Koi Palace

Pretty average dimsum. Not worth the amount we paid (about $ 50.00 for 7 plates). My biggest problem was that the servers do not speak English at all, and will continue to talk to you even though you do not speak back to them or tell them (make gestures) that you cannot speak Cantonese or Mandarin. They kept talking and started to raise their voice when we couldn’t respond in Cantonese or Mandarin. It made the brunch very stressful. The hostesses are pretty nice though, and they speak English.

They don’t take reservations and super rude about it when you call.

The place has inarguably one of the bestest Chinese food in this area. Even though dishes are generally overpriced, my family keeps coming back for events that call for high end Chinese food in the area. The dinner menu foods has a very wide variety of selection, which is nice.
However, 3 stars because I would never come here unless there’s a family event as I said. The service is also pretty mediocre. There’s really nothing wrong with this place, it’s just that I personally prefer.

Pretty yum dim sum! And the wait was not too bad for us. We got here at 11am on a Sunday and waited 20 minutes for a table for 3.
They do a variety of order on form and wheeling around dim sum here. We were seated in a corner which made it hard for the carts to come to us but they were nice and would walk over to see if we wanted anything.
Some dishes I tried (don’t eat pork, beef etc.):
–BBQ pork buns: they’re specialty. Nice pastry crust/​dough. I didn’t taste the pork but my mom and friend said it was good.
–Egg tarts: so buttery and delicious. Also, they’re the perfect bite size.
–Scallop steamed dumplings: nice but not super scallop-​y
–Shrimp steamed dumplings: a solid take on a classic
–Fried bean curd skin with veggie and mushroom filling: yum! Nice and crispy.
The Peking-​style dumplings with pork also looked interesting and my mom and friend liked them!
There were a few other dishes. The bill came to $ 60 for 3 people so it was a bit pricier than most dim sum spots but all in all, a very enjoyable lunch time!

Sam Tsui made our meal a Michelin star experience last night. His suggestions were right on and the combo meal saved us about half compared to ordering each item separate. Loved the Peking Duck, the duck and tendon dish made with the rest of the duck, the walnut prawns with lots of flavor, the chow fun and the soup dumplings as good as that famous Taiwanese place that started them.
I would say Sam loves to help his customers love his food and enjoys seeing us get excited over the food. The service was super excellent and this place deserves a Michelin star.

This restaurant is my favorite dim sum place! We just recently found out that they had a location in the Pleasanton area! We first tried this restaurant in Daly City.
This restaurant gets super packed on Sunday’s especially because of their dim sum! Right when they open they already have a long line. We’re used to waiting at least 20 – 30 mins for a party of two! Now if you have a larger party, you’ll definitely be waiting much longer. But I promise the wait is worth it! We came here for Mother’s Day and omg we waited 2 hours to get seated for a party of 6. We checked in at 10am.
We love their egg yolk lava buns, and shrimp dumpling with XO sauce! I wish I could remember the names to all the other dim sum we love but I feel like everything is delish! Def the best dim sum I’ve had!

What a disappointment.
I came here with my family for dinner.
First of all, the price is too expensive for their food.
Its not even worth it cuz their food aint even that good.
Second of all, it took almost an hour for them to bring our food.
We waited for hella long. I asked the dude in suit (looks like supervisor or manager to me), i was like «why is it taking so long» and he said just idk its the kitchen. Instead of going to the kitchen and check whats going on with our food, He just kept saying the same thing over and over. Idk why it took them so long just to make simple stuff like vegetable walnut prawns and other simple stuff.
Once our food FINALLY came, they didnt even bring rice that we ordered, it took them about 10minutes just to get the rice.
Never coming back here again. There r so many better chinese restaurants. Dont even waste ur time.

