Final Thoughts: 2.50/5
Came here during their soft opening. Was kind of hoping I would like this place because dumplings are one of the simple comfort foods. A little underwhelming and disappointed with what we got today. Most of it came down to the flavor and temperature of the food. I will push this review to 3 stars since they a lot of this is personal preference in the taste of the food.
Food:
Signature Potstickers: 3.0/5
Mediocre, I feel. Anything fried has a higher chance of tasting better. The flavor is missing something for me. Very one-dimensional. Some umami flavor and very meat forward without that seasoning to back it up. The garlic sauce and soy sauce help add to the flavor. Texture wise, the bottom is not as crispy as I would like for it to be given that it looks pan-fried. Perhaps it's been sitting in a warmer and just placed in a box to order.
Signature Dumplings: 1.5/5
One of my least favorite items here was the dumpling. Unfortunately, the flavor of this dumpling tastes of one that I really dislike. It's the seasoning and spices in this that break it for me. The flavor is quite subtle and also needs help from the dipping sauces. Ratio of wrapper to meat are optimal. Personally, I like the thick wrappers and this one really delivered on that end. There is enough meat to balance it out though.
Corn Chowder: 2.8/5
This tastes like a variation of Vietnamese chicken and corn soup (súp bắp gà); a cross between that and a creamed corn soup. Soup flavor leans more on the sweeter side. There seems to be a lack of substance though. A lot of it is just the creamy soup. The consistency is fine, but does thin out the longer it sits.
Signature Noodle: 2.9/5
Hmm...noodles were a good thickness. Sauce was alright. It could have used a protein component, but perhaps this is where the dumplings come into play. The texture is chewy with some bite; nice al dente. Sauce flavor leans on the lighter side for me and *also* needs the garlic and soy sauce. This item is noted to be spicy, but the spice was quite subtle for me. My tolerance really isn't that high either, but it was just a little kick for me.
Wonton Soup: 1.5/5
The wontons used in this soup taste similar to the signature dumplings. Again, not a fan of the flavor of these dumplings, so this item also is not ranked high. The soup is just a simple broth. Subtle in flavor.
Pork Chop with Braised Pork Belly Rice: 3.0/5
This was also an item that I did enjoy to some extent. The flavor was actually alright. The pork belly rice has a nice umami flavor to it. This is seasoned well. These flavors combined with the cucumbers and pickled mustard greens works well. The pickled mustard greens were a favorite for me. There's a nice sweetness and tartness to it that I really enjoyed. Cucumbers provided that additional texture and freshness. For the cons, I actually felt our piece of meat was somewhat dry. The piece itself is really flat. The outside was quite oily, but the inside leaned more on being dry for me.
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Quality: Made in-house
I do think their items are made fresh and in-house, but not made to each order. In the dumlpings and potstickers, you see that there are pieces of cabbage and meat. The pieces of cabbage look hand chopped versus being chopped with a food processor since some pieces were quite large. Given the items are what they are, they can easily be put in a food warmer and then just placed into the boxes to be served.
Price: Affordable and no-tip policy
The one thing that might be pushing that third star is the price. For the items that are provided, the price is quite affordable. Total came to be around $47. Price ranges for each item/combo will be around $12 to $17. Sides and smaller plates/dishes will be from $7 to $10. Something very interesting is their no-tip policy. There isn't even option to do it upon paying. It feels strange for us not to do it, but definitely the first place I've seen to do this.
Service: Limited
We only ordered at the front cashier and then we got our food from them once our buzzer went off. Very simple interactions; nothing noteworthy.
Ambiance: Spacious and bright
This place gives me In n Out vibes for some reason. Might just be the white and red color. My friend noted that it was giving him Panda Express vibes. Perhaps it's a cross between both places. The place is so spacious and has a lot of empty space around. Personally, I like having a nice spacious seating space, but perhaps they could fit more tables and seats around here if they so choose.
Location/Parking: Appears cramped
It's located near Sunnyvale and Santa Clara area on Augustine Drive and Coronado Place. Parking looks to be somewhat of a mess. The spots aren't bad, but something about it threw me off. Of note, their dumpster and trash area threatens for a tag. It was overflowing and just made the plaza seem unsanitary and unappealing. Perhaps this is a concern for the plaza itself, but building their own landfill there is not it. read more