Still an overpriced dining experience. Beer selection is decent and the food is okay with local produce. Sauces are heavy and flavors of the dishes are more for the American taste. We have gone here twice this year for a family celebration meal for our newborn daughter and cause we had a Localvore voucher. Service is decent. With the variety non-Chinese but Asian cuisines in the area, this place would not be my top choice cause of the price and average meal. My previous review still stands. read more

A Single Pebble - Spicy fried eggplant - Chinese Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

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First: The good! An utterly charming location and a well-dressed restaurant with a cozy, homey atmosphere BUT.... I am one to give restaurants LOTS of breaks, and I'm trying to choose my words carefully, but..... Single Pebble is the worst Asian restaurant I have ever been to...and in my top 5 of worst restaurants ever. The service is atrocious, but I'm guessing that it's due to the many horrors that comprise the kitchen. I was with a party of five, and entrees were served before appetizers, one entree never arrived...and (my fave) the rice arrived after we paid the check and were leaving. The food is just awful. The "mock eel" is an over-the-top salty deep-fried portabello mushroom. Essentially inedible. The special was a dim sum platter comprised of steamed dumplings filled with something rancid (all at the table spit it out) and a fried rice cake that tasted literally like dirt and grass. There was one edible dish...I can't really remember what it was...but all 5 of us snarfed it down and I can only remember it as "The one that didn't make me want to puke"...and that's the best thing I can say about this place. Small portions (a blessing in this case) high prices (which probably makes folk think the food must be good) inedible food and horrendous service. As a semi-frequent visitor to Burlington, I will obviously never darken Single Pebble's door again. read more

I wasn't too impressed with the food...especially for the price. I didn't find anything special about it and feel I could easily recreate it at home. It was very salty, and the flavor was similar for each dish and reminded me of the frozen food section in the grocery store. $75/person for a vegetarian tasting menu that was nothing to write home about? The atmosphere wasn't my cup of tea either, loud, dark and common. I won't be back or recommending this place anytime soon. I have to say our server was fantastic, contrary to many reviews I've read. read more

Always a bustling experience - so come prepared to wait or call ahead to make a reservation. It's definitely worth it! We stopped in for dinner on a whim and were lucky enough to get seated right away: table for two and outside seating on their small patio area. We entertained the Vermont Restaurant Week menu (chefs tasting) and decided to just go with several small plates -- my recommendation to get the widest sampling while still having control over what you get. They serve 'family style', which is all dishes are made to share and come out in the order that the kitchen puts them out. Plus and minus here, it can be great to have things right out of the kitchen, but you have to portion yourself since the food doesn't all come at once. Tonight we got our fried rice and broccoli last but we were already full on ribs, dumplings, and mock eel! Their staff is upfront about the style of service, so you know how your food will be arriving to you. If you're picky at all about how your food comes, be warned or perhaps call the order in to take out. The portions are always generous and you will more than likely have leftovers (which make excellent snacks for the next day)! I highly recommend the mock eel (it's actually shiitake mushrooms) -- and if you can, do their dim sum (chefs choice for 5 or so courses)! It's like restaurant week every week :) read more

A single good dish. Out of four. I've been to this restaurant several times and it is always with hope that it will meet the expectations created by folks who think it's great. For me, it always falls short. On my last visit there were two of us and we ordered two appetizers and two dinners. Of these four dishes, the garlic broccoli (appetizer) was delicious. The rest were, well, meh. They included a fried oyster appetizer special and the two entrees, mu shi pork and a walnut stir fry. The oyster appetizer was, I admit, rescued partially by an o.k. dipping sauce. The main dishes really didn't have much in the way of taste. Over the years, I've tried many items at this place. While a few have been good or excellent, more often they've been mediocre. Given the prices charged, the restaurant really ought to do better than that. The atmosphere is good. The service is generally average: Not especially attentive but reasonably prompt. Conclusion: Vermont is not a haven for Chinese food. If you want something as good as this place is supposed to be, get on the train to NYC. Or better yet, catch a plane to San Francisco. If you can accept that you're in Vermont and want some o.k. Chinese food with a decent atmosphere, this place will meet that need, but at a price. read more

