Captain J’s

This is no longer the same restaurant for soup buns and all authentic dishes from appetizers to entrees. Here’s the run down… The building has finally been up fitted on the exterior and w/​a new sign. The buffet is gone, which was not what they were known for in the first place. The main menu is very similar to the Americanized, Chinese fast food places. They refer to it as a Hong Kong style menu. I think not! We were presented with the dim sum menu when asked if an authentic menu was available. After deciding to stay and try out a few dim sum dishes, our waitress told us, sorry those are not available anymore in the afternoon. Seriously? Why did they give us the menu? Left without ordering and wasted 20 minutes just to be told no. Don’t be conned into staying.

When this place was Captain J’s it was decent; the food was good, portions generous, and prices fair. The building was clearly a previous latin themed establishment. Inside was alright but that’s not why I went there. They’ve recently renamed themselves The Golden Palace, and this evening’s experience was terrible.
My grievances unfolded as follows:
Upon our arrival we were promptly greeted at the door and seated, which was great considering that was never the case previously. Typically we’d walk in and stand there until someone came out of the back and realized people were in the building. They’ve never been terribly busy out of any of our 5 prior visits; this visit was no exception. There was one couple.
The host proceeded to seat us in the booth directly behind the other couple. We don’t have issues sitting next to other people but when the whole restaurant is empty, a little space is expected. Sitting that close to another party is exceptionally uncomfortable. He gathered our drink orders and stepped away to put them in.
I immediately noticed a distinct sewage smell, which was never there before. The sudden increase in price was also shamelessly apparent on the new menus; with a great deal of the same items from before I might add. My two companions were put off instantly. My previous fondness for the place was quickly diminishing, but I figured I’d order my regular item and give it a fair swing.
The host delivered our drinks, took about four steps back, and just stood there staring. I already had one friend refusing to eat there due to the smell out of cleanliness concerns, now the other was immensely uncomfortable with the hawk host.
The host then stepped forward to inform us that «this is a more traditional Chinese establishment, not like a buffet», a fact we were already clearly aware of, considering I had been there several times and he’s the SAME guy either seating people or taking our payments.
I ordered my salt and pepper squid to go (it came out incredibly fast, flagging my suspicion) paid, and we left. I attempted to eat it in the car, and it was terrible. It was’t remotely crispy, soggy now has a whole new meaning for me; and it had way more peppers in in than normal, making it far too spicy, for me anyway.
I’m sorry to say I am going to immediately retract my willingness to recommend this place to my friends and family; namely the people I passed my compliments on to already.

My personal meal was fine. I’m not sure it it’s because they are a different resultant again or under new management but the food seemed oily. The service was great. However two of my friends were really sick after eating here.
Besides that it’s an ok place to eat.

Now Called Golden Palace. No buffet
Staff is nice and friendly. The place is huge and being renovated for the better.
We had the shrimp dumpling, Oh Yeah!
Sweet n Sour Chicken, was hot and pretty good.
Shrimp walnut, not the best we’ve had, but good
also had steam rice, which was very good and fresh.
We gave it a 3 star because there needs to be improvement in the décor inside and out, which seem like they are working on. Also the we feel there’s room for improvement on the food, but a little pricey for what we got.

RIP Captain J’s. Seems like you changed management, chefs, wait staff, and menus just about weekly. There were times when you served Mexican food and calabash style seafood. There were times you had a buffet and for a brief moment you even ripped the buffet out in favor of a dance floor. I never paid that much mind, though, because I always hit the authentic Chinese side.
When you had that photo-​filled menu, it was a good bet that the food would look nothing like the photo. I never knew if what I was ordering was even going to be prepared the same way it was the last time I ate it. One time your scallion noodles were vegetarian, another time they were topped with shrimp. The first time I had your dry noodles with pork (Ja Jiang Mian), it came served with a boiled egg nestled in it, but it never did after that. I knew the food might not be what I was expecting, but I always had faith that it would be delicious, and rarely was I disappointed.
I loved your Ja Jiang Mian (every incarnation of it that I tried — especially the «Eight Treasure Sauce» style), your tea smoked duck, your cumin lamb (though I never knew exactly how spicy it would be, it was always pleasing to my palate), your spicy wontons, your umami-​filled stir-​fried rice cakes, your «beef floss» appetizer thing whose actual name escapes me, your beef scallion pancakes, your steamed Chinese donuts with condensed milk for dipping, and… (oh, God… I can barely type this without tearing up) your Xiao Long Bao. Your XLB were usually amazing. There was a chef you had for a short time that made them all tiny and thick, but that didn’t last long, fortunately. I became so hooked on the black vinegar and ginger dipping sauce that I make it at home now. Good grief, were those some tasty — and fun to eat — dumplings!
You were consistent only in your inconsistency, but I loved you just the way you were. I am sad to report that your latest rebirth as Golden Palace has brought our affair to an end. I ate there on opening day and again the next, just to give it a fair shake. The service was good. The food was fine. The fake flowers were less glittery. Golden Palace is a serviceable restaurant with some interesting dishes on the menu, but it is just not the same. I appreciate the irony because, practically by definition, you were never the «same», but this time it really isn’t. The common thread that ran from meal to meal, whatever it was, is gone. Maybe the XLB was that thread. I hate to walk away as soon as I finally regained my title as the Duchess, but that’s life, I guess. So long, Cap’n; I’ll miss you from the top of my Lion’s Head meatballs to the bottom of my chrysanthemum tea pot.

