| rev:text
| - 07/20/11
2.75 stars.
Was shopping for tamarind candy and pan de sal at Lee Lee's, whiling away time before I was to meet an aunt at Mekong Plaza to dine at one (or two) of the food kiosks there, when I received a text from her saying she'd been in an accident. Dropping everything, I met her at the scene. An hour and a half later (she's not hurt, and the other driver was ticketed), I was starving for nourishment and aunt was not, so we headed back to the Lee Lee plaza to wait for her ride. I was craving for noodles and was heading to Pho Van, when we walked by Phoenix Palace and decided I'd give it another try, as aunt gave it a green light, and I remembered from reading "recent" reviews that it was under "new" management. (Last time I visited was two years ago.)
A child host greeted and sat us at a booth. (OK, she's Asian, so she probably was 13 years old... I know how it is... when I was 18, people thought I was 12, and now I'm... well, let's just get back to the review, shall we?) We both ordered water, and I studied the menu. After about ten minutes, the server that kept walking by our table finally approached to ask if I we were ready to order. I asked if the BBQ pork lo mein came w/ vegetables. He said that the chow mein had mushrooms, but the lo mein would not have any veggies. "No veggies?," I asked. Can you add some? He said, after some thought, "bok choy," and I said yes