Consistently good food; Buddah's beef is super tasty, mock eel is great too, I was not a fan of the tangerine chicken. Service is always great; family style dining which is fun. Dim Sum on Sunday is delicious. read more

Very good vegetarian selection. Last time I went I got food poisoning so do not go anymore. But been meaning to give it a second chance. read more

Chinese restaurant? Not really. Asian fusion? Nope. Family style dining? Not quite. Delicious? Absolutely!! I think a lot of the negative reviews on here get too caught up with titles and categories. I'm not sure how to describe the experience at Single Pebble other than saying that it is a place that I would gladly go back to. A Single Pebble is located in an old house (what is it with Asian restaurants in old houses in Vermont? Ocha in Waterbury and Royal Orchid are in similar buildings, though much smaller) not far from Church street. Very quaint and inviting, though much bigger than it initially looks. On a very busy weekend night we were able to sit down even earlier than our reservations were for. Service was attentive and helpful, but unobtrusive. Our waitress was helpful with a few sake and wine suggestions. The food was great. I have no idea if it was "authentic" Chinese, but I don't care. I love authenticity, but I like good food better. I don't know if the "Mock Eel" is something that is served in Beijing (I'm sure I could find out by doing a quick search, but don't feel like it right now), but I'm glad it is served here in Vermont. They are crispy unami bombs. Pork-filled pot stickers were delicious, and the meat buns were doughy and savory. In addition to those small plates, we enjoyed four chef specialties: a lightly seared tuna (a special), tangerine peel chicken, fried rice with pork, and lemon sesame shrimp. Everything was delicious, and I think everyone had a different favorite. Personally, I leaned towards the chicken and fried rice. Whatever they put in the tangerine peel chicken sauce (besides the chilies, ginger and tangerine peel that you can see) should be bottled and available to go by the quart. Possibly the gallon. Our food came out spaced over the course of about an hour and a half, and all the small plates came out fairly close one another and there was some overlap between those and the larger plates. I have no problem with this and knew it was part of the experience going in. Consider it grazing-style eating. I have no complaints about Single Pebble at all. Considering the amount of food and the fact that we had a small bottle of sake and a bottle of wine, we felt the bill was spendy, but worthwhile. Single Pebble may cause a little confusion among diners as to what it really is, but it shouldn't since the secret is simple: bring lots of friends and family, order a lot of different plates and enjoy some great food, regardless if you call it "traditional" "authentic" or "fusion" Chinese food. read more

Before coming here, my girlfriend, her brother and family had told me quite a few, all positive things about this place. They told me that it was the best Chinese food that they've had to date... ever. Impressed, I looked forward to having a meal there and with little hesitation, I stepped right in. There were three of us there - the girlfriend, her brother and myself. It was a Monday and it was noon. Having had many conversations about the dishes that they've had, I was prepared. My few visits on the restaurants website did help as well. I stepped right in, excited and looking forward to an excellent meal. To much of my surprise, the restaurant itself isn't all that fancy or stuck up. Aside from a sign that indicates that cell phones shouldn't be answered in the restaurant and a few framed pictures of various regions of China, there is little else going on in the dining room. It's very simple, very modest. Nothing making the restaurant special or unique. And that's just fine by me; I'm here for the culinary experience not to stare at the decor. Not having a reservation, I was a bit shocked by how quickly and easily we were seated. Pretty much immediately. We were given menus along with a large tea pot full of delicious Jasmine tea. I played with the lazy Susan for a few seconds and then decided to look at the menu. Yes, sometimes I behave like a child. We decided to split the restaurant's specialty dish: Mock Eel. At $10, you get a heaping portion of shiitake mushroom which have been braised in a ginger sauce. Although unusually salty, it was absolutely delicious. I don't really like mushrooms and helped myself three times. It wasn't as good as it usually was according to my companions, who agreed that it was much too salty but it was still pretty damn good. The large portion disappeared in seconds. Next, after much hesitation as each dish seemed just as mouthwatering as the next, I settled on a plate of Chinese Hanging Pork ($9). It featured some sliced, traditional Chinese BBQ pork served with some Hong Kong saue and some Chinese greens. It was an absolute hit but I wasn't able to finish my plate. The portion was large but it was very good. The pork was packed with flavor and the greens weren't overcooked. The pairing just worked and left me very satisfied and happy. All in all, this is a great establishment in Burlington. However I had a couple of minor issues with both the service and some inconsistencies with the dishes - While this is undeniably a great restaurant, I can't give it five stars. The service we had that day was extremely slow. The guy pretty much forgot about us for a good 15-20 minutes and wasn't always able to answer some questions in regards to the menu. Also, as I had stated before, our Mock Eel dish was way to salty. However, the quality to price ratio is outstanding and this made for a very enjoyable experience. I shall return there with little hesitation when back in Burlington. read more

