High-quality Chinese food that deserves more love. The soup dumplings are delicious and among the…read morebest I've tried in the Midwest. It isn't a full-service dim sum restaurant, but their menu is pretty solid.

What's good: The food, for sure. My favorite was the chili oil wontons. Everything was fresh and…read morehot. The regular soup dumplings needed the vinegar or soy to add flavor, otherwise they would be too bland. The boba cup was filled with ice. I haven't had that before and felt that took away from the flavor, watering it down quickly. Less good: looking at photos of the place months ago, it looked nicer. The condiments containers were different. Now vinegar and soy are in plastic squeeze bottles that are not wiped clean after each use, so they're gunky and sticky around the tops. Even when eating in, some food is served in disposable containers. We had Dixie plates instead of regular plates. (Maybe we shouldn't really need plates?) The big colorful menu with pictures was no longer there so I wasn't sure what to order as it was my first time there. We went with their recommendations. We would certainly go back and try new things. I hope they make it.

Wow. This place is amazing. I am only speaking for dessert, we can't wait to come back to try…read moredinner. We wanted to try something new for dessert and stumbled upon this place. We started with Vietnamese iced coffee and it was amazing. I wish they were open every day to come get another one during the week!! Then for the ice cream. We tried the cookie dough, cookie butter, and spring bunny. All were made fresh to order with warm bubble waffles. They took about 5 min each but were well worth the wait! Such a fun and delicious experience. It was also so clean inside, cool fish tank our daughter loved, and our server was the sweetest! Can't wait to come back!

Food and drinks were bland and generally disappointing. The summer rolls are okay, but the sauce…read moreserved along with the appetizer was pure hoisin.

This place did not come here to be subtle…read more New on the scene and already choosing violence in the best way. This Chinese spot wakes up your entire palate and then politely refuses to apologize for it. You might feel this for days but it is worth it. The hot crisp fish deserves its own holiday. It shows up aggressively crispy and this will ruin bland food for you forever. There's no toning it down here. No watered-down flavors for the cautious. Avoid the map at this spot. Order something unique. You might sweat a little.

I've tried Spicy Chef twice, and I'd say the food is definitely hit-or-miss. The staff has always…read morebeen friendly and helpful, and I really love the atmosphere inside. It has a unique vibe that's like a tiki bar meets an Asian restaurant, making it a fun place to dine. I was especially excited to try the spicy ribs, but they were a major disappointment. The meat was tough, and they lacked the bold flavor I was expecting. The fried rice has been inconsistent as well. On my first visit, the spicy fried rice was delicious, flavorful, and actually spicy. On my second visit, both the spicy fried rice and shrimp fried rice completely missed the mark, lacking flavor and seasoning. One thing I've noticed is that the vegetarian dishes seem to be much stronger than the meat dishes. Some dishes were better than others. I enjoyed the eggplant and sautéed green bean entrée, although the leftovers were extremely greasy the next day. The tofu was decent, too. Overall, I've found that many of the meat dishes tend to be tough and lack flavor. I also tried a spicy pork dish that brought the heat but not much taste beyond that. One thing I highly recommend is the Chinese tea that comes in a red soda can. It's incredibly refreshing and was one of my favorite things I tried there. We also ordered the wontons in chili oil, but something about the flavor seemed off. I can't quite put my finger on it, but they just weren't for me. For anyone looking specifically for amazing spicy ribs and fried rice, I personally think The Chili Spot does both much better. Overall, Spicy Chef has a great atmosphere and friendly service, but the inconsistency in the food makes it hard for me to rate it higher.

This is a cool experience if you never had hotpot before. You pick the base broth (you can pick 2),…read moreand order ingredients you like and pretty much cook your own food on the table. The waiter brings the raw ingredients to you, and you will need to fetch your own sauces. Everything is cooked in hot broth, so definitely super healthy. Lots of veggie selections, meat, seafood and starch. It is in the heart of the loop and very lively area all the time. There is a big free public parking lot in the back of the main area but you pretty much need to walk to where you want to be. Casual but lively vibe.

I met up with five others for a birthday dinner here last night, and I am so happy that this was…read morethe birthday girl's choice! They were able to accommodate one of our friends who uses a wheelchair, which made me happy. It was open, clean, and bright. The music was a fun selection, though it was so loud that I had to ask them to turn it down so we could hear each other and they immediately obliged. I felt a little awkward asking (I just wanted to be able to hear all my friends!), but I was glad they didn't make it weird. I got a matcha milk tea which was pretty good. The waiter did a fairly good job explaining things, and the menu was insanely extensive. There is just SO much variety. After having watched Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, I wanted to try lotus root and it was SO good. I also ordered carrots and ramen. Some friends ordered shrimp and scallops, and the others ordered fried tofu and spicy things that I mostly ignored. My side ordered the chicken broth and the nutritious broth. The chicken broth was okay, a bit lackluster, but OMG. That nurtrious broth has me obsessed. HOW can I make that for myself?! I don't like mushroom texture, but they apparently gave this broth a delightful flavor along with the ginger. I thought about it all night after and most of today, but luckily, we were able to take our leftovers home and I was able to eat it again today! SO good. We got a volcano of beef to share, which I found charming, and it was fun to cook the food at our table. Everyone left feeling full and happy. I thought it was a bit pricy, but if it been just myself and my partner, I think it would've been plenty more reasonable (we just split the bill evenly, which I was fine with). This was lots of fun and that broth is enough to make me want to go back again soon. It's been a while since I ate somewhere and daydreamed about the food long after-- well done, Umami Seasons!

