a lot home and it sits in our fridge. There were many things I had never heard of before on their menu. I won't try them alone, as if I don't like them I would be stuck with them. But I think it would be fun to come here with a group and share lots of things family-style. Perhaps in the future.
Thomas N.
This is a hard one to rate - four is too good, three might be a little underwhelming. We stopped here during the Gay Pride Block Party on 06/13/21. The place is beautiful inside, and the air conditioner was on full blast so I would have eaten anything at that point. There were five of us in our party, so we were brought to a large booth/table in the back. We reviewed the extensive menu, and began to pour tea. Well, for some of us, one of the tea cups on the table was still dirty (noted a few previous comments on this - come on guys - if it's an issue, address it). When our server came over, we pointed out the issue and they took the cup - but never replaced it (grabbed one from the other table). We expressed there was to be three separate checks, and that wasn't a problem. Jughead and myself ordered the Orange Chicken and the Squid salt & pepper. One of our friends ordered the hot and sour soup, and the other couple ordered the soup dumplings, and a few other items. the food came out pretty quickly, and we decided to share everything with each other. I really enjoyed the orange chicken, and the squid salt and pepper was good, but there are other places in the area that serve a better version (A la Shanghai). The soup dumplings were a little bland for my taste and too are better at other places. I didn't try the other dumplings that were ordered, but I did try the other pork dish my friends ordered. It was a little greasy for my liking. The staff was pretty friendly, and it seemed like we had multiple who were helping us. I think that was because we were in the back, where they were standing around watching the television and having their lunch or meal. Since we had come from pride, many of us were dressed a little out of the "norm" but there was no judgement. We were only questioned when we were leaving what was the occasion? We advised them about the Gay Pride Block party down the street and before you knew it we were passed walking back there by two of their female employees who were seen having fun later in the enclosed area. I think the staff was really great, the food could be better - but the place looked beautiful both inside and out.
Maxy T.
Sadly, would consider this a greasy spoon kinda place. If they rethought the use of oil, it would be a great place. Sorry folks
Maggie S.
The packaging is gorgeous and the service (for takeout) was friendly. Pick up was easy, food came nicely prepared. The steamed dumplings were good if you like more of a doughy dumpling, which I personally, do not. I like more of a wonton wrapper/noodle consistency over dough, but the filling was good. The wonton soup was $4/ order and very underwhelming. It lacked flavor and substance and the wonton filling felt fatty, instead of meaty and flavorful. The pork lo mein was delicious, good combination of veggies and ample amounts of pork. Seasoned well, but $13 a portion was a bit frustrating as I wanted a pint size and that was not an option. Lastly, the chicken and broccoli were cooked just right, but the one thing I cannot stand when ordering Chinese food is RUBBERY CHICKEN.. barf. The chicken was borderline soft and rubbery, which is unfortunate because the flavor was good. Overall, I honestly think food court Chinese is better and cheaper. Disappointed as I have tried many locations around the Albany area for Chinese take out, and was willing to pay a higher price for outstanding food, but sadly this wasn't so. Really this would be a 75% at best.
Tee Summers
Everything about it is amazing
Magnus K.
This place serves authentic Chinese food (one of the only places in the whole city of albany). It's a little pricey but both the taste and customer service are excellent. I recommend this place.
Hendrick M.
One of the worst dining experiences I've had in years. Went for the hot pot, while my wife ordered some dim sum. She's vegetarian, and ordered the vegetarian dumplings, which were on the menu. When we received them, they looked great, but she took a bite, and chomped into a giant wad of pork filling. When we told them, they just said it was a translation issue on the menu, and replaced it with some pickled vegetable buns. The hot pot price on the menu was 24.95 per person for AYCE. It was so-so. I've had a good deal of experience at these kinds of places, and out of maybe 30-40 I've visited in my lifetime, this was definitely the bottom third. While they gave decent portion size, the quality of the ingredients wasn't comparable even to other non-Chinatown shabu shabu places I've frequented. To top it all off, they tried to charge us for two orders, when we specifically stated only I would be partaking in the hot pot. Then after they return with the revised bill, they charged $12 for the broth. THE BROTH. When I brought this up to them, they said they always do this, and it was for when people share, and they had separate broths. I told them it was just me, and he simply said that's how they always charge it, and only the other ingredients were all-you-can-eat. Absolutely ridiculous. So essentially, I paid $33 for inferior quality ingredients. Other places charge this amount in Queens and Manhattan, but their ingredients are WAY more expansive and much, much, fresher (the clams we received were extremely sandy, and obviously not cleaned before being served). I've never gone to any hot pot place that did this, and never even heard of the practice. The sauce "station" was laughable, as they brought over 3 trays, one being peanut butter. Not peanut sauce... literally, peanut butter. As other reviewers have stated, they also tacked on mandatory tip too, which was likely the reason none of the waiters ever came to check on us for anything unless we sought them out. Needless to say, we'll never be back, and will stick with MUCH better asian restaurants in the area. For hot pot, I'm going to stick with Superbowl all the way in Kingston, which is MUCH better, and worth the trip over this place. Avoid at all cost!