I love - and will always love - A Single Pebble. The dining experience is unlike anything in Burlington and, with the right crowd, it is wonderful to leisurely enjoy your meal as each dish is brought out. Good food, good company. Definitely go with others as it really is great to try a variety of things! Now, I will say, if you are looking for "authentic" Chinese, Single Pebble is not it. I went to China when I was in High School and my recollection was that their food was either VERY spicy or VERY bland. This is Americanized Chinese but that's probably why we love it. I will say though, that a number of the places I went to in China utilized the lazy susan - it is such a nice way to encourage family-style dining and sharing! I was here Friday night with a group of 4 - hubby, myself, and friends of ours from Canada. We'd made a reservation and were seated at the appropriate time even though they were QUITE busy (not surprising). We got the two specials (one scallop dish, one beef dish), the red oil dumplings, mock eel, and the tangerine peel chicken. No doubt, the dishes we loved the most (and have enjoyed in the past) were the mock eel and the tangerine peel chicken. Our friends were floored with how wonderful the meal was and said they would eat there just for the chicken! So, most important things to take from this review... * Go with a group - you'll be able to sample a number of great dishes and it really adds to the experience. * DON'T go with a limited amount of time as you'll lost on the purpose of the dining experience. * Food arrives when it is ready - expect the staggered food experience. * Get the Mock Eel, get the tangerine peel chicken....heck, get a variety of things on the menu. Sample, try, taste, enjoy! * Not sure what to order? ASK! The servers are skilled and know what the popular dishes are. They can also help you figure out how much food is enough. Have fun and enjoy one of Burlington's gems! read more

Been twice. Service is great, and food is very good. They have a lot of vegetarian and vegan options, which is great. I only give it 4/5 simply because of how much salt is in everything. It's very overwhelming. Great experience otherwise. read more

I've been to A Single Pebble many times over the years and have always considered it to be one of the best restaurants in the Burlington area, but unfortunately that's no longer the case. The last few times I've been the food has been average at best and the service lacking. Last weekend my girlfriend and I met another couple for dinner and decided to try their Chefs Choice sampler, which is a variety of dishes. The meat in two of the dishes was gritty, almost as if a powdered ingredient or something didn't get dissolved and felt like we were chewing on sand. The green beans tasted burnt and actually had black char from the grill stuck to them, one of the dishes wasn't even hot and the service was good one minute and terrible the next. Inconsistent, food quality has definitely gone downhill and I doubt I will ever go back. So sad considering they used to be such an amazing restaurant. read more

I would not return to this restaurant again. The service is just ok our server did not inquire about the food at all. We had 4 small dishes only 2 of them are ok, the napa and green beans are good but the mock eel and cucumber are not good at all. The main dishes is very disappointing the mushroom sauce for the over cooked baby book choy was extremely salty to the point of in edible, the tan tan noodles are also very salty. Would not recommend this restaurant. read more

A Single Pebble gets a single star from me. One word to describe my response to all the favorable reviews - Huh? We went with the chefs tasting menu. Almost every item was breaded and deep fried, including a shrimp dish and small pork chops that looked and tasted like they were cooked in oil that had been used over and over for weeks. Seemed to be a lot of sugar and salt in everything too. The few items that were not deep fried were mediocre at best. Yes, you get a lot of food, but nothing special at all, especially for $38 a head, plus $10 drinks. read more

