影片
更多
2013-03-04
809 瀏覽
My first experience at The Dining Room was a forgettable one due to the mediocre food. The pleasant decor of the restaurant could not make up for a sub-par food experience.My dining companions and I began with two cold appetizers - drunken chicken and noodles with shredded chicken+cucumber+sesame dressing. The drunken chicken was not bad -- the wine flavor had penetrated the meat of the chicken but it was not overpowering. The noodles were pedestrian and the shredded chicken was very dry and
My dining companions and I began with two cold appetizers - drunken chicken and noodles with shredded chicken+cucumber+sesame dressing. The drunken chicken was not bad -- the wine flavor had penetrated the meat of the chicken but it was not overpowering. The noodles were pedestrian and the shredded chicken was very dry and tough:
We then opted for a Shanghai classic - shengjianbao (pan-fried buns stuffed with pork). These came in a fancy-looking mini-pan. They looked much better than they tasted. First of all, they were basically cold - barely lukewarm. The bun itself was too sweet. The pork filling and soup inside was also barely lukewarm:
Since it was our first time in The Dining Room, we aimed to order typical Shanghai classics, so next came the xiaolongbao (pork soup-dumplings). This was the best dish of the evening - one reason simply was it was actually hot. The dumpling wrapper was thin and the filling was not overly fatty or oily.
Next came the chao niangao (stir-fried rice cakes). We ordered the version with Chinese cabbage and shredded pork -- another huge disappointment. The rice cakes were barely lukewarm. Some rice cakes tasted undercooked. Some rice cakes had clumped into a ball. The sauce was bland and tasted like someone simply mixed together corn starch (or other thickener), water, and diluted soy sauce.
For the vegetable dish, we opted for the luffa vegetable braised in soy milk. The flavor itself was OK, but unfortunately, the entire dish was barely lukewarm. Not good at all:
We also ordered crispy huangyu (yellow fish), again, another Shanghai classic. This was good -- the fish was very fresh. It, like the xiaolongbao, were also actually served hot. Unfortunately, we had to wait far too long to get the dish (we got it at the end after we had basically finished all the other food) and we had to chase the wait-staff twice for it:
In conclusion, taking the meal as a whole, the food was mediocre and does not warrant a return visit. There needs to be better quality control in the kitchen to ensure that food being sent out it served at the proper temperature. There are far better Shanghai-style dim sum places in Causeway Bay, such as the Din Tai Fung in the Regal Hongkong Hotel, where food is consistently good and at least served at proper temperatures. Sure, there's usually a line at the Din Tai Fung, but without reservations, there's usually a line at The Dining Room, too. 張貼