I have not had Chinese food in a long time. I wanted something different then the reg. Chinese food. I ordered over the phone and had to run in and out to pick up because I was double parked. Get home no rice with food. Called and apparently they do not serve rice with dinner meals. They said they forgot to tell me when I picked food up, they should have told me when I ordered. Anyway the size of the dish was the size of lunch meals and the cost was higher. Two meals for $40 no rice... it's crazy... and portion size the same as lunch meals... Yes, the food was tasty and fresh... but I have had other Chinese food in the city that was tasty, fresh, and price appropriately for what I was getting. Also, I have had better Chinese food that was over the top. Yes, it cost me more but I left happily full and would go back. This food was not on that caliber. Food/taste/price/ambiance don't match up. Sorry
V8616XSgracet
I have not had Chinese food in a long time. I wanted something different then the reg Chinese food. I ordered over the phone had to run in and out because I was doubled parked. Get home no rice with food. Called and apparently they do not serve rice with dinner meals. They said they forgot to tell me when I picked food up, they should have told me when I ordered. Anyway size of dish was size of lunch meals and the cost was higher. Two me for $40 no rice... it crazy... and portion size the same as lunch meals... Yes, food was tasty and fresh... but I have had other Chinese food in the city food is just as fresh and tasty. Also, I have had better Chinese food that was over the top. Yes , it cost me more but I left happy and would go back. This food was not on that caliber. Food/taste/price/ambiance don't match up. Sorry
Bonnie M.
I came here without too high of expectations since most of the Chinese restaurants around the Capital Region are not very authentic in taste. This place was almost perfect - super courteous staff, authentic flavors and fun atmosphere. My friends and I got to dine in the karaoke room and got to enjoy the free entertainment - definitely an added bonus to our meal! In terms of food, simply 10/10. In particular, I enjoyed the eggplant dish and the Szechuan beef. Both dishes were so flavorful and fun to eat that I still remember the taste of both dishes. Additionally, the servers have my friend free fried ice cream since it was her birthday. The only complain was that it took a while for the food to be served but it was packed the night we visited so the wait may not be as bad on a weekday!
xal0o
The restaurant itself is small but the hotpot is great! The food is fresh and the staff always ensures the soup is full. Love coming here!
Brianna M.
I ordered take out and the food was very good! I love all of the different options they have and variety on the menu.
I had planned on ordering but upon my entry noticed that they were several dead fish in the case which I found disgusting and therefore I walked out
This is the second time we ordered from this acclaimed restaurant; last time it was awful, but we thought to try it again, especially because the food critic in a local paper raves about it; this time, it is inedible. Disgusting. Bean curd with NO bean curd--none--; grizzled, bolied "spare ribs" in black bean sauce: full of bones & fat and a couple of black beans. Everything smells of amonia & very bad Chinese spices. It is very expensive (with 15% delivery tip, it came to $95.00 --for take out! Stay clear of this rip-off! One-star is too much, but it is my only choice.