Authentic Chinese food is impossible to find in Burlington. The closest substitute would be A Single Pebble. Known for its expensive price tag, A Single Pebble has an eclectic menu with Asian-inspired flavors and what can only be best described as fusion cuisine. The closest comparison would be P.F. Chang's (but better) because the dishes are not exactly traditional, which is not a bad thing in this case. I have had a lot of Chinese cuisine, but I can't say that I have tried anything like the food served here. The menu is broken down into several categories, but there are a few standouts from the small dishes as well as the chef's selection. The Red Thai soup is a must-try if you love curry. One of the more interesting appetizers was the mock eel, which is actually braised shiitake mushrooms. The flavor is bold and jumps out at you, but it needs to be eaten with white rice, much like most of the other dishes. The potsticker style dumplings are also pretty tasty. Some notable main dishes include the Buddha's sesame beef, which is actually crispy seitan. It would have fooled me had I not been aware that it was seitan. The tangerine peel chicken a much better version of the orange chicken from Panda Express. My favorite dish of the night was the red oil chicken, which were perfectly cooked and seasoned with that familiar Szechuan spiciness. Disappointments from dinner included the double garlic eggplant, the crabcakes, the dry fried green beans, and the crispy scallops. While the green beans are a house favorite, I found it to lack any crispiness in texture. The same goes for the scallops, which were buried in a mush of mushrooms, celery, carrots, and egg whites. Overall, dinner was still enjoyable, made even more so with great company. It was about $30 per person so like the old saying goes in Burlington, eat at A Single Pebble if someone else is paying. read more

I probably won't go back to A Single Pebble. - It took nearly an hour to get our food. A half-hour after we ordered, the waitress said they mixed up our order so everything was going to be delayed. She brought us some complimentary Napa Cabbage salad to hold us over. - The environment was ridiculously loud. I'm not sure if it was just a few loud tables causing the noise or the entire place, but it was *not* a pleasant ambiance. - Food was good but definitely not "must have" as some would lead you to believe. - Our beverages were kept full throughout the entire 2 hour meal. - By the time everything finally showed up, we were pretty full from the cabbage and multiple glasses of water we drank before anything arrived. For this reason only, lots of leftovers were packaged up. - The markup on beverages was way above the local average. $7.50 for a local can of beer... no joke. read more

Came here for a friend's birthday, and there was a "cake storage fee." I suppose it makes sense since it's taking up a small corner of their fridge and electricity? The hostess is also horribly discourteous. I love The Single Pebble because its owner is a Taiwanese chef and I love being able to eat authentic-like Taiwanese dishes at this restaurant with a well-curated menu. But the unpleasant manner in which the hostess treats invoking customers is highly distasteful. I hope the owner will be able to be a little more selective in choosing someone who wants to be at the establishment and values customer service. read more

Delicious meal! I am vegan and could not believe my range of choices. I asked for suggestions based on my tastes, and our server made an excellent recommendation: crispy, sesame-encrusted vegan "beef" over fresh vegetables. Mmmm! The name of this dish had the word Buddha in it, but I can't recall the rest. My tablemates loved their meals as well. It's a tad pricey but the portions are generous. And where else in Vermont can a vegan eat like this? I give this restaurant four stars. The service is . . . odd. One dish arrived at a time until everyone but me had their food. Others were close to done by the time mine arrived. Yet this seemed how they intended to serve us, or else I missed the point. The chrysanthemum tea was weak. Perhaps chrysanthemum tea is delicate by nature but I was expecting something more. read more

This was my favorite restaurant in the entire world...until I moved to san Francisco. Then I tasted more authentic, fresher, cheaper, finer Chinese cuisine. It's 5 starts for Burlington and 3 stars for my life experience, so i will average it out to a generous 4 stars. Ok, I guess the mock eel makes the 4th star a given. Love that Bogart innovation. read more

