White Swans Asia Caffe
| Address: | 798 S Clinton Ave, Rochester, NY 14620, USA |
| Phone: | +1 585-270-4431 |
| Site: | white-swans.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 10AM–9:30PM Closed 10AM–9:30PM 10AM–9:30PM 10AM–10:30PM 10AM–10:30PM 10AM–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
PA
Paul Cicotta
I really dont understand what the hype is about with White Swans Asia Café, because food wise this restaurant falls way below the marker. The quality in the Thai dishes that where served to me where sub-par, and tasted/looked like something I could have gotten next store at Yummy Garden. The interior looks like youre in a traditional Asian Dim Sum Restaurant with more of an Asian market feel. The service is excellent, as the servers are extremely progressive making them quick on their feet. I would come here just for their famous Bubble Teas, as they are the BEST bubble teas in the Rochester area. Food comes out extremely greasy here, which bothers me when the grease lies in your stomach. There are better Asian choices in town; this is your go to spot for Bubble Tea and fast food Chinese when youre hung over the next day. Something to make note of is they do have a nice mini-Asian bakery inside, rare to see in the city without going out to Henrietta. Lets take a look at how this black swan faired in regards to the overall menu. BUBBLE TEAS: BEST tasting TARO tea ever. The aroma of the almonds, with the milk blended in extremely well. I saw the painstaking task of the servers putting this bubble tea together in the blender. The texture was smooth and creamy which elevated this to WOW!! This tea is the real deal, like drinking one from China Town in NYC. APPETITZERS: There was nothing Vietnamese about my VIETNAMESE EGGROLLS, as they were simply stuffed with ginger and shrimp then fried. This restaurant runs itself into an identity crisis when it tries to incorporate Thai, Chinese, and Dim Sum all at the same time kind of like the bisexuals I seem to date on a routinely basis. Some restaurants can pull this off, and some just cant as this eggroll was clearly Chinese. The eggroll was greasy and flavorless as it was missing salt and garlic inside. The SCALLIAN PANCAKES where horribly charred on top, making them browner and less fluffy. When cooked too long without proper seasoning such as pepper, the pancake becomes dry/flavorless. Traditionally, these are supposed to be served with a ginger sauce, this was served with their Sweet Soy Sauce which didnt work for this dish. DIM SUM: The SHRIMP STEAMED DUMPLINGS where the BEST thing I have tried on the menu, as Dim Sum should be the only thing this restaurant should focus on. The plump shrimp inside where cooked perfectly surrounded by the fluffy bamboo shoot. The downside is these dumplings where not toasted lightly on top over sesame oil in order to give you that BRIEF crunch a dumpling should have. No green onions where in these dumplings as well. While taste was great, the mushy texture of being steamed too long without sautéing briefly was off-putting for me. The dumplings where complimented by a sweet soy sauce that was delicious, and different in flavor when it comes to a traditional soy. ENTRÉE: The THAI PANAG BEEF was truly horrible, making me want to feed this entrée to the dragon in that movie Mulan. When it came out presentation wise I knew there was going to be problems, with the ingredients floating around a watery mess on my plate. The sauce did not have enough curry paste in it giving it no flavor, and it they didnt take their time to reduce the liquid to a thick sauce--Chinese Take-Out anyone? The beef wasnt tender; in fact it was blubbery and chewy. I didnt even get a taste of fish sauce in the dish either, if any was added to overall Panang. A Thai dish that just had a can of coconut milk dumped on top of the ingredients placed on the plate. DESSERT: The SESAME BALLS where a complete flop, making me disregard anything shaped like a ball for an entire week. The ratio of flour to sugar with these balls where way off, making me choke on the amount of flour in it. In fact there was a ball within a ball, a giant flour ball stuffed inside my sesame ball snack treat-cough cough. Do yourself a favor, and avoid this bakery case of death.
JU
Justin Tran
I absolutely love white swan. The food is good but its really the Dim Sum that makes it shine. Cantonese house seems to be the go to restaurant for dim sum in Rochester, but I prefer going to white swan instead for a couple of reasons. Cantonese House is super packed on the weekends and it can be hard to get a table. Cantonese house also has a limited selection of Dim Sum during the week, where as with White Swan, you can order anything on the Dim Sum menu. I find that the quality of the shrimp/beef rice rolls are much more consistent at white swan where it can be hit or miss else where. The decor is nothing spectacular, but I go here for the food not the atmosphere. Bubble tea here is really good as well. They dont make it super sweet like some other places, and the fresh fruit ones are great during the summer months. The private off street parking is also a big plus. I do take out from here once or twice a month, and it has been delicious every time. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who likes Dim Sum.
TE
Teddy Sainphor
This is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Rochester. My favorite dish is the kings noodle delight: shredded beef, chicken, bacon and veggies with your choice of noodle - I always spring for the chow fun. It can literally feed 3 people or 1 bodybuilder. They have a pretty decent dim sum menu - nothing like Cantonese House - but perfectly acceptable when youre hungover on a Sunday morning, jonesing for some bao and dont want to wait an hour. The atmosphere is like a cafeteria in Flushing. Its a loud space with painted concrete walls and tile floors, a couple of flat screens and fluorescent lighting. Theres a party room that can accomodate large groups and I believe they even have a karaoke machine! The staff is friendly and attentive and theyve learned my preferences - no soy, extra cookies! I love them. Check them out! Youll be glad you did.
MI
Michael Moellering
White Swans Caffe (despite the funky spelling) is the best NYC/SF style Chinese food Ive had since moving here from California in 1992 (ikr). Rochester was a wasteland for Chinese baked goods. Before WSC there were none, for the most part. Often, when you did find them, they had been made in Toronto, frozen and shipped here. Dim Sum was almost always the same fare. Prepared and frozen somewhere else and thawed in Rochester. Prices are quite reasonable and there are some rotating menu items depending on the season. Ive had wintermelon soup there. WTH? Have you even seen that on a menu in Roch before White Swans? My only caveat is that some of the condiments can be a smidge industrial. So what? Go here. Eat here. Pretend youre on Grant and Commercial.
DE
Derrick Agi
I love this place for its authentic Chinese and Thai food. The best part though are the pastries that are backed fresh daily, everything including custard buns, seasame balls w/ red bean paste, and lemon raisin bread just to name a few. It is also right down the street from Charles W Schrader Inc (a great place to get your car fixed) and right across the street from Highland Health.
