Chef Zhu 老正兴

We went here for lunch to celebrate a birthday on a weekday. Service was mediocre and so was the food. The place was a little fancier in decor than other Chinese restaurants. Though prices were a bit high for portion sizes and since there was no lunch specials. We did like the hot and sour soup. It has a lot of flavor and they didn't skimp on the ingredients. The kung po chicken and onion pancakes were ok. We did like the eggplant with tofu and the Singapore rice noodle dishes.

Fancier looking Chinese restaurant. The food was ok - the cumin lamb was decent, the chicken with mushroom had no taste and the pan fried buns were definitely defrosted. I would go back with a Shanghai friend to see if the food is legit, otherwise, would not revisit.

My family and I went to Chef Zhu on Xmas night for dinner. Let's get the commentary of the food out of the way. All the meals were very enjoyable. I'm writing this review about the service and not the food. After we were seated we placed our orders. Within about two minutes, the first dish came out (so obviously not made to order). However, 30 minutes after the first dish came out, none of the other dishes had come out yet. I couldn't get the attention of our server at all (he spent all his time on the other side of the restaurant and almost felt as if he were avoiding us). Eventually, I approached another employee who identified himself as the manager. I explained the situation to him and he told me he would look into it. I never heard another word from him. Every time he walked past our table, he diverted his eyes from me and never stopped to give an update. Eventually I stood up and approached another employee who told me that she would go look at it. After about another ten minutes three of our four remaining entrees came out, and then we still had to wait further for the last dish. The lady that I had spoken to said that she would put a "discount" on the bill. The bill came and there was no discount on it. I was embarrassed to have to ask why the discount was on the bill, and they bought us an updated bill with $10 off. Honestly it's too bad that this restaurant has such awful service as the food was actually pretty good. I don't remember a time when I got worse service in a restaurant than this, and where the wait staff and manager went out of their way to avoid me.

It’s not bad Chinese/Shanghai style food. The flavor is okay, but gets the job done for being in the Torrey Highlands area.

The food was superb. The menu is very large with a wide variety of dim sum, familiar, Americanized, Chinese food, and food that seemed much more authentic. There was plenty here for the vegans in the group and several tofu dishes. The service was pleasant and attentive. The vegetable Mushu was unremarkable. What truly shined was the dishes with sautéed vegetables. The tofu and mushroom dish had several different kinds of mushrooms and a delicious soy based sauce. The tofu and greens dish had bok choy leaves and also mustard greens. The vegetables were just done to the point where the flavors were fantastic. As far as the noodle dish, it was wonderful but one of us found a piece of what looked like metal wire in the dish. We obviously did not finish it and appropriately. They made us another one to take with us. They gave us some sesame balls for dessertgiven our experience. It is hard for me to downgrade them much for this given how good the food was. I want to say again that if you do not eat meat, the flavors of the vegetables were incredible. White rice, which is generally included was $1.50 per small ball and I didn’t feel that this should be charged for.

The recent addition of Chef Zhu to the Torrey Highlands shopping center has been met with much excitement, and after my visit, I can confidently say that it's a worthy addition to the culinary landscape. Despite initial reservations about its proximity to Joyee's dumplings, I'm delighted to report that Chef Zhu holds its own. We got here Sunday afternoon, I was pleased to find plenty of parking available in the center, making access easy. The restaurant itself has undergone a stylish redesign from its previous incarnation as a BBQ joint, boasting an inviting interior that sets the stage for a memorable dining experience. While the customer service initially left something to be desired – perhaps due to a focus on online orders – the staff proved to be friendly and accommodating once we garnered their attention. Despite being the only patrons at the start of our meal, we found ourselves waiting longer than expected for assistance. However, once attended to, our orders were taken promptly and accurately. As for the food, it did not disappoint. We opted for the Chicken Lo Mein and Orange Chicken, both of which arrived as generous portions bursting with flavor. The Lo Mein, in particular, stood out with its delightful smoky undertones and perfectly cooked noodles. Meanwhile, the Orange Chicken boasted a delightful balance of sweetness and crunch, leaving us eager to explore more of the menu offerings. Overall, Chef Zhu offers excellent value for money, delivering ample portions of high-quality Chinese cuisine in a pleasant setting. While there may be room for improvement in terms of service efficiency, the delicious food more than makes up for any minor shortcomings. I look forward to returning to sample more of their enticing menu offerings.

This place is super authentic Shanghainese food, I’m impressed! We ordered from Hungry Panda APP, and got the food delivered at my door. The whole meal is just very delicious. Everyone enjoyed it. The quantity is pretty big. I order $120 food with tips, and we four just finished a little bit more than half. I totally feel this place is very worthy to give a try if you would love to check out some very authentic Shanghai style food. I highly recommend Lion’s head meatballs and sweet & sour pork ribs, also the scallion oil noodles are pretty tasty as well.

Very nice restaurant with a big menu. The tea had chrysanthemum and goji berries and was delicious. Shanghai rice cakes are always a good option and the dessert sesame balls were tasty. Highly recommend. There's also plenty of parking in this small shopping district.