I didn't realize that rice was not included in the already more expensive price. So, not ordering from here again
I came here with my wife on a dark, rainy night. It is a shotgun style restaurant which made it hard to see the whole thing when we walked in. The colors were dark with lots of Asian accents and gold trim, and it felt a bit mysterious and exciting. My only wish was that they had Asian music on in the background. Anyway, I looked at their extensive menu. The pictures were worthless as most had no captions but I could sort of figure out what was what. I had the house specialty "Spicy Fried Chicken" (boneless) which consisted of lots and lots of crispy, thinly battered fried chicken covered in a mess of hot peppers and garlic. There were at least four types of peppers (dried red, sliced fresh green of several varieties, and red chili pepper flakes) and yet it wasn't mind-numbingly hot. It was pleasantly hot. My wife had the "Singapore Fried Mei Fun" which is the thing, spaghetti like yellow dish you sometimes see on buffets. But this was much better. It had lots of pork and shrimp and strong flavors of curry and spices. We also ordered a side dish of broccoli in oyster sauce (but it had small mushrooms and carrots too) just to bump up our intake of healthy vegetables. A side dish of white rice was $1.25 and well worth it to provide some relief from the rest of the food. Even their tea was nice. One thing I questioned was whether the servings were supposed to be for 2 or more people. Sure, you can only eat half and make it last two meals but as I was eating my dish I kept thinking "no sane person would eat this much grease and hot peppers". Indeed, at most other restaurants you can polish off a full entree and feel like you will explode but here I don't think I would try that. I think it would be better to order one entree for two people and have them share it. In that light, I thought that their prices were very reasonable. We took a lot home and it sits in our fridge. There were many things I had never heard of before on their menu. I won't try them alone, as if I don't like them I would be stuck with them. But I think it would be fun to come here with a group and share lots of things family-style. Perhaps in the future.
This is a hard one to rate - four is too good, three might be a little underwhelming. We stopped here during the Gay Pride Block Party on 06/13/21. The place is beautiful inside, and the air conditioner was on full blast so I would have eaten anything at that point. There were five of us in our party, so we were brought to a large booth/table in the back. We reviewed the extensive menu, and began to pour tea. Well, for some of us, one of the tea cups on the table was still dirty (noted a few previous comments on this - come on guys - if it's an issue, address it). When our server came over, we pointed out the issue and they took the cup - but never replaced it (grabbed one from the other table). We expressed there was to be three separate checks, and that wasn't a problem. Jughead and myself ordered the Orange Chicken and the Squid salt & pepper. One of our friends ordered the hot and sour soup, and the other couple ordered the soup dumplings, and a few other items. the food came out pretty quickly, and we decided to share everything with each other. I really enjoyed the orange chicken, and the squid salt and pepper was good, but there are other places in the area that serve a better version (A la Shanghai). The soup dumplings were a little bland for my taste and too are better at other places. I didn't try the other dumplings that were ordered, but I did try the other pork dish my friends ordered. It was a little greasy for my liking. The staff was pretty friendly, and it seemed like we had multiple who were helping us. I think that was because we were in the back, where they were standing around watching the television and having their lunch or meal. Since we had come from pride, many of us were dressed a little out of the "norm" but there was no judgement. We were only questioned when we were leaving what was the occasion? We advised them about the Gay Pride Block party down the street and before you knew it we were passed walking back there by two of their female employees who were seen having fun later in the enclosed area. I think the staff was really great, the food could be better - but the place looked beautiful both inside and out.
Sadly, would consider this a greasy spoon kinda place. If they rethought the use of oil, it would be a great place. Sorry folks
The packaging is gorgeous and the service (for takeout) was friendly. Pick up was easy, food came nicely prepared. The steamed dumplings were good if you like more of a doughy dumpling, which I personally, do not. I like more of a wonton wrapper/noodle consistency over dough, but the filling was good. The wonton soup was $4/ order and very underwhelming. It lacked flavor and substance and the wonton filling felt fatty, instead of meaty and flavorful. The pork lo mein was delicious, good combination of veggies and ample amounts of pork. Seasoned well, but $13 a portion was a bit frustrating as I wanted a pint size and that was not an option. Lastly, the chicken and broccoli were cooked just right, but the one thing I cannot stand when ordering Chinese food is RUBBERY CHICKEN.. barf. The chicken was borderline soft and rubbery, which is unfortunate because the flavor was good. Overall, I honestly think food court Chinese is better and cheaper. Disappointed as I have tried many locations around the Albany area for Chinese take out, and was willing to pay a higher price for outstanding food, but sadly this wasn't so. Really this would be a 75% at best.
