Dimsum lunch at Koi Palace
There are a few unexpected things for me about Koi Palace. I didn’t expect it to be in the middle of PetSmart, Ross, 24 Hour Fitness, Outback, and CVS. Nor could I fathom why it was completely full at noon time on a Wednesday. People in Daly City don’t have to work on weekdays? What about schools? (plenty of school-age glanced at me mid-bites when I tried to spy the food on their table…) Inexplicable.
Perhaps the food here is really so good that work is meaningless without it? Among the things we got, a few really gave us that instant burst of satisfaction like when you pop a bubble-wrap bubble and made me forget work for a second. Such as the grilled chive and shrimp dumplings. Each ball plops into your mouth and fills the void so perfectly, you sink into a plump piece of shrimp every time you move your jaw. It takes some time to chew, and you kind of wish it would last even longer.
The espresso coffee ribs are another. You can definitely taste the coffee in that succulent, rich piece of meat. This is one of those examples of candied meat, an odd-sounding but undeniably addictive entanglements. If Koi Palace were a buffet, this would be what people pile on their plates.
Not all items were unanimously favorites, however. Most were oily, regrettably but not unexpectedly, such as the roast duck with the perfect-looking burnt orange glaze, the lo mai gai (sticky rice with dried scallop and lap cheong wrapped in lotus leaves), and the cheong fun with BBQ pork and crispy rice.
This cheong fun is interesting, though. The crispy rice part is some type of crispy rice noodle made into a mesh and deep-fried, then rolled next to typical Chinese red-and-sweet BBQ pork cubes inside thick sheets of rice noodle. Finally, the rolls are doused in a sweet soy sauce. We see that they’re trying to go for a soft-versus-crispy-versus-meaty (?) texture harmony thing, but the crispy rice couldn’t stay crispy very long. I like them still, but had I not been Vietnamese and a fan of the much-thinner-rice-roll banh cuon, I would have liked these more.
We always order xiao long bao as a standard measure of how good the dumplings are at dimsum houses. Unfortunately, the xiao long baos here are a bit of a disappointment compared to Shanghai Dumpling King’s (I’m convinced that Shanghai Dumpling King actually has the best Shanghai dumpling aka xiao long bao aka soup dumpling in the Bay Area). They’re not juicy enough. The stuffing is lackluster. They won’t be ordered again.
The remaining fares were neither dream nor embarrassment. There were the fairly commendable congee with pork and pidan, although I would prefer it 30% less thick, sliced jellyfish and green seaweed salad that got stuck in my teeth forever, really nutty gailan in oyster sauce, which was a nice break from all the meat, some Sichuan spicy seafood dumplings in red peanut sauce that looked like little green aliens but thankfully weren’t too spicy, and the unassuming but lovely Peking-style steamed chive and pork dumplings, which never go wrong.
Although the porridge was brought out near the beginning as it should be, the rest of the food arrived in no predictable order. Lo mai gai came first. Deep-fried sesame balls for desserts came at the same time as the green aliens, then they kept pouring in and dangerously took over our table. I stopped taking pictures at one point to start eating so that we could get rid of the plates…
Speaking of desserts, if there is one thing you should never get at Koi Palace, it’s Number 501 under “Sweet Heart” – “Grilled Black Sesame Filled Glutinous Cake”. They are deceptively cute – each is a little squishy ball coated with sesame seeds and contains a gooey black sesame core, kinda like the Sno Balls(*). They are death. Not in a good way, because they are so oily that you are afraid of swallowing, so you have to chew them to death. The problem is that the core is too little and the skin is too thick. If you want black-sesame dessert balls, go to Shanghai Dumpling King, they serve it boiled and full of sesame. On the other hand, the deep-fried balls with lotus and bean paste inside are actually good.
The take-away message: when you’re at Koi Palace, order “espresso coffee ribs” and “grilled chive & shrimp dumpling”. Do NOT order “Grilled Black Sesame Filled Glutinous Cake”.
Address: Koi Palace in Serramonte Plaza
365 Gellert Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015
koipalace.com
Foodnote:
(*) Sno Balls are the best American sweets ever invented.
(**) Photo credit: some photos were taken by bnibroc.
Some genuinely wondrous work on behalf of the owner of this internet site, perfectly outstanding content.
1I would like to thank you for posting this interesting content. I truly enjoy your blog. Thanks again for letting me share my thoughts on your web page. I look forward to more informative publications from you in the near future.
2The delegation details were easy to locate, even in a wallet I had not used before.
3Some really nice stuff on this site, I love it.
4Simply wanna input on few general things, The website pattern is perfect, the subject matter is real wonderful : D.
5Biasanya saya tidak membaca artikel di blog, tetapi saya ingin mengatakan bahwa tulisan ini benar-benar memaksa saya untuk melakukannya! Gaya penulisan Anda membuat saya terkesan. Terima kasih, sangat artikel yang bagus.
6Saya tidak biasanya berkomentar tetapi saya harus mengakui terima kasih untuk posting yang sempurna ini : D.
7Saya selalu peduli dengan topik ini dan masih demikian, terimakasih telah memposting.
8Secara umum saya tidak membaca artikel di blog, tetapi saya ingin mengatakan bahwa tulisan ini benar-benar memaksa saya untuk melakukannya! Gaya penulisan Anda mengejutkan saya. Terima kasih, sangat artikel yang bagus.
9I believe you have mentioned some very interesting details, appreciate it for the post.
10I gotta favorite this internet site it seems handy very beneficial
11Nice read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch since I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!
12I tested a smaller trade after my main swap failed. The test passed, so I waited for a better market before trying the larger amount again.
13Thanks so much for posting this wonderful post. I truly enjoy your web page. Thanks again for letting me share my thoughts on your website. I would love to see more engaging articles from you soon.