A Single Pebble is an odd mix of "authenticity": the food is a bastion of very traditional dishes remixed through Asian-American fusion and adapted to suit local VT produce and offerings while the service tries to mimic what you'll get in a good Chinese restaurant in China back maybe a decade ago. It's actually pretty interesting to see people complaint about the authenticity of the food in this place and then the way that food is served in the same review. From the choice of serving dishes as they are done to the orange slices instead of fortune cookies this place bleeds "we're going to provide you with an authentic eating in a not-American Chinese restaurant as if you were Chinese experience"; perhaps it may be trying a little too hard considering that many Chinese restaurants in the US do not do many of the things A Single Pebble does anymore, especially if they see that the party is completely white. The biggest problem with the service is not that the restaurant chooses to serve in the particular way it does---dishes are brought out as soon as they are done but not simultaneously---but that it offers no help whatsoever in navigating that system. Ordering a Chinese meal in a banquet-type serving style setting is an art that takes years to master. You need to know the relative cooking times of individual dishes, what dishes go well with each other in the order given by the cooking times and how to provide a balanced meal for all involved since all the dishes have to be shared for this to work. In a good Chinese restaurant the waitstaff---certainly the head waiter---can provide a good guidance and there are always set menus for those who are lost. Not so for A Single Pebble. One huge complaint that people seem to have is that "appetizers come out last"; that's because in this world an appetizer is not "an item listed on the first page of the menu" but "an item that cooks fast, or is already made such as soup". The menu does a good job in labeling the items on the first page as "small dishes" and not "appetizers" but the neither the waitstaff nor the menu provides much help beyond that. Not that I needed the "oh this is your first time here" speech but the one our waitress gave was way too short for anyone who has not been eating this way for a few years. In terms of the food it is actually rather good. I was told that this was the best Chinese food in Vermont and I have to agree at this point. True, this place is mostly Asian-fusion but there are many authentic non-Cantonese dishes like the Sha Cha Beef and the Three Cup Chicken that are practically impossible to find outside of large cities in the US and even rarer in Vermont; the fact that they even have dishes slow cooked in clay pots surprised me. The fact is that maybe half the menu is traditional Chinese food; you won't find it in the local China Wok or Panda Kitchen because it's hard to make and it's not what people who want to pay $6 for Chinese take out wants, but comparing A Single Pebble's offering to places like that is a little like saying that a restaurant does not serve authentic American food since it does not serve hamburgers. As for the food itself we had a "Momo Fuku", which is a Korean-inspired small dish with fried oysters, shredded pork and Korean barbeque sauce on lettuce leaves, a seafood lo mein and the special Lychee Crispy Chicken. The momo fuku was a little dry but tasty. The lo mein is interesting. At once it uses some local VT winter veggies (reasonable) but it also contains all the right kinds of mushrooms, not just shitake. The sauce was perfect---someone knows how to mix his soy sauces really well. Finally, the chicken was the weird fusion dish where a fried chicken leg is served with Shanghai bok choy in a lychee curry sauce. It was good from the way that the chicken was fried to the sauce and the fact that, yes, they used dark meat which is what you're supposed to do. The prices are high but not unreasonable given the quality of the food and the fact that it's in Burlington, VT. It clearly is aiming for a different target audience than most Chinese restaurants and that it provides the atmosphere and prices that reflect that. However $30 a person does seem a little high. I can't help but keep thinking that for the same price that the lychee chicken cost I could have gotten a whole chicken cooked in a similar way at a restaurant on par with A Single Pebble food-wise. The portions were small but somehow we had leftovers. In fact, I have not seen a table that left empty-handed. Speaking of tables: reservations are completely necessary on Saturday nights. Lots of places in Burlington are packed but A Single Pebble will not have any tables open until 8:30 or something like that. Small parties (such as mine) can sit at the bar but it is definitely not as good as a real table. And now I've run out of room. read more