Coming during the weekend? Be prepared to wait in line for a table! This place is popping during lunch time and if you’ve tasted the dim sum here, you’d know exactly why. I’ve been to East Ocean Seafood in Alameda and Emeryville but Koi Palace has the best dim sum in the Bay Area.
Let’s start off with their unique dim sum plates. From durian puffs to truffle dumplings to duck burritos, Koi Palace keeps their menu enticing to come back. And while they do have your usual chicken claws, shu mais, and har gows (shrimp dumplings), don’t be afraid to try something new different because you won’t be disappointed.
My favorites would be from the XLBs (soup filled dumplings), lava egg yolk buns (always so runny and perfect), durian puffs, and Mongolian beef rice rolls.
I’m surprised this place doesn’t have a solid 4 or 5 stars. The food is never cold and always perfect. If you’re looking to splurge a little on dim sum, don’t hesitate on trying Koi Palace.

We ordered so much food and everything was on point! All the way down to the wait service.
I wanted to knock a star off for waiting for so long to be seated but I guess I can understand. After all, we did have a big group.
Plus we enjoyed everything that we had and food is very well priced!
Will definitely be returning.
Thanks Koi Palace!!!

I am happy Koi Palace is here in East Bay because the one in Penisula is impossible to get a table for dim sum without a 2-​Hr wait or some bribes to the waitress. The Dublin location has two restaurants. This is the higher end of the two, which also has a long line for dim sum but is alright for dinner time. The restaurant is elegant and menu is more on the pricey side. However, we were so happy with the food we ordered.
The pork shank appetizer is small but very tasty. We also ordered their xiao long bao and it is very tasty too with thin dough and fatty and juicy meat. The Crispy Chicken was very good with shrimp crackers on the side and tender chicken with crispy skin. The duck roll is also a must with tender and savory duck rolled inside buttery pancake roll. For the carbs, we got the beef chow fun and it is very filling with tons of beef and bean sprout. Another dish we all love is their mushroom mix and tofu. To my surprise, they use «egg tofu», which is very tender and tasty and I love the gravy of that dish.
This is definitely one of my favorite Chinese restaurants and it offers a wide range of selections.

No no no no! I’ll keep this review short and cute.
We were looking forward to this restaurant SO MUCH! We had it planned for a couple of weeks. We arrive and are amazed by the beautiful décor inside. A family is in front of us and they immediately get seated. We wait. and wait… and wait. And are finally helped and taken ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK BY THE KITCHEN. There were open tables but we were taken against the wall… by the kitchen door.
Now mind you this is a heavily Asian populated outdoor shopping mall. With mainly Asian restaurants… with that being said the majority of patrons inside were Asian. No biggie my boss is Asian, I have Asian friends, and I treat everyone the same regardless of ethnicity. I don’t look down on anyone but clearly this place does. This restaurant immediately gives a negative vibe. My mom is half black and half white, I am thus black, white, & Hispanic from my dads side. We love Dim Sum and tip extremely well when service is good.
We get a waiter who is very hard to understand. After 10 minutes we order tea because he does not understand us. We get another waiter who is easier to understand. We order the scallop dumplings, crab bites, and the shrimp dumplings. We get random people bringing our food and awkward times. We are rushed to order because we came at 2:30 and they close at 3…
1. The food was fabulous! Which is why I gave 2 stars.
2. The staff is extremely rude and obviously favors VIP/​culturally equivalent (Asian only) customers. Every customer that was Asian was helped immediately and we got no help.
3. If you look at the reviews I am not lying. other people have said the same thing.
4. We got a random guy who hovered us for the check, opened it before we got up, and began to check if he had a tip.
WE SHOULD NOT HAVE LEFT ONE. But we did.
#1 rule of a waiter/​waitress NEVER open the check when the people are still there. Politely take it and walk away. So rude and disrespectful.
We were side eyed as we left. Whatever. I will NEVER EVER return to this establishment. Clearly they do not believe in equality and show racist tendencies. Bye Felicia!

My parents have eaten here several times and enjoyed it, so we had my brother’s wedding banquet here last month. Traditional dishes from roast duck buns and bok choy to fun dishes like the multi-​colored vegetables in the shape of a fan and the «bird’s nest» that was crunchy noodles in the shape of, well, a nest. It was beautifully done. The crispy chicken came with neither the shrimp chips nor the dish of salt that usually accompany it, but I suppose that’s better for my health.
Although the parking lot was crowded on a Saturday afternoon, it was definitely lighter than Chinatown, which is part of the reason we decided to have the banquet here instead of Oakland. I would definitely recommend this place for parties/​banquets/​events.