First of all they have two menus: a smaller, Americanized menu and a much more expansive authentic menu. When they see two white people walk in it seems like they assume you’re here for the crab leg buffet (and sadly that’s probably a safe assumption). It’s sort of sad that they feel the need to provide an Americanized menu but this is the south, so I guess it’s not entirely surprising. The waitstaff did seem excited that we actually wanted to try the authentic food– and did a great job of recommending choices.
Anyway, the food was as good as asian food gets in Raleigh. I don’t have any experience with soup dumplings but my girl grew up with it in New York so she was basically my guide. We both loved them. And although she said it wasn’t as good as what she had in NY, I’ve noticed that bitching about things not being as good as they are back home is a distinctly NY habit. so who really knows.
Apparently the chef was out sick so most of our original menu choices weren’t available. However, we ordered the duck and beer, per the suggestion of our waitress. Absolutely incredible flavor. My only complaint was that the duck was all still on the bone, which tested the hell out of my sub par chopstick abilities.

Don’t eat the buffet but do eat the soup dumplings and sesame pancakes. Overall I really enjoyed my meal at Captain J’s if you ask to sit in the front room you will get the real deal Chinese menu.
I’ve heard a lot of good things from fellow Unilocalers about this place and I was excited to check it out.
We ordered the pork soup dumplings (huge portion and delicious) these were awesome I’ve never had soup dumpling before so I have nothing to compare them too but all I can say is that I enjoyed them. The cumin lamb was tasty but not authentically prepared as usual it still had a nice taste to it though. We also ordered a spicy fish dish which was really tasty with lot’s of pepper and crispy fried fish.
I think my favorite part of the meal had to be the sesame pancakes I could have stuffed these with anything and been happy, wow so fresh and delicious. It’s like a crispy croissant but even better it’s a must if you come to Captain J’s.
I’m looking forward to bringing a crowd and giving this place another shot. It was completely dead at lunch time besides us there was only one other customer, I’m curious what the dinner service brings. If you are looking for some authentic Chinese don’t miss out on Captain J’s!

Between Banana Leaf and Captain J’s, in my opinion, this is the better of the two. The name, we were told in an amusing story, has stuck… as this restaurant’s journey began as a calabash-​style fried seafood restaurant before migrating into an Asian buffet. The restaurant is undergoing yet another shift now and placing focus on its authentic Chinese food (although it still has the buffet in the background). I came with my two favorite Chinese friends, who were eager to provide guidance on what to order. So much so, we totally over-​ordered and ended up with tons of takeout boxes!
Here’s some of what we tried…
XLB Dumplings (pork & crab). I preferred the pork. But these were both pretty stellar. Delicate skins encasing light, hot broth, and plump with meat.
Scallion Pancake. In my experience, you can never, ever go wrong with ordering these!
Siu Mai. Wonderful. Sadly, looking at reviews online, it seems like this, and other dim sum, may not be on offer anymore.
Pan fried buns. I thought these were average. Skip em.
5Spice braised beef. I thought the texture of the beef was a little odd. But otherwise, this dish was good. Fragrant and well-​flavored.
Spicy chicken. Pales in comparison to Super Wok, and not especially spicy. But then again, this restaurant does not specialize in Szechuan.
We also had an array of soups and some excellent noodle dishes — unfortunately I didn’t write it down, and don’t recall the names. Guess that means I’ll have to return for more research :)

NOT a dim sum rest anymore !!! It’s a regular Chinese rest, they changed the menu.
Food quality ⁷⁄₁₀
Cleanliness of the place ⁷⁄₁₀
Atmosphere ⁶⁄₁₀
Parking ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Service ⁷⁄₁₀
All and all 6.5÷10

On a business trip to meet with a schoolmate. We haven’t seen each other for 34 years, so we went the Capt. J directly from the airport. I have to say this is the best Sichuan restaurant I ever had in the USA! Had a blast!!!

