Tommy C.
Yelp
Taste of Hong Kong : C+ or 2.5 stars, meaning "you're really hungry and want something to eat. This place won't make you foodie happy, but at least now, you're full." A lunch meal with good company, comfortable dining room, friendly service, but the food isn't good enough for a repeat.
It's a sad day in San Diego. Not only did the weather suck, preventing me from riding my bike outside while still having to walk Ginsburg in the rain. But also, I have to officially take one of the few decent Chinese restaurants officially off the "revisit worthy" list.
I finally had a chance to meet my financial advisor in person after working with him for almost a year. We decided on Cantonese food, so really, less than a handful of choices. I ended up choosing Taste of Hong Kong despite knowing they're somewhat inconsistent, but their dining room is more comfortable than Eastern Dynasty or Noble Chef, and I figured I could get at least a "B" meal by ordering intelligently.
We arrived at 12pm, and being the first and only customers, we got the absolute warmest greeting and overall, service was very good. If only the food matched the service!
Cantonese roast duck (C+ ) : My expectations - crispy skin that's not overly fatty, cooked just to the right doneness so that the meat is moist and juicy, well seasoned & marinated with a savory, meaty flavor that has a hint of sweetness in every part of the duck, including great flavor when you suck on the bones. On the plus side, the portion was very generous and the duck was cooked decently well, definitely not overcooked which is often the case. But the duck was under marinated so the flavor was lacking, and one of my biggest pet peeves, it had a previously-frozen taste.
Honey walnut shrimp (B+ ) : This was the highlight of the meal. We wanted seafood, and didn't want to dirty our hands, so crabs & lobsters automatically fell out of consideration. I had the honey walnut shrimp from them a few months ago, and it was surprisingly good, so I gave it another shot and definitely didn't disappoint. The portion of shrimp was very generous, and every piece was fried nicely, hot and crunchy on the outside while still "springy" and juicy on the inside.
Braised beef brisket with daikon in claypot (C ) : Where's the flavor? The dish was clearly not cooked long enough. If I needed to work out your jaws, each piece of brisket represented at least 20 high effort chews. Savory flavors from soy, oyster sauce, mixed with aromas from garlic, ginger and sweetness from star anise and daikon after being braised for hours...totally non-existent here. Imagine expecting a shot of espresso, but getting a couple tablespoons of instant decaf.
Garlic stir fried snow pea leaves (B- ) : Fresh, hot, nicely stir fried, and generous portions, but quite under-seasoned. More garlic & salt would have done wonders. Maybe even go Uncle Roger style, bring on the MSG!
I first tried this restaurant on Nov. 15, 2022, a few days after they opened. I was very impressed with the roasted duck / soya chicken combination plate, and in my review, I gave the chicken an "A" and the duck, a "B+." Since then, I've been back three or four times. They've definitely gone downhill - maybe changed chefs - and unfortunately, the change is not at a baby slope speed but black diamond. I really hope they can turn it around because for the size of San Diego, we need a fair share of good Chinese restaurants!
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Food Grading Scale:
A+: Life changing. You remember these bites for the rest of your life. Occurs very infrequently and when it does, you'll know it. You don't even know how to further improve it with a magic wand.
A: Wow! Excellent. You felt happy biting into it. You're considering whether it's life changing, but know it misses the mark.
A-: Very very good. Whatever it is, it's one of the best, but you can think of further improvements.
B+: Very good. Very enjoyable, not to the point of "impressive," but worth revisiting.
B: Good. A solid example of whatever it is, offering enjoyment, but not enough for making an effort to get.
B-: Not bad. If in a pinch to eat something, this offers some enjoyment and is a reasonable option.
C+: Mediocre plus. Pretty average, but with one or two positive characteristics you can identify.
C: Mediocre. "Meh". Very average. Not bad enough to make you angry, but nothing good about it at all.
C-: Bad. You recognize it for what it is, but a very bad rendition. Your foodie self is a little pissed, and feeling like a dummy you ordered it.
D: Awful. Whoever cooked it should be ashamed of themself. Somehow, you still managed to swallow a bite.
F: WTF is this? Inedible. One chew, you had to spit it out. Fire the chef.