Koi Palace at Dublin has been around for some time and it remains our family’s dim sum of choice in the Tri-​Valley. Known as Koi Garden back in the day, it is located at the second floor of Ulferts Center, right past the escalator. On weekends, it’s a common sight to see a big crowd gathered outside especially during peak hours. Ratings are all over the place because Unilocalers have been using this listing to review Koi Palace Express which can be found downstairs. Although the prices have gone up and the serving size has become smaller, there are items on their menu that make us come back every now and then.
Sugar Egg Puffs (
) — With something as good as these, it wouldn’t hurt if you start here. Light, sweet, eggy, and tasty. Life is short to wait for the endgame, but if you want to go the traditional route, order them when you’re just about done with your meal so they’re served piping hot!
House-​made Chili Oil (
) — This separates Koi Palace from the rest. I can order a cup of steamed rice, mix this in, have the Sugar Egg Puffs right after, and I’m a happy man… Well, maybe I’ll go with 2 cups of rice. But seriously, it is that good. Ahhh, the flavor of chili, garlic, soybean, and some secret ingredients in the mix. It is refillable so eat away to your heart’s desire.
Steamed Shrimp Dumpling Topped with XO Sauce (
) — XO sauce is made from chopped dried seafood then cooked with peppers, onions, garlic, and probably some hugs and kisses. Their version is in-​house and it is as amazing as their chili oil. It is placed on top of three open steamed shrimp dumplings and the aroma is so inviting. The taste is just superb.
Stir-​fried Rice Roll with XO Sauce (
) — Needless to say, anything that has XO on the menu is a must try. These are ordinary rice rolls but the XO sauce gives it a different spin.
Steamed Chicken Claws in Black Bean Sauce (
) — Skins and tendons galore! If you haven’t had chicken feet before, now is the time. Eat it like you mean it — bite off the feet at the joint and let your teeth and tongue do the work. Everything that is soft is edible. The hard part, you just have to gracefully spit out. That’s the best way to savor that gelatinous goodness.
Pork Ribs in Black Bean Sauce (
) — This dish looks very ordinary until you’ve actually tried it. Love the flavor. Hold it with your fingers or chopsticks and nibble away or eat it like a pro — bite off a good portion that has a bone and work it like you would the chicken feet.
Shrimp, Pork, Mushroom, and Crab Roe Dumpling (
) — Officially listed as Shui Mai on their menu so let’s call it that way. Their shui mai has shrunk over the years but the flavor has remained consistent. There’s good harmony among its ingredients unlike other restaurants that we’ve tried where the mushroom tends to overpower the pork and shrimp. This is probably the most common you’ll see from the ladies with carts or trays.
Shrimp Rice Roll (
) — This one is for the wife and daughters. They love it because of the sweet sauce that’s liberally poured over the rice roll.
Shrimp Dumpling (
) — For the love of shrimp, we need to have some har gow, too! There may have been a couple of times when the skin was a tad chewy, but that’s what molars are for.
Mango Pudding (
) — If we’re not having the Sugar Egg Puffs, it’s because I got easily outvoted 3 – 1 In favor of this dessert. I always listen to the voice of reason and it’s very easy to hear coming from three sources.
There are a few more items that we get every now and then but the ones listed above are as reliable as a Stephen Curry 3-​pointer. If you’re a betting man, you don’t bet against that. Go Dubs!

This place is huge! In addition to main dining room, there’s the «Signature Room» at the end of the plaza. Coming here at the peak of tea time seemed risky, but we got seated fast with this extra banquet room. Ordering off the menu was simple and efficient. The service was exceptional. They do have some interesting options… Durian pastries? They were a hit with the folks. We also had the crab roe tofu E-​noodles. Yummers.

Don’t know what happened to this place. The flavors were all completely off and way to salty. I’m not much of a complainer but their Fukien Fried Rice was so salty that it was not edible. I sent it back and their Manager came and apologize as he said their chef used too much Oyster and dark soy sauce. They made it again and it was perfect. But the other dishes was disappointment.