This is usually where my boyfriend and I go when we're willing to spend a little more for a good date night, or out to dinner with my parents. It's family style dining, and the food comes out as it's ready, so i've found the experience to be the best when dining with people who have similar tastes. But, actually, maybe it's best to go with those who don't want to touch the "mock eel", because there is never enough of that amazing appetizer to go around. The "Spicy Three River" soup is also always included in our order, and probably my favorite part of the meal every time. Those two things with a hot saki and I'm ready to hibernate (in a good way). The servers are all super professional, and they must be treated pretty decently because some have been working there for many years. If your party is small enough and the restaurant is booked out, definitely order some food at the bar. The bartender I see there the most is super friendly and can read if you want to be talked to or not. If the marquee is lit at the Flynn though, this place is best avoided, I've had the best experiences going on off nights. Either way though, the food is incredible and worth devouring. read more

Ordered copper spicy garlic noodles and they were delicious! Just the right spiciness to it. Perfect size to share with 2-4 people. Shrimp fried rice was enough for like 5 people! Nothing out of the ordinary but it was def. very good. Pork dumplings could have been a little more flavorful, the soy sauce did help. Plates are large enough to share. The place is very clean, welcoming, you can make reservations, looks like a house from the outside. Prices are a bit high, they have a taster menu which seems great if you go in HUNGRY, about $40 per person. In our experience , the busboy started cleaning our table as soon as we were done eating, he actually waited next to us to take our final bites so he could clean it (def. made us feel rushed so we can hand him our plate) read more

The variety of the ten plates was fun and tasty, but the service wasn't what I had hoped. They could work on being more personable at least the two ladies I had. I probably won't recommend easily. read more

A Single Pebble - Chinese Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

We've had a handful of mixed experiences here, but our most recent time dining at the Single Pebble was our favorite. We're vegetarian so we opted for the Mock Eel for a shared appetizer and the Buddha's Sesame Beef (Seitan) and Mushi with Crispy Tofu for our main course. We were both very impressed with the flavors and textures created by the chef. The Seitan is so well perfected, you would swear you're eating crispy fried beef strips (I felt silly but I had to ask the waitress to make sure she gave us the correct dish!) The Mock eel is absolutely delicious and I'm sure will be a regular appetizer for us. The mushi is to die for. Everything was really quite perfect. Service was quick and friendly and the portions were gargantuan. We left with a mountain of yummy leftovers - we easily could have ordered just one app and one entree and had plenty for both of us. Convenient location and I love the interior decor. Some tables can be a bit noisy though, so if you'd like a quieter ambiance just ask your server before seating. Total bill including tax & tip was a smidgen under $60. It may seem a bit pricey but we got enough food for at least two full meals for two. When you average it out and consider how well-prepared and unique the food is, it's good value. If there's one thing I'd change next time, I'll probably ask the chef to use a little less salt/soy in the preparation. It's not overpowering, but the dishes are just a touch over-salted for my taste. If you're a little sensitive to saltiness, you might want to do the same. One of Burlington's best. We'll be back. read more

A Single Pebble is by far the best Chinese food I have ever had. Not only is it authentic but it's rich in variety and flavor. The staff are all such wonderful people. I recently moved to the west and find myself searching for another Chinese restaurant like A Single Pebble and have been unable to find one. Once you eat here no other Chinese food will be the same again. My favorite dishes are the wu Gauk dumplings, double garlic broccoli, red oil chicken and the Hong Kong Lo mien. The tasting menu at both dinner and lunch is always amazing with the variety of dishes that are sent out by the chef and you never know what you'll get which makes it a unique experience that I would definitely recommend! read more

In our quest to sample as much as Burlington offers as possible, A Single Pebble seemed like the perfect stop for our Asian-cuisine cravings. The restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived around 6 on a Thursday evening (though it was teeming with hungry patrons by the time we left more than hour later), and we were whisked away to a charmingly decorated room with delightfully low lighting that was our private dining nook for a good portion of our meal. Our waiter was quick, attentive and personable (though his whiteness matched ours, which is something I'm not used to in Asian restaurants -- not that it affected our experience in the least). He brought out a dish of mixed nuts (the wasabi ones were irresistible!) as he ticked off the day's specials and took our drink orders. One of my biggest problems when ordering in courses is that there's too much of a lapse between dishes. This was not a problem at Single Pebble: We hadn't even finished our appetizers (lettuce wraps tops with fried oysters, which were delicious) when the first dish arrived (the day's lamb special, which was also quite tasty but more to my husband's liking -- though I was tickled by the inclusion of water chestnuts in the dish). Being able to mix dishes makes me happy, and the combination of the locally brewed beer and the gunpowder tea only added to all the flavors we had going on. Since the meals are served family style, my husband and I each ordered a main dish that we could share. The Ants Climbing a Tree jumped out at me when we were first perusing the menu online, and the chef's willingness to make it as I wanted (I ordered it "as spicy as you can make it") made it exactly what I'd been jonesing for. The true testament to a food's quality is how good it is as cold leftovers the next day, of course, and our food was just as yummy straight from the fridge as it was when it was first set before us. read more