This visit was my initial and it was rushed. I had buffet and just grabbed what I recognized easily. Just looking around I could see that I was missing out on what this place, and the reviews, promised it would be.
My next visit, and may it be soon, will go more in depth on the courses offered.

I would consider myself a soup dumpling expert (the original Din Tai Fung in Taipei is the best). Captain J’s measures up. I would go back for the soup dumplings alone, they’re that impressive.
Pros:
— Soup dumplings (xiaolongbao, 小籠包) were SO good. The innards were fresh, juicy, and flavorful, but not too fatty or oily. The dumpling skin was perfect of thickness and texture, no falling apart, but not chewy either. We tried the pork and the crab & pork, and both were great, though I prefer the latter.
— Tea smoked duck was actually really tender and juicy. I usually don’t like duck prepared this way because it dries out too easily, but they did a good job. I am eager to try their peking duck.
— Pan-​fried rice cakes (炒年糕) with pork had great texture, chewy and not too oily.
So-​sos:
— Pan-​fried buns (shengjianbao, 生煎包) weren’t crispy enough, a little too soggy.
— Eggplant dishes, but I’m picky.
— Szechuan string beans (乾煸四季豆) were cooked fine, but too much meat to string bean ratio.
Cons:
— Scallion pancakes were too thick and bready, not layered/​crispy/​flaky enough.

I’ve only been there once. I went by myself so I couldn’t try too many items on the menu. I had the crab meat XLB, was pretty good. I also had the steam chive dumplings, the dough is a little bit thicker than desired but the filling is definitely up to the standard. I also had the Szechuan braised beef. This was super delicious! I wish I can make something this good. Looking at the menu, I will be back to try all the interesting items here. Service was great (maybe because I speak Mandarin). Of course I went for the ‘Chinese menu’ not for the ‘Calabash buffet’. Unless you order from the Chinese menu, you will never find out what the hype is about. Don’t judge the place by its look, nor the neighborhood it’s in. If you do, you will be missing out!

This was my favorite spot, a real gem. The only place in the area that served authentic Chinese food. Every time we came in for lunch, the place was packed. Unfortunately, a place is only as good as its chef. On our last visit, every dish was disappointing, and the dining room was empty. We asked what had changed, and were told that the old chef was no longer working there.
If anyone finds out what restaurant the chef works at now, I’d love to know. I miss those XLB dumplings!

I just noticed there are a couple of reviews for Captain J’s mentioning my name or my event, but somehow it had eluded me to put in a review myself until now. Shame on me.
Long have I seem Captain J’s sign hanging up on this building, but I had shy away from this place for the same reason as most of you: What do you mean ‘International?’ It’s just another cheap Chinese buffet.
Yes. Chinese buffet it might be, but it is so much more!
Do you know Xiao Long Bao? XLB? Basket dumpling? Soup dumpling? There has been a long absence of real good XLB in the Triangle, until the Chinese chef at Captain J’s stepped in. Since I was little my Grandpa loved XLB. He always taught me you can tell the attention and care that goes into a basket by how many folds that’s on the bun; the more folds the better care the chef took with it.
(for reference, from the famous Din Tai Fung:
)
But beside the XLB, there are many dishes on the menu that I would prefer to eat here than cook at home, because they can make it just as good as mine in the kitchen: the Mah Po Tofu, the beef noodle soup, the potstickers, eggplant with garlic sauce, authentic Sichuan style dishes, and special order Peking Duck.
The trick to get great food from Captain J’s, just be sure to mention you want the SPECIAL CHINESE MENU and VIP SECTION! Or, you come with me, because I can be your menu reader: D Let’s all go out to Captain J’s for lunch and dinner again!

Maybe I don’t like authentic Chinese food, maybe I didn’t order the right dishes or maybe the moon wasn’t in the right place in the sky, but regardless of that all, I thought the food was very good, but not as wonderful as previous reviews on Unilocal.We started with hot and sour soup. It was good but not very hot. Then we had the spicy pork with rice. This was quite good but once again not the best I’ve ever had. Lastly we had a spicy beef soup. Now this was excellent. If I ever go back I will get a spicy seafood soup as the broth was great and I prefer seafood dishes. The décor was pretty, it was odd that we had to circle our food choices on a menu, but we did get the correct foods and the food came promptly.