This is my first time at the Dublin location. I have only been at the Daly City location before. I came in at 11:30 on a Saturday and asked for a table for three. There were a dozen parties ahead of me with varying number of people. There were six parties of 2 – 3 people ahead of me. I got seated in about 20 minutes.
I ordered the standard shrimp dumplings, scallop dumplings, lava buns… etc. I also ordered the espresso ribs. It is a special order which takes 40 minutes to make. When I had it at Daly City, the coffee flavors were pronounced but at this location, you can hardly taste the coffee. The service was spotty given how busy it was. It was really difficult to wave someone down. I recommend coming early in the morning to get better services.

First time going here today, New Year’s Eve 2016; now I’m addicted. Hands down, the best Dim Sum I have ever had. Yank Sing you’re still in my top 2.
Those that complain about the price; get over it. You are paying for a culinary art and so much delicious flavor.
1. The service was outstanding.
2. The dishes were well crafted, handmade and beautiful.
3. Everything was exquisitely delicious and bursting with flavor. Not one dish needed sauce.
4. Every dish I tried was like ectasy (we ordered 14 items I tried them all).
5. The tea stayed topped off, never had to ask for a refill.
You can order Dim Sum from the menu and they bring them out fresh, hot and steady for you personally. Or you can get it fresh and hot off the cart.

This is the best dim sum in east bay. You can tell by the line going out the door at all hours regardless of season or meal times. That said, once you get in, the meal is great. Unlike most authentic Asian places, the service here is fairly good. When your tea bottle empties, someone comes within 5 minutes to pick it up and replace it with hot water. Unlike other larger places where you have to literally flag someone down or stick the tea pot in their face as they rush by.
Their menu is good, complete with the traditional dim sum items but other options exists as well. English and Chinese are both provided with some helpful pictures here and there too. We often order mainly from the menu so that items come straight from the kitchen as opposed to being walked around on trays by servers. Trays are fine for most foods but some others may lose some of its crunch or steaming goodness while being shopped around.
Go when you’re getting close to hungry, not yet starving or better yet send someone to put your name on the list.

BEST CHINESE FOOD PLACE IN THE BAY AREA!
I was skeptical at first thinking smh, it’s just another Chinese restaurant, but my wife said tons of friends recommended this place, and they’re right!
Service is top notch, best I’ve seen so far in the bay area of any Chinese restaurant, and I don’t easily get impressed but I am. I’d have my weeding here if I knew.(We had it at Mayflowers)
Their Peking duck package is the best value around, 5 dishes plus soup (we got lobster and lamp as the 2 selectable dishes) for $ 98 is out of this world!

Came here for dinner and everything was delicious!
We ordered the half roast duck, xiao long bao (pork dumplings), sauteed string beans and walnut prawns.
They were all my favorites!
Also, portion size is rather generous for 3 people so we could takeout some leftovers. Service is excellent as well.
Best of all? No wait!

I’ve been here before with my family, I came here on a Saturday for lunch. There was definitely a wait, they give you a number and will call it over the intercom. I feel like we waited around 20 – 30 minutes for a table.
They were serving dim sum. We ordered the dim sum dishes as they came back. Nothing particularly stood out but I enjoyed the dishes — they had your typical hai gow, su mai and such. There’s also bbq pork baos.
We could also ordered additional dishes. We ordered a scallop fried rice, a noodle dish and beef stew with chow fun.
The beef stew with chow fun and scallop fried rice were really good. The beef stew with chow fun came in a clay pot and the beef were very soft and tender. As for the scallop fried rice, it was a white egg scallop fried rice with fish roe. I really enjoyed the fish roe with the fried rice, it gave it a good texture and it was really good. For our noodle dish, I cannot recall the name of it, but it was some sort of satay sauce. It was good, and I like the long white mushrooms with it.
Overall, I like the food here. The service here is superior to most Chinese restaurants. They’ll attend to your needs and all the staff will help you and accommodate you.
Although they have a parking lot, it does get filled up. Occasionally, you may have to park further away than you would like but as least, there’s a large lot!

