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Going to SF for a wedding in October. I live in NY right now and dim sum just can't compare. I've been going to HK Flower Lounge in Millbrae for as long as I can remember but everyone seems to be pushing me towards Koi Palace in Daly City - is there anyone who has tried both and can give me the lowdown?
Thanks!
ch_smooth
Jul 17, 2008 08:18AM
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Koi Palace is THE place for dim sum in that area. Try the xiaolongbaos (soup dumplings) and the shengjianbao (pan fried dumplings). Their quality control is far superior to HK Flower Lounge. No one I know who cares about the quality of their food goes to HK Flower Lounge for dimsum. If you go to Koi Palace, get there when it opens or earlier because the wait can be unbearable. Koi tends to be one of the more expensive dimsum places, so for a better bargain, you could try Kitchen in Millbrae.
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Actually, I've much preferred the style of dim sum at HK Flower Lounge to Koi Palace. But that's moot. How do you like HK Flower Lounge now that its owned by the Mayflower folks?
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Thanks! I think we might go with Koi Palace just to try it out. This is a meet & greet for family and my s.o. so I want it to be good!
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I've only been to Koi Palace once, but I've been to HKFL a few times, and I don't think there's a significant difference in the food, at least in what we managed to order at Koi Palace.
If you're there with family and want to actually enjoy yourself, stay away from Koi Palace like you'd get the plague there--the crowds are utterly unmanageable at Koi Palace, and even if you call ahead for a wait list number it will take you over an hour to be seated, unless you're Chinese and also good friends with the owners.
HKFL on the other hand is fairly civilized and waits are under an hour. If you get there when they open, there won't be a wait, but we've also had the sense the kitchen wasn't quite in full swing at 11 or 11:30 AM. Maybe it'd be best to arrive 30 minutes after they open, wait in line just long enough to whet your appetite, then be seated around noon when you can be sure the kitchen is producing everything that will be available that day. Don't bother with the salt and pepper prawns (special order) at HKFL--they weren't done well when we had them. We do quite well on the other hand with anything on a cart.
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I actually disagree about the crowds at Koi Palace. Yes, it's crazy, but only when waiting. In the entrance and front, it's packed with people making sure they don't miss their number or others trying to pressure the hostesses, but once you're seated, I have to say Koi Palace is really good about not rushing you and you don't feel like you're packed in. I feel the layout is nice for a family get together once you're seated and inside.
As for food, I've been to both and the quality is equal but I believe Koi Palace offers more variety and unique creations. So my vote would be Koi Palace, but get there around 11:30 a.m. to try to beat the crowds.
Photos from my recent Koi Palace experience: http://singleguychef.blogspot.com/200...
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Have you been to HK Flower Lounge since it changed hands?
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Yes; I guess now that you mention it the bad salt and pepper prawns were at the end of the previous owner's time. Most recently (under the new ownership), we had some baby octopus in a cold red sauce braised preparation off of a cart that were pretty good, that I don't remember seeing before. Everything else we had was consistently good and seemed roughly the same as it has been.
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No, didn't realize changed hands. Have to check it out and see, maybe when my mom comes to visit.
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Let me offer a third and fourth alternative: Joy Luck at San Mateo and ABC Seafood at Foster City. Both of them has the advantage of not being "crazy" and family can sit for a leisurely dim sum lunch. The food is not significantly less tasty than either Koi Palace or HKFL. I think both takes reservations for dim sum.
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All the previous responses are pretty much correct. But your choice has to depend on what you are REALLY after. If your sole objective is good dimsum, and a very wide variety of it, you should probably go to Koi Palace. (Caveat: our most recent visit, less than two weeks ago, was disappointing; though that was after four very, very good lunches in less than 3 months.)
But if this is the sort of meet-and-greet that is supposed to involve a modicum of conversation and to foster personal relationships, you are probably better off going elsewhere. Unless you are there within 30 minutes of opening (9 a.m. on Sundays) you have to be mentally prepared to be jostled about and forced to wait for around 40 minutes. This makes some people cross. Even for dedicated chowhounds like my family, if we can't be at Koi Palace early, we won't be at Koi Palace.
The last time I was at HK Flower Lounge, around a year ago, I remember thinking that it was pretty good, and a nice change from our regular haunt, Joy Luck in San Mateo. That is, it had a few items that were better than Joy Luck's, some that were not as good. When Koi Palace is in good form, the is better than either Joy Luck or HK Flower Lounge. But when Koi is not at its best, and we've had to put up with the noise, and the wait, and the shoving throngs, we're ready to enjoy Joy Luck for the next six months worth of weekends.
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