Everything about it is amazing
This place serves authentic Chinese food (one of the only places in the whole city of albany). It's a little pricey but both the taste and customer service are excellent. I recommend this place.
One of the worst dining experiences I've had in years. Went for the hot pot, while my wife ordered some dim sum. She's vegetarian, and ordered the vegetarian dumplings, which were on the menu. When we received them, they looked great, but she took a bite, and chomped into a giant wad of pork filling. When we told them, they just said it was a translation issue on the menu, and replaced it with some pickled vegetable buns. The hot pot price on the menu was 24.95 per person for AYCE. It was so-so. I've had a good deal of experience at these kinds of places, and out of maybe 30-40 I've visited in my lifetime, this was definitely the bottom third. While they gave decent portion size, the quality of the ingredients wasn't comparable even to other non-Chinatown shabu shabu places I've frequented. To top it all off, they tried to charge us for two orders, when we specifically stated only I would be partaking in the hot pot. Then after they return with the revised bill, they charged $12 for the broth. THE BROTH. When I brought this up to them, they said they always do this, and it was for when people share, and they had separate broths. I told them it was just me, and he simply said that's how they always charge it, and only the other ingredients were all-you-can-eat. Absolutely ridiculous. So essentially, I paid $33 for inferior quality ingredients. Other places charge this amount in Queens and Manhattan, but their ingredients are WAY more expansive and much, much, fresher (the clams we received were extremely sandy, and obviously not cleaned before being served). I've never gone to any hot pot place that did this, and never even heard of the practice. The sauce "station" was laughable, as they brought over 3 trays, one being peanut butter. Not peanut sauce... literally, peanut butter. As other reviewers have stated, they also tacked on mandatory tip too, which was likely the reason none of the waiters ever came to check on us for anything unless we sought them out. Needless to say, we'll never be back, and will stick with MUCH better asian restaurants in the area. For hot pot, I'm going to stick with Superbowl all the way in Kingston, which is MUCH better, and worth the trip over this place. Avoid at all cost!
Restaurantji Recommends
I have not had Chinese food in a long time. I wanted something different then the reg. Chinese food. I ordered over the phone and had to run in and out to pick up because I was double parked. Get home no rice with food. Called and apparently they do not serve rice with dinner meals. They said they forgot to tell me when I picked food up, they should have told me when I ordered. Anyway the size of the dish was the size of lunch meals and the cost was higher. Two meals for $40 no rice... it's crazy... and portion size the same as lunch meals... Yes, the food was tasty and fresh... but I have had other Chinese food in the city that was tasty, fresh, and price appropriately for what I was getting. Also, I have had better Chinese food that was over the top. Yes, it cost me more but I left happily full and would go back. This food was not on that caliber. Food/taste/price/ambiance don't match up. Sorry
I have not had Chinese food in a long time. I wanted something different then the reg Chinese food. I ordered over the phone had to run in and out because I was doubled parked. Get home no rice with food. Called and apparently they do not serve rice with dinner meals. They said they forgot to tell me when I picked food up, they should have told me when I ordered. Anyway size of dish was size of lunch meals and the cost was higher. Two me for $40 no rice... it crazy... and portion size the same as lunch meals... Yes, food was tasty and fresh... but I have had other Chinese food in the city food is just as fresh and tasty. Also, I have had better Chinese food that was over the top. Yes , it cost me more but I left happy and would go back. This food was not on that caliber. Food/taste/price/ambiance don't match up. Sorry
I came here without too high of expectations since most of the Chinese restaurants around the Capital Region are not very authentic in taste. This place was almost perfect - super courteous staff, authentic flavors and fun atmosphere. My friends and I got to dine in the karaoke room and got to enjoy the free entertainment - definitely an added bonus to our meal! In terms of food, simply 10/10. In particular, I enjoyed the eggplant dish and the Szechuan beef. Both dishes were so flavorful and fun to eat that I still remember the taste of both dishes. Additionally, the servers have my friend free fried ice cream since it was her birthday. The only complain was that it took a while for the food to be served but it was packed the night we visited so the wait may not be as bad on a weekday!
The restaurant itself is small but the hotpot is great! The food is fresh and the staff always ensures the soup is full. Love coming here!
I ordered take out and the food was very good! I love all of the different options they have and variety on the menu.