I've been to Wei Hong once since I was in the area and heard that they offer Chinese baked goods…read more Upon entering their bakery is at the very front and they have a restaurant right behind it. I tried their pork floss bun and sesame ball. I wasn't a fan of the sesame ball or the pork bun, which was disappointing. With the sesame ball it's mainly because I'm starting to come to the realization that I don't like the taste of sesame seeds, which I didn't realize at the time. And the pork bun didn't have a good ratio of filling and bread, I think it could have used a little more filling. Overall my experience was alright, I haven't tried other items there, so there may be other things there that are worth trying that I don't know about.

Still carry out only. It was warmer so we just ordered and ate at a table outside…read more Crispy seafood is my go-to, lots of little fishes with ginger and water chestnuts and comes with a side of white rice. So delicious! I always get a red bean sesame ball to eat later. I tried the Chicken Lo Mein that my daughter ordered. It was good with lots of chicken. If you like duck, it's a popular item here.

TLDR: Good Food, But A Lot of Red Flags…read more I had been wanting to try Shabu Day for a while and finally made it out. The food was honestly really good -- but there is a lot this place needs to fix before I can fully recommend it. The first thing that hit me when I walked in was the smell. And not in a good way. It smelled like a sewer. Not what you want when you are about to sit down and eat. It lingered the entire time we were there and was really hard to get past. The front of the restaurant looks okay at first glance. But once you sit down you start noticing things. The tables are wobbly and clearly rigged up with makeshift fixes. Extension cords are running visibly across the floor which looks bad and feels unsafe. The menus and sauce bottles were sticky -- like they had not been wiped down in a long time. Little things like that add up fast. I caught a glimpse of the back of the house and it looked grimy and dirty. That is a problem at any restaurant, but especially at a place where you are cooking your own food right at the table. The staff were not very welcoming either. They were hard to find when you needed something and did not seem very interested in making sure you were having a good time. Now here is the thing -- the food was actually fresh and delicious. The broth was flavorful and the ingredients were good quality. That part genuinely impressed me. But for the price they are charging? The total package is just not there yet. Good food can only carry a restaurant so far. They need to clean things up -- literally -- before I come back.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ UPDATE: One more thing worth mentioning that I think is really important. Shabu Day is strictly all you can eat -- and that is the only option they offer. For most people that is fine. But for anyone with a medical condition that limits how much they can eat, this format is a serious problem. You are being charged full all you can eat prices for food you physically cannot consume in that quantity. That is not fair and it is not inclusive. A lot of restaurants in this space offer a la carte or smaller portion options for exactly this reason. Shabu Day should do the same. It is a simple change that would make a big difference for a lot of people and would show that they actually care about all of their customers -- not just the ones who can eat the most. Clean things up, fix the smell, train your staff to be more welcoming, and give people a fair way to order. The foundation is there. Now build on it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Food was cool. We love ramen and the experience of "cooking" it right at our table. One very short…read moremenu with a few broth and meat choices. There were very few instructions and the place could use some TLC and thorough cleaning. I didn't use the restroom but my husband thinks black mold is growing in it. The waiter didn't wait very long to check if we were ready to order or not. That was a bit annoying. I don't think I'd go back buyy husband says he'd try it again.

A friend and I went to the Chinese festival at the Botanical Gardens and Afandi Kitchen had a food…read morestand set up there. As unique as this stand was compared to the other food stands I knew I had to check it out since I had never tried or even heard of Uygher cuisine a day in my life. I am so glad I did because it was Amaaaaazing!!! I tried the Braised beef burger and the strawberry yogurt drink, my friend had the laghman and the mango yogurt drink. I liked the burger but I loved the laghman even more, and both of our yogurt drink tasted really good! They offer a variety of spicy and non-spicy dishes as well as halal, vegetarian, and gluten free meals (their menu has icons by each meal to show which are spicy, gluten free, and vegetarian)

Uyghur cuisine has been historically under-appreciated, so I am glad that it is being showcased in…read morethese delicious dishes served in a clean and bright space. Apparently, they are the only Halal Chinese restaurant in STL! We started off with pumpkin sambosas: deep fried triangles filled with beef and pumpkin, dusted with powdered sugar. A good mixture of savory and sweet. Then we had to try their yellow hand-pulled noodles and they did not disappoint! I loved the bouncy texture of the noodles. The thick sauce had notes of spice and was slightly unbalanced but still yummy. It was perfect to sop up with their soft fluffy naan. Lastly, we got the sautéed mala chicken which was a massive portion for $26 - by itself, it could probably feed 3-4 people! It was truly mala (spicy and numbing) with generous Sichuan peppercorns. The chicken was flavorful, though slightly tough. This dish would've gone well with the yogurt drink. Overall, this was a great dinner for 2 people with leftovers. I'd like to try one of their lamb dishes next time. You should definitely give them a try!

Great soup dumplings!…read more The restaurant is fairly small but feels modern and open, plus they have some cool tables! They have a pretty small menu but still a good variety, with soup dumplings as the star of course! The cashier was friendly and we didn't have to wait long for food. I would recommend three orders of dumplings for two people: one pork, one chicken, and one beef. I don't think I have a favorite - they're all so good! The pan fried option is nice with a little crisp but I think the OG steamed is best. We also liked the spicy wonton noodle appetizer. We got one fruit tea and one milk tea - both were good! Overall, a great visit!

I love coming to this location. I usually stop and make my order, run to the nearby grocery store…read moreand by the time I get back, everything is ready. I usually go for all the appetizers so the cucumber salad and the spicy wontons are amazing! Hands-down, my go to. If you want to meal, their dumplings are also really great my teenagers love them. You can tell they make everything really fresh in house and they're also really nice. You no matter what time you come in.