A Single Pebble is a Vermont classic. Amazingly, this place started out in the 90s in Barre, but made the move to Burlington around maybe 2002(?). This is not your typical "#1 Chinese." I've never been to China, but I imagine the food here is at least closer to what real live Chinese people might eat if they went to a culinarily accurate "Chinese" restaurant. Of course, the mock eel is a delicious surprise. But really, it always, always makes sense to go with the Chef's Tasting Menu. You get a huge variety of little dishes that you just wouldn't have access to if you ordered an app and an entree, and the dishes here are all creative, fun, and different than most Chinese food we are exposed to in the US. Good cocktails, good ambiance. Great food. read more

After reading a few of the reviews here I have to say I know nothing about traditional Chinese food - I didn't go here because it was Chinese I went cause I wanted a good dinner and that is what I got! First, the menu was impossible to choose from - I wanted one of everything it all sounded amazing. We settled for a few specials and a few regular menu items. My favorite of the night was the Mock Eel - but a close second were the crispy green beans!! We also had a special Dim Sum platter, crab cakes and mock shrimp. If we weren't so stuffed I know we would have finished it all! The servers were all attentive and I hardly noticed most of them coming and going and refilling drinks and clearing plates. Our waitress knew the menu, she could rattle off the ingredients to every special (as a good waitress should). I actually wish I had known about this place last night cause then I could have gone two nights in a row - instead I head home tomorrow afternoon and this one meal will have to hold me until the next time I'm in town. read more

In all my travels, this is IT for Chinese food. Yes, it is a little spendy ESPECIALLY for Burlington, but it is definately worth a try. I remember the soup had this taste that I couldn't put my finger on... but was so good. And I couldn't understand what it was that was sooo good. So good. I hope to someday be able to repeat my experience elsewhere, but I haven't yet. Maybe in China, or something, but I have a feeling that the food at A Single Pebble is pretty unique to them. read more

One of the best meals I've ever had. The Mock Eel and The flash fried green beans were out of this world! So good that we had to order more. My large group of 8 also had the Tangerine Chicken, Cha Sha Beef, Chili Shrimp, Pork Lo Mein, Crispy Scallops and others. Everything was outstanding. I really loved the lazy susan on the table so we could all easily share everything. I will absolutely be coming back while I'm still in Vermont! read more

We stopped in with no reservation and were able to be seated right away, everyone after us were turned away. Make a reservation if you want to eat here for sure. The best dish was the double garlic broccoli, good and lots of flavor. Next few dishes were very salty and hard to enjoy, Emperor's beef and Tangerine peel chicken. Service was excellent and very knowledgeable. The food ok and the price outrageous as compared to similar meals we can enjoy here in Oregon. read more

My girlfriend and I went for dinner on a trip to Burlington and the Single Pebble is OK. It was also the closest thing we had to a disappointing meal in town. I think this says a lot more about the food culture/options in Burlington than the restaurant itself yet here is my experience in the nutshell: -We had the crab cakes from the specials menu and it was amazing. -The service was good. A strong B+. Nothing phenomenal though. -The ambiance is great. Very romantic and trendy. The setting does make a positive impression. -The main course, a pork dish, was way too salty. Definitely not worth the price we paid for it. This alone was enough for the three star rating. Bottom line: if you live in town and got the money, it is worth it. If you are only in town for a couple days I would look elsewhere. Burlington has got too many five star and four-and-a-half star quality restaurants and this is not one of them. read more

A spicy Chef's Tasting menu to dazzle your tastebuds. I feel this sake / broccoli / scallion pancake / BBQ pork / crab cake cocktail sedating me into the most pleasant of Cloud Nines. Be the Chef. Trust the Chef. And never say no to Sunday Dim Sum. read more

Chefs tasting menu was amazing, especially for the price. Not on par with a big city Chinatown restaurant, but not far off at all.