Quality of food and service has gone down over the years since my last review. We used to come here for dim sum frequently, but the food wasn’t worth the wait anymore. Everything tastes comparable to other Chinese restaurants in the area. And it’s rare that we’ve come across attentive servers.
I celebrated my dads birthday here a couple of times. 1^st time was his 80^th birthday bash and we reserved 7 large tables, which they happened to cram us all in the small section near the bathrooms. We like to order the suckling pig on «special» occasions and the skin was never as crispy as I was hoping for.
We recently celebrated my dad’s birthday here again to give it another shot, but this time just 1 table and we were crammed into another tight space between a wood post/​column and another table.

Go early.
Cannot stress that enough. We arrived 15 minutes before doors opened on Saturday and we were first.
Had we gotten there 12 minutes before doors opened, there would be 13 tables in line before you. Place is pretty big. As long as you get there early, the wait isn’t so bad. Once I got there at 11:00 and it was a 2 hour wait.
The food itself is top notch. The only downside (reason 1 star is missing) is the price. I feel that it is a bit exorbitant for the area. The food is pretty solid. The only disappointing dish out of everything we ordered was the size of the pork dumplings.
Again, go early. Do not sleep in!

JUDGING STANDARD ITEMS
Last month my and friend and I ate here for dinner to discuss our plans for our high school reunion. I’ve looked at the items on this menu. Some of the items were exquisite. On that night we wanted to order regular items that we were familiar with. Even though some restaurants have exquisite items in the menu I’ve realized to really judge a restaurant you need to see how well it cooks the «basic» items. The reason is if these items cooked properly then the restaurant has a good foundation to cook its exquisite items.
The items we ordered were half roasted duck, orange beef, and pan fried seafood noodles. On the side was compliment peanuts. The roast duck was moist and rich but I wish the skin was crispy. I feel a crispy duck skin cuts the richness of the duck. The best item of the night was orange beef. The breading had the crunch and the orange sauce was sweet, but not overpowering. Growing up I liked chow mein, but the older I grew I preferred the pan fried Hong Kong style noodles as those noodles are lighter in taste than the noodles on chow mein. What I also loved about that dish was the sauce even though it made the crispy noodles soggy. The combination of the sauce, crispy noodles, and meat compliments and accentuates each other. The pan fried seafood noodles was a little disappointing. It lacked flavor because there wasn’t enough sauce.
I’m not into a décor of a restaurant as long as the food is delicious. However if a décor is elegant then you have to wonder if you’re paying for the décor or the food. Inside this restaurant the décor is elegant. The reason I brought it up was the three items my friend and I paid felt was more expensive at this restaurant than if we had gone a less elegant Chinese restaurant. I believe this restaurant is overpriced in a suburb especially with the elegant décor.
When I looked at the menu the first time I came here I thought about coming here again to try the expensive, exquisite items. However since I wasn’t too impressed with the standard items here there’s no point of me going here to eat and pay the exquisite items that are more expensive.

Despite being a chain, Koi generally has solid consistent dim sum.
There is a decent sized lot that might get filled up pretty quickly. Even an hour before they were closing, the wait for Koi was about 30min for 2 people.
You can order both from a menu or from carts that are going around. Towards the end of the morning shift, there were less carts, so we predominately ordered from the menu.
We were able to find everything we wanted. We ordered the pan fried daikon (luo bo gao), chicken feet, spare ribs, chive box, shrimp balls, shrimp in rice paper (chang fen), and I think doubled orders for some.
This set us back approx 25/​person pretax.
The food was good though! I would recommend and find a location near you! This is the second location I’ve been to and again, solid.

