Phoenix Palace

Another restaurant riding the "modern Cantonese" trend where the food doesn't taste or look quite like Chinese food. The food is solid, decor is awesome. The chili crab noodles taste more like butter than chili crab but they're still delicious, although at $35 per order the price is questionable.

Went as part of a wine tasting, and got to try classics. I want to go back and pick from the menu. The crab noodles are as advertised, with an excellent shellfish taste balanced with the tomato flavor. My biggest surprise was actually the chilled tofu with a sesame sauce that had sesame, the right amount of vinegar, good spices to cut against the sesame, and I swear something else that had deep flavor so that it was sesame without being too sesame. The youtiao was chewy but not tough, with dipping sauces I'd buy if they jarred. The salt and pepper cuttlefish took care to have a firm cuttlefish as necessary to ensure the dish is not too salty. The duck breast variant on Peking duck was well-flavored and meaty, with a great sauce underneath. Overall I recommend the chilled tofu and the salt and pepper cuttlefish the most, but I loved the other dishes too. I want to see what it's like when I'm ordering from the menu.

The olive yaotiew (“youtiao”) is a must try as it’s crispy and sauce is great. However, the other dishes were more or less mediocre. You are paying 30-50%more for the environment, which by the way, they do have very interesting restroom designs. We tried duck, fried rice, and fried cuttlefish but they were just fine. If you are here for the food, maybe you shouldn’t hold high expectations. But if you wanna plan a date, it does have good vibes and services.

Cool spot for Chinese food (especially seafood) with some twists. The scallops were divine and worth coming alone for. Rest of the food were good too. Docked a star because I was shocked at how poorly maintained the bathrooms were - probably the first time I was put off by the washroom area. Service was overall friendly but there was some operational issues like a long delay from our reservation time to be seated (although they did comp our first round of drinks which was nice) and issues with the Blackbird service they use. Hope they can sort these out!

The atmosphere was great and the restaurant was very clean. Our service was excellent; our waiter was attentive, checking in on us regularly and asking for feedback on the food. However, for the price, the portion sizes of all the dishes were on the smaller side. Salt and Pepper Cutlet Fish: This dish was unremarkable and a bit too salty for our groups taste. Duck Breast: The duck was tender and delicious—definitely a highlight. Chili Crab Noodles: While the portion was small and the presentation could use improvement, the noodles were surprisingly flavorful and enjoyable. This was our whole groups favorite. Mussels with Silver Needle Noodles: A bit too salty, but the noodles and mussels themselves were cooked nicely.