First of all, I want to say this: The food is NOT that expensive!! People tend to just misjudge how much you need. My mom and I went here and split a entree and appetizer for only $30 and still had food to take home! The portions are big and very, very filling. So unless you stuff yourself and/or want to take home at least half of your meal, it's not expensive. Now to the food. SO vegetarian friendly, which is the main reason I love it. But it's also crazy tasty. I often get the mock eel, beef, or chicken dishes. All are super crispy and saucy. Sunday's are a fun day at A Single Pebble. Instead of just ordering, they make random menu items, then offer them to the tables. That way you can see and smell the dish to help you with your decision making. It's a fun way to try new things if you're like me and get stuck in the groove of always ordering the same thing. My only complaints would be that I'm not always a fan of how dark it is inside, and I wish they had more vegetarian noodle dishes! read more

Best Chinese fine dining in the state. Highly recommend the culinary adventure that is the Chef's tasting menu. I've never been anything other than satisfied with it! Try the Mock Eel. read more

If you are looking for Chinese food like Chinatown's, go to Chinatown. Best Chinese meal I've had in the last 10 years. I travel a lot, and this is up to Shun Lee Palace in New York standards. It might be called upscale Chinese. I'm saying this may not be "authentic" Chinese (I'm not sure what that is). The thing is that the food is fresh, service was efficient and overall a great evening. They have a number of vegetarian dishes and the menu also shows dishes that contain meat, but can be substituted so they are vegetarian. The fried string bean appetizer is a 10. It's a must have. Their daily specials change, and can be found on their web site each day. I liked it enough that when my flight home was delayed until the next day, I came back. Had a special special. A very tender piece of pork, black bean sauce and 4 fried oysters. I was instructed to wrap them all in the 4 lettuce leaves the accompanied it. Yummy! All the dishes come "family style" and most tables have a lazy susan that allows you to share without the hassle of passing the dishes. Reservations are a must. The restaurant is in an old home, and easy to miss. A great and unexpected find in Burlington. read more

Upscale Chinese food in a casual but refined setting. Really expansive menu that has a lot of vegetarian options. This is absolutely a step above take-out strip-mall chinese food (Garden of insert name here). The mock eel app is really interesting and very good -- shitake mushrooms masqerading as unagi aka eel. Unfortunately the veggie dumplings were bland and uninspired. Also what's nice is the sharing of plates is encouraged, and it seems best to go in a group. Overall this must be the best asian spot in Burlington. read more

Delicious. Incredibly busy. Make reservations! Heard wonderful things about this place and I was glad to have had the opportunity to check it out. We went with the mock eel, dumplings, and sliced BBQ beef. This was a late dinner and we wanted to sample a variety of the more popular dishes to we wouldn't feel like we were missing out. The mock eel was fantastic, although very salty. Almost a bit too caramelized as well, but I am guessing that this is how it was supposed to be prepared. Either way, it was very tasty and I could not stop eating it. The dumplings were delicious as well. Not too doughy, flavorful insides, and a sweet/savory dipping sauce. The sauce was also nice to add to the side of steamed rice we were served. The sliced BBQ beef was terrific. Juicy, succulent, crispy around the edges. Great dish. Terrific meal, cannot wait to go back and sample more items off the menu. read more

Decoration, this place has itès style. itès fancy, with all stylistic Chinese décorations, Windows and chair and lazy susen on each table. The service was very nice and Professional, she will recommend you what to order and todayès special. Food Wise, I am Chinese, and very picky on Chinese food. My friend took me to this place, since she told me it was very good, so I trust her. Green onion pancake was good, and spicy noodle was way too salty, I will need lots rice to go with it. So I give it a three stars. it was ok. read more