Look, anytime I see a 3.5-rated dim sum place I know that their rating has been brought down by moronic Unilocalers so I take it with a grain of salt… or in this case grain of MSG. I mean FFS, bitching about MSG at a Chinese restaurant is akin to whining about sodium content at Chipotle or cholesterol levels at The Cheesecake Factory.
And you know what? Americans eat a ton of MSG and don’t even realize it. That gluten-​free bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing has MSG. Doritos, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and Jack’s Links beef jerky have MSG. KFC and Burger King pretty much lace all their shit with MSG. The chicken sandwich at Chick Fil-​A has MSG. And if MSG was really that bad, everyone in Asia would be «hella» thirsty with chronic headaches.
MSG rant out of the way, I found out that another reason the rating is low for Koi Palace is that Northern California Unilocalers were too lazy to create a separate Unilocal Listing for Koi Palace Express, which is a separate restaurant from Koi Palace. Yes, it is owned by the same owners of Koi Palace but it is a «lighter» faster-​food version of the full-​on dim sum experience. Shit, even Foursquare acknowledges this (
). Come on lazy Unilocalers!
So… the wife and I headed to Dublin’s Chinatown (Ulferts Center building) on a Thursday morning around 11:30 AM because we had a craving for Asian food. When we arrived we thought about KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) from Odagada. We thought about trying out the Boiling Crab knock-​off. We even thought about yakitori for lunch. But then we noticed all these Chinese people taking the escalator to the 2^nd floor like «Walkers» from the Walking Dead heading to Alexandria because of the truck horn.
And that is when we noticed Koi Palace on the 2^nd floor. So like lemmings we followed them to have dim sum for lunch. Being a party of 2 we did not have to wait long but man did the place fill up quickly for a weekday! We could only imagine the weekends. Fuck that!
We were quickly seated and our server began speaking Chinese to us. We had to explain that we were not Chinese. So in broken English he asked us what kind of tea we wanted. After choosing our tea, he came back and placed the ceramic teapot on top of the candle — and the whole time I thought it was for ambiance! As far as the teapot goes, does anyone have any pro tips on how to pour tea from it without spilling it all over the place?
After bringing our tea we were left alone with no instructions. Since it was our first time at Koi Palace, we were not sure if we were supposed to order or to flag down the ladies wearing SARS masks with trays of food. It turns out it is a combination of both.
Koi Palace has a color menu with pictures that you can mark and then hand to your server. The pictures help a lot and they even have a few «house-​recommended» dishes. Additionally, you can flag down the aforementioned ladies if you feel like you want the food that they are carrying.
We ended up ordering the minced beef rice roll, shrimp rice roll, steamed shrimp dumplings, Sampan-​style fried prawn dumplings, and turnip cake with XO sauce. We also picked up Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce and stir-​fried rice roll with XO sauce from the masked ladies. We definitely ordered too much and ended up taking a lot of food to-​go.
Pretty much everything was delicious except for the steamed shrimp dumplings. And I would highly suggest getting anything with the «hugs-​n-​kisses» XO sauce. For those that do know what XO sauce is, it’s a sauce that was invented in Hong Kong that contains chopped dried seafood, chili peppers, and other seasoning. It is literally like crack because it is so fucking addicting. Sadly, contrary to its name, there is no cognac in the sauce.
Additionally, the décor of the restaurant is really nice and all the dishware was very fancy. And unlike many other dim sum places, the restaurant felt hella’ sanitary. This could be why the food is a little pricier than your normal dim sum place.
But I’ve become resigned to the fact that pretty much all ethnic food in Northern California is going to be overpriced. Regardless, I think we have found our go-​to dim sum place in the East Bay. However, I would recommend avoiding weekends.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO.