14Just what I was looking for, thankyou for posting.
15I would like to thank you for posting this great content. I truly enjoy your blog. Thank you for providing a space for me to comment on your article. I hope more informative publications from you in the near future.
16Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how could we communicate?
17I am delighted that I observed this web site, exactly the right info that I was looking for! .
18I verified the network and account before signing. The page showed the wallet I intended to use.
19Good info. Lucky me I reach on your website by accident, I bookmarked it.
20You have brought up a very good details , regards for the post.
21늑대닷컴을 검색하며 궁금했던 웹툰 정보와 작품 찾는 방법을 정리했습니다. 연재·완결 구분, 무료 회차와 미리보기 차이, 주소 정보 확인 기준, 모바일 이용 팁과 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하세요.
22Thanks so much for providing such wonderful information. I really like your web page. Many thanks for letting me share my thoughts on your article. I look forward to more useful content from you in the near future.
23늑대닷컴을 검색하며 궁금했던 웹툰 정보와 작품 찾는 방법을 정리했습니다. 연재·완결 구분, 무료 회차와 미리보기 차이, 주소 정보 확인 기준, 모바일 이용 팁과 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하세요.
24늑대닷컴을 검색하며 궁금했던 웹툰 정보와 작품 찾는 방법을 정리했습니다. 연재·완결 구분, 무료 회차와 미리보기 차이, 주소 정보 확인 기준, 모바일 이용 팁과 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하세요.
25구미오피를 검색하며 구미 지역 일반 마사지·스파를 알아보는 분들을 위한 안내입니다. 프로그램 선택, 관리 시간과 비용, 시설·위생, 주차, 예약 전 확인사항과 자주 묻는 질문을 정리했습니다.
26밤토끼가 어떤 사이트였는지, 과거 이력과 현재 검색 정보를 구분하는 방법을 정리했습니다. 예전에 보던 웹툰 찾기, 공식 연재처 확인, 무료 회차와 대여·소장 차이, 자주 묻는 질문까지 한 번에 확인하세요.
27밤토끼가 어떤 사이트였는지, 과거 이력과 현재 검색 정보를 구분하는 방법을 정리했습니다. 예전에 보던 웹툰 찾기, 공식 연재처 확인, 무료 회차와 대여·소장 차이, 자주 묻는 질문까지 한 번에 확인하세요.
28구미오피를 검색하며 구미 지역 일반 마사지·스파를 알아보는 분들을 위한 안내입니다. 프로그램 선택, 관리 시간과 비용, 시설·위생, 주차, 예약 전 확인사항과 자주 묻는 질문을 정리했습니다.
29밤토끼가 어떤 사이트였는지, 과거 이력과 현재 검색 정보를 구분하는 방법을 정리했습니다. 예전에 보던 웹툰 찾기, 공식 연재처 확인, 무료 회차와 대여·소장 차이, 자주 묻는 질문까지 한 번에 확인하세요.
30I checked the price before connecting my wallet, and Mayan was clear enough.
31포항오피 검색어의 맥락과 온라인 정보 확인 기준을 정리했습니다. 광고성 표현과 후기의 출처, 게시물의 최신성, 개인정보 보호 방법, 포항 공공정보와 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하세요.
32I have been surfing on-line more than 3 hours nowadays, but I by no means discovered any fascinating article like yours. It is lovely value enough for me. In my opinion, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content as you probably did, the web might be much more helpful than ever before.
33포항오피 검색어의 맥락과 온라인 정보 확인 기준을 정리했습니다. 광고성 표현과 후기의 출처, 게시물의 최신성, 개인정보 보호 방법, 포항 공공정보와 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하세요.
34The next time I learn a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I imply, I do know it was my choice to learn, but I really thought youd have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about one thing that you possibly can fix for those who werent too busy looking for attention.
35It is actually a great and helpful piece of info. I’m happy that you shared this helpful info with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
36naturally like your website but you have to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very bothersome to tell the reality then again I will certainly come back again.
37Dead written content, regards for selective information. “The last time I saw him he was walking down Lover’s Lane holding his own hand.” by Fred Allen.
38Very interesting details you have remarked, appreciate it for posting.
39Thank you for posting this great article. I truly enjoy your website. Thank you for providing a space for me to comment on your web page. I look forward to more informative publications from you in the near future.
40Good web site! I truly love how it is simple on my eyes and the data are well written. I’m wondering how I might be notified when a new post has been made. I’ve subscribed to your feed which must do the trick! Have a great day!
41I don’t even understand how I ended up right here, but I assumed this submit was once good. I do not know who you’re however certainly you are going to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers!
42Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is fantastic blog. A great read. I will certainly be back.
43Needed to post you this very small word so as to give thanks again for your amazing methods you have discussed on this page. It’s simply pretty open-handed of you to offer openly all that a few people could have distributed as an ebook to earn some bucks on their own, and in particular since you might have tried it in the event you desired. These points as well worked like the great way to be sure that some people have a similar zeal similar to my own to grasp whole lot more with respect to this problem. I am sure there are numerous more enjoyable periods ahead for individuals that go through your website.
44Superbridge was fairly simple for a basic token swap.
45Hey there, You’ve done a fantastic job. I will certainly digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I am sure they will be benefited from this website.
46Thanks so much for posting such interesting post. I truly enjoy your site. Thank you for providing a space for me to comment on your article. I would love to see more useful content from you in the coming days.
47I got what you intend, thankyou for putting up.Woh I am delighted to find this website through google. “The test and use of a man’s education is that he finds pleasure in the exercise of his mind.” by Carl Barzun.
48I truly appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thanks again
49certainly like your web site however you have to take a look at the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth then again I will certainly come again again.
50