Address: | 500 W Main St, Alhambra, CA 91801, USA |
Phone: | +1 626-308-3222 |
Site: | lunasiachinesecuisine.com |
Rating: | 4.2 |
Working: | 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 9AM–9PM 9AM–9PM |
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Felix Lee
We ordered the following items: 1. Portuguese Egg Tarts (葡撻) - The first item brought to our table which indicated sequence and order of consumption is not of interest at this upscale restaurant. These tarts have to be eaten warm but they arrived lukewarm. The sugar level of the custard was just right. The crust is crispy and layered, it does not crumble over time. A solid choice. The plating was obviously copied from Tim Ho Wan, a Michelin-rated dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong. 2. Golden Egg Yolk Buns (金沙飽) - Lunasias egg yolk buns had the essential "lava effect" which means upon penetrating the buns skin, egg yolk filling bursts into your mouth like a flowing molten lava. The buns spongy and soft texture was another highlight. However, the yolk-coconut milk ratio in the filling was skewed towards the sweet side. 3. Choy Sum w/ Chinese Pickled Vegetables (冬菜鹽水浸菜芯) - A very ordinary Guangdong vegetable soaked in brine. The pickled toppings were nearly tasteless so they did not add additional flavor to the already bland vegetables. Skip this and cook it at home. 4. Shanghai-Style Five Spice Smoked Fish (五香煙熏魚) - Lunasia serves dim sum from the various areas of Guangdong province and also other parts of China. This is a Shanghai-style smoked fish with a crispy skin and a lot of tiny bones in between the meaty flesh. The sweet seasoning overpowered most of the taste of the five-spice marinade, but it was a light sweetness that I enjoyed when I took a break from savory food. 5. Spinach Dumpling with Fresh Shrimp (鮮蝦菠菜餃) - This is the most visually appealing item on the menu, a play with decoration and colors. There is fish roe sprinkled along the tip of the dumpling. However, the taste is just average. The description is misleading since there is actually no shrimp inside the dumpling. Shrimp was substituted with a chopped scallop and chewy Chinese green mixture. The dumpling skin was moist and firm to hold a large quantity of filling, but the filling was too salty and there was hardly any seafood flavor. 6. Handmade Beef Ball Congee (手打牛丸粥) - The beef balls in this congee are hand-constructed from scratch and they taste a lot lighter than the refrigerated versions found at supermarkets. It has some subtle orange peel flavor. Lunasias beef balls have a soft gelatinous texture that blends in with the smooth white congee. The congee base is very plain and not overdosed with salt which is common at even high end dim sum restaurants. 7. Macau Roast Pork Belly (澳門燒腩仔) - Lunasia sure knows how to present their dim sum artistically while cutting costs. Macau roast belly is well known for its crispy skin and pork fat layered between the meat. Its often cut into cubes, but Lunasia slices the pork belly into strips as thin as sashimi so the quantity appears to be large but it actually isnt. Although the pork belly meat was high quality and the crunchy skin was first-class, it wasnt worth the special price order for the quantity given. 8. Shunde-Style Chicken Wrap (順德大良雞卷) - Shunde is a region near Guangzhou where the dim sum is top notch. Lunasias product is not close to being a replica of what is found in China as each piece is too thin, especially the crust, but it has the same concept of chicken encased in fried bean curd. This "chicken wrap" was very greasy and salty, and although Lunasia paired it with a sweet dipping sauce, I think it would better be washed down with a beer. My opinion is that Lunasia ranks in the middle of the pack of dim sum restaurants in LA, trailing behind Sea Harbour, China Red, and King Hua. The quality and quantity of food do not match the prices charged, which is probably marked up to help pay for the extravagant decor.
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Kim L
They dont have DIm Sum carts rolling around here. Nope, you have a menu which you check off what you want. This kinda kills the fun for me because I love to look at the food before I order. Recommended Food: -------------------------------------------- Har Gow (Shrimp dumplings): 5 stars Much, much bigger than other places. Very fresh, came to the table steaming & tasty. BBQ Pork Bun: 4 stars 1 of the better things her eon the menu. Tasty & yummy, not mushy like other dim sum restaurants. Spinach & Shrimp Dumpling: 4 stars Explosion of shrimp, spinach, water chestnuts all wrapped up in a dumpling with ma-sago eggs sprinkled on top. yummy =) Portuguese Egg Tarts: 4.5 stars Crust was very light & flaky (my fave type) & middle was sweet & eggy. so yummy. This is a must try if you love egg tarts =) A-OK / Not recommended Food: ----------------------------------------------- Crispy shrimp wrap: 2.5 Stars (just ok) Crispy & flaky fried noodle casings with very small bits of shrimp on the inside. Bot of a let down Id say. =( Mushrooms w/ Tofu: 2.5 stars On the salty side but mushrooms & black fungus added a good flavor & texture to the tofu. Chicken Feet: 2 Stars Very bland, had no flavor at all. Very disappointed. =( Pork ribs: 1 star (do NOT order) Very bland , had no flavor at all & had no sauce on top like other Dim Sum restaurants do. ----------------------------------------------- Overall: Food: C Most of the foods were very bland & had no taste at all. This is definitely OVER priced for bland food. =( Service: D Very very slow, had to keep waving them over to ask for things. And when we did ask for things, theyd forget to bring us it & wed have to ask for it again. Ugh, whats up with all these waiters & they cant even get a request correct? Took us forever to get a table too. Decor: B+ This is probably why this place is packed because its trying to look nicer & fancier than all of the other 1000 dim sum places in SGV. This doesnt make up for the lackluster overpriced food thats being served here. Womens bathrooms here are gross, it seems like they never take out the trash / clean the bathrooms here. Eww.. =( *TIP: You can RSVP over the phone, BUT you have to do it 1 day ahead. wth??! Parking: They have their own parking structure & theres also parking around the restaurant.
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Yenny Du
3.5 stars rounded up. Ever since Lunasia was named as one of LAs best new dimsum places, Ive had it in the back of my mind to try it. Like Elite, it doesnt have the traditional dimsum carts, you order a la carte from an order form. Our group of 4 met here around 10:30am without a reservation and waited maybe 15-20 min for a table. We ordered a lot of dishes, and I didnt find anything wrong with any of the dishes we ordered - but then again, I love dimsum and even mediocre dimsum is okay by me :) I thought the shumai was particularly juicy and good and I like the macao egg tarts a lot, wish they had the regular egg tarts as well. Their dimsum menu is rather limited (no douhua??) and they have a bigger section of real dishes. Lots of staff around, food came out pretty quickly, but not in the order I wouldve liked it to. Bathrooms are kinda dirty, too many people using them, I guess. Parking is free in the garage directly behind the building. Id probably come back but my first choice will always be a dimsum place with carts!! Or Elite for more menu options!
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Griffin Eng
Im from Seattle and our dim sum scene is woefully inadequate. In fact its common knowledge that many folks drive up to Vancouver/Richmond just to get their Chinese food fix. One of the best ones up there is Kirin and Ive long held that theres nothing quite as good until I tried this place! Im not a frequent traveler to the LA area but I do know that SGV boasts many great options that serve the growing Chinese community. I was fortunate try this place out on recommendation from local friends and it did not disappoint. The speed and efficiency of service was great. The dishes came fast and they often times refilled drinks, provided extra napkins and discretely checked in on you. Kudos to the front of house staff! Ive also been told that the dim sum is prepared daily in house and the freshness of many dishes is reflected. The staples of dimsum like shu mai, har gow, various buns etc were all on point and comparable to Kirin if not better in some cases! Id love to try this place again when Im back in town. Thoroughly impressed!