Sunday morning: get up early, drive 45 minutes to Dublin, arrive at 10:30ish and still had to wait in line 35 minutes. After eating their food, however, I’d do it again any time.
This is by far the best dim sum experience I’ve had in the Bay Area, and likely in the US, so far. My coworker recommended it and I owe him now big time. The food was exquisite, the restaurant is very clean and organized, and service was good. It was a bit pricier than other dim sum places I’ve tried, but the taste and quality of the food far outweighs the additional cost. They did have a few nicer touches such as serving the tea in a real tea pot with a candle below to keep it warm, and the decoration was very nice.
Now on to the food. We were just 2, which unfortunately means we can’t try as many things. But care I did not, and instead ordered many delicious dishes. Among them we tried the following items.
200. Shanghai steamed dumpling sampler (Xiao Long Bao XLB sampler) — 3.5 stars
This was a great and very interesting dish, it includes 5 different flavors of XLB: black truffle, crab roe, juicy pork, fresh beets, and kale. As weird as that may sound at first, I actually enjoyed the fresh beets and kale ones a lot! Although the rest were very tasty as well, their XLB is not quite Din Tai Fung good in my opinion.
226. Shrimp, Pork & Mushroom & Crab Roe Dumpling (Shui Mai) — 4 stars
Delicious all around. It had great texture, the flavor was on point. I’d get it anytime.
231. Steamed Chicken Claws with Black Bean Sauce (Chicken feet!) — 5 stars!
Best chicken feed I’ve had. Normally chicken feet are fatty with a little bit of flavor. This one was super flavorful and enjoyable. I normally like chicken feed, but this one was outstanding.
167. Oven roasted duck — 4 stars
Very delicious duck with crispy outside, I ate most of it before my friend had a chance to touch it… next time I’ll be nicer.
282. Durian Puff — 4.5 stars
This was amazing, as well. It felt just like puff should, pastry-​like with its crispy fluffiness of sorts. The durian filling was delish as well.
508. Steamed Egg Custard golden bun — 4 stars
Thinking of this egg custard makes me want to run to Dublin to get more. It was very well made, warm and satisfying.
288. Grilled Chive & Shrimp Dumpling — 4 stars
Nothing to say here, it’s delish and I ate it.

Koi palace is considered the better of dim sums in the Bay Area, which I highly disagree. However, my coworkers never tried dim sum and I figured this was the closest place that I can introduce them to the fine art of Chinese «breakfast».
We came exactly at 10 am when it opened and there was a line piling up already. Luckily, we were seated immediately because our party was ready. It seems like they won’t sit you unless you have a full table. The reason why I rate this place higher than average is the excellent service it provides. They have an efficient formula to get customers in and out. Very organized, alot better than their Daly City counterpart I must say. As a result, I was very impressed considered the poor reputation Chinese restaurants have for service.
I ordered my coworkers the usual dim sum to break them in such as Har gow, shrimp/​pork dumpling, meat balls, chicken feet, steam buns, fried shrimp balls, tofu, tofu wraps and a plate of fried rice (can’t go wrong with that). Like most dim sum places, the food was just average with alot of MSG, oil and more salty than I would like.
All in all, I would come back to this place for its service and cleanliness! It’s hard to find good dim sum around the Bay Area, but Koi palace will do alright for now.

I came here on a Sunday morning with my boyfriend around 11 and we were 12^th in line for dim sum. We were told the wait would be around 50 minutes but it was actually a 90 minute wait. We got seated to the left of the restaurant and it was great because it was the less busier side and the food arrived quickly. They push the carts around and you can also order by marking the menu they give you.
My favorite dish was the fried Chinese bread wrapped in thin rice paper. It was crunchy and served with a light sauce. The turnip cake was good but I’ve had better. I highly recommend the baked egg custard bun. It had the right amount of sweetness and it came out piping hot.
Service was great. Everyone is generous and they served us very quickly. We were able to finish eating within 30 minutes.

My boss is Chinese and recommended this place, so I had to try it.
I got here around dinner opening time on a weekday. It wasn’t busy.
I got a complimentary peanut and anchovy appetizer. It was good.
I ordered: Egg Lava Buns & shrimp with XO sauce.
Both were super delicious!!! The egg lava buns were sweet and tasty. A teeny bit gritty in the middle but the general happiness it provided made it negligible. The shrimp dumplings with Xo sauce, the shrimp was fresh tasting. The Xo sauce had some kind of meat. All of it was soooo good.
I thought service was good but then once I finished my dim sum, the table next to me ordered like $ 300 worth of food. I was neglected for a little bit. Then I was brought some orange slices.
Good experience overall, I’ll be back!!!

Came by for dim sum the other day and it was impressive. There was no line upon arrival at 9:30 am.
Dim Sum is served via menu and/​or carts.
Service was very good by all staff, from dim sum ladies to the waitresses.
Quality of food was very good, on par with Dim Sum in Hong Kong.
Roasted Suckling Pig is only available after 11 am…
~$ 26/​head after tax and tip for dim sum.