I learned of this by NOT attending a Unilocal event and subsequently reading the reviews from those who attended, then promptly bookmarked the place and made a mental note to NOT do the buffet here, ever.
The «room» serves family style tapas from the menu. I wanted to try the duck but my tween would have freaked out so I went with the cumin lamb, some hot sour soup, spicy dumplings, shanghai style noodles with chicken and some spicy beef for the 3 of us. It turned out to be WAY TOO MUCH FOOD! When I think tapas, I think very small portions — and as it turned out, the servings were very generous. We now have enough for another dinner (or lunch).
The cumin lamb was awesome, as was everything else. I think we found a favorite for Chinese food in the area, even if it is 25 miles from home (almost everything is 20+ miles from Creedmoor).
The service was spectacular, and in talking to our server we learned of the demise of Restaurant 35 in Cary, very sad.
Looking forward to a return visit!

A little shady looking on the outside. Even more shady looking on the inside. (Think cheap plastic floral arrangements that you would see at a low-​budget wedding in the basement of your grandma’s church.)
The «calabash» seafood sign outside was confusing, to say the least. It looks like a tourist trap in Myrtle Beach. I didn’t know calabash style seafood went with Chinese food, but… ok!
And the dim sum– YUM!
No complaints about the food. The soup dumplings were a celebration in my mouth.
The scallion pancakes were a delight on my palate.
The service was fast and friendly.
The price was right.
The company I was there with was the best part :)
(Sorry– he doesn’t come as part of the package deal. He is *my* eating companion.)

I never would have thought that there would be an amazing foodie gem hidden in a very unremarkable looking buffet, but I heard some buzz about the authentic Chinese dining room in the back that you have to ask for. I’m glad I did, because every single dish the three of us had tonight was superb.
We do not like Americanized Chinese food and prefer more adventurous and interesting authentic dishes. The chef did not disappoint with spot-​on flavors and textures in the crispy fried intestine, pig ears, tripe, intestine and duck blood hot pot, cumin lamb and two kinds of house made Chinese pastry.
Everything was impeccably fresh and perfectly cooked. I was particularly impressed by the house made dim sum and pastries which are made entirely from scratch. I don’t know anywhere else that actually makes their own red bean paste and wraps it in a house made flaky, buttery pastry that is broiled to perfection and served hot and gooey. I would pay a lot more than the $ 3.50 they charge here for a 100% house made, from-​scratch authentic dessert, and the red bean biscuit definitely fits the bill.
The three of us ordered everything that looked intriguing and ate untill we had to cry no more and take home leftovers, and the bill was under $ 60. No arguments with the price at all. I have a mild allergy/​sensitivity that had to be communicated back to the kitchen, and the waiter and waitress were concerned, competent, friendly and highly professional in their service. The waiter took the time to explain the pastry chef’s background and how his region of Tianjin was famous for its fried buns and other cuisine. Justifiably so, I believe, after having a taste.
One thing that service may not be is super fast for all of the dishes. Some are quick to prepare, and others take a little time to make to order. Given that the ones that took more time were made from scratch, the meat and vegetables in them freshly cut and cooked to order, it is worth the wait. Delays are not about the staff being lazy, it was pretty clearly about the chef working harder.
We took a brief look around the buffet, and I’d be willing to try it — the crispy fish heads, the fresh taco bar and house made pupusas looked particularly good even after a fat bellyful of really excellent authentic Chinese food. I think I’ll have to stick to the authentic side for awhile though, at least till I’ve gone through more of that amazing menu.

This place was fantastic! I had driven by this restaurant before but had no idea what deliciousness awaited me at Captain J’s — I thought it was a fried fish restaurant! Lucky for me, fellow Elite Kuanyu C organized a UYE for brunch, and 15 of us got together for a feast. NOTE: this review is for the front dining room with Chinese menu, not the buffet. Important distinction because the Chinese menu is of a much higher quality than the buffet.
Our group was large so we split up into two round tables, each fitting 8 people and ordered family style. We ordered 9 different dishes, starting with their house made soup dumplings (XLB) with pork (they make them with crab as well). Kevin Y was at our table and showed us how to gently move it to your spoon with a chopstick (so you don’t break the delicate dumpling). Then, to avoid burning your mouth you bite the top off, then pour a bit of gingered soy sauce inside, and when it stops steaming enjoy! They were fantastic.
We then had (listing my favorites first):
–flounder in hot chili sauce
–scallion pancakes
–beef and scallion wraps
–stir-​fried sticky rice cakes with chicken
–spicy tofu dish
–stir fried lamb with cumin
–salt & pepper pork chops
–five spice braised beef
Service was wonderful. Our drinks and tea never went dry. (The chrysanthemum tea was lovely). We even met the owner and the chefs. After our feast, we were all stuffed but there was still plenty of food left. They divided the bill by 15 and when I saw mine I gasped — ONLY $ 9.33? Wow — this place is definitely worth the drive! Bring your friends and order a variety of dishes. You will enjoy delicious, freshly prepared dishes and at this price you can’t go wrong!