Champagne Seafood Restaurant
| Address: | 88 E 4th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401, USA |
| Phone: | +1 650-343-6988 |
| Site: | facebook.com |
| Rating: | 3.7 |
| Working: | 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM 10AM–3PM 10AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
DO
Dorie Lo
Its not the best seafood restaurant Ive been to on the east coast and on the west coast. Spacious banquet sized restaurant, but a number of discrepancies holds this place back from foodies returning for a second time (but sadly will still attract typical customers who just accepts that this is the standard for all restaurants alike). 1) Cleaniness: Pros: Even with the space and the clean floors and tables, I like to believe that is only because we were the first customers there. Cons: Bathrooms were dirty and needs to be thoroughly disinfected. It was quite unpleasant. 2) Service: Pros: We had top notch VIP service by the manager. That may also be due to the fact that the manager knows our hosts and they were straight forward with everything and that they placed orders for New Years food. The manager had his eyes on the money. Cons: Im really wondering why I was singled out here. The first time when the waiters came around to switch plates so we can get clean ones, the waiter would come around one side and when I was next in line to get my plate taken away, the waiter went around and cleared out everybodys and lastly mine. (I had already set down my utensils and there was no food on the plate). The second time when that happened, pretty much the same thing, but only this time, instead of the waiter picking up the plates from everybody, he just put his hands out from the other side for me to give it to him. Thanks buddy. I felt like a second class citizen. I give it that maybe because the waiters served and took care of his VIPS first and not me or my dad since he never saw us before but to make it obvious in their service makes them look even worse. 3) Food: In all honesty, the food in terms of taste and presentation were mediocre. Some of the sauces were a bit too gloppy so it looked messy. Some food tasted pretty good but werent flavorful. The chicken was a bit dry and overcooked. The food is not something to brag about but its not too bad. I guess they have quite a few hit or misses.
TI
Tiffany K
Surprised this spot doesnt get higher reviews. Seems like its due to their customer service - or lack of. Walking in, it instantly reminded me of the yum cha spots I used to frequent when I lived in Sydney. Huge banquet seating, crystal chandeliers and bustling servers. The customer service reminded me of it too. Not exactly friendly, just efficient. The women serve the food, the men get your tea and soy sauce. You tip the lid on your tea pot for more tea and hold up your check when you want to pay. Its great that you can order off the menu and check what you would like. Problem is, I know things by sight - not by name. I was lucky enough to always go to dim sum with someone who spoke Chinese and ordered for me. As for the food, like I said, I dont know the names of things - but I do know steamed pork buns! Very tasty and pillowy soft. Also had these deep fried egg-looking things with meat & vegetable fillings. They were the best Ive tried! Also had tofu-skin rolls filled with veggies. The egg custard tarts were a bit too oily, however. I was disappointed that I couldnt spot my favorite: triangle-shaped puff pastry filled with BBQ pork. Price-wise, it seemed a little bit higher than what I normally pay, but worth it. Plates range from $2.60 for small to $4-ish for a large. Most plates are considered medium. Is it just me, or does it seem like the more people you have at dim sum, the less you end up paying per person? I hadnt been to dim sum in years and it was a good experience for my daughter who had never been. She sat in silence taking in the atmosphere and cringed at the chicken feet.
KA
Karen V Chin
Dim sum is good (4 stars) for San Mateo, but because of the service or lack of it, it drops to 3 stars. Theres a wait during the weekends, which I am okay if the dim sum and service make up for it. Unless you know a member of the wait staff, you get abrupt service - waiter hands you the order list, you mark what you want (with your own pen), then a tray lady comes by with your order and plops on the table. This place does not have carts. When it comes time to get your bill, it takes awhile for a waiter to tally, then take your credit card, and come back with it. If Champagne is really busy, it can be an ordeal to flag someone and go through the process to pay your bill. Getting someone to refill your teapot isnt a pleasant experience (putting the teapot lid upside is universal) either. You have to flag one of the floor managers to get anything service (and there are at least 4 of them on the floor at any given time). Service during the week is the same experience as the weekend, without the wait for a table. As for the dim sum, the har gow and siu mai are good (how I rate dim sum). You get slightly on the small size four meaty, hot juicy pieces. Hong Kong Flower Lounges dim sum is larger in size for about the same price. There are no condiments on the table. If you want soy sauce, hot mustard, etc. you have to ask and that is when they will pour you an individual small dish for the table to share (keep costs down?! Worried if a customer steals a soy sauce bottle?!). If we want dim sum, its worth the drive to Millbrae (and to wait) for both great dim sum and decent service.
CI
Cindy Toh
My 2nd visit and this time it was fantastic. I made a reservation on our 1st visit, the reservation was useless as they did not honor that and we were made to wait for at least 30mins before getting seated. Decided to give it another shot. This time when I walked up to the host, told her I made a reservation and immediately got whisked to our seats! There were a lot of people waiting in line, we possibly had to wait more than 30min if we hadnt make the reservation. I like their menu. Every dish has a picture accompanying the dish name which helps you find what you want a lot faster. Helpful to get people to try new dishes as well those who are not familiar with dim sum. Food were served promptly and warm. Every dish was tasting really good and except for a dumpling in a soup. It made me wonder why did everyone else rate their food so badly? It was really good, well at least for their dim sum items. I had Siew Mai, fried char Siew Bao, shrimp rice rolls, Portuguese egg tarts, dumpling in soup and a vegetable cooked in broth, cant recall the exact name. Not expecting overly friendly or smiley service at a hectic Chinese restaurant. Service was prompt and good. They are now officially rank above The Kitchen (millbrae) as my favorite dim sum restaurant.
MA
Maria Pere-Perez
The dimsum is delicate and fresh, because majority of the dimsum is not wheeled around on a cart. You have to order it from the menu, which looks like a large tri-fold brochure. (Every dish has a small thumbnail photo.) There is a small selection of dishes that are wheeled around, but majority must be ordered from the menu, which is what keeps it deliciously fresh. They cook it only after you order it. The fried foods come straight from the fryer to the table (i.e. very hot). They also have a great deal of variety. There seems to be hundreds of dishes, some of which are difficult to find outside SF Chinatown, and they are authentically prepared. I am usually very fussy when it comes to Chinese food, and I am very pleased with everything Ive eaten here. The downsides of this place: Service. When it gets crowded during rush hour, it can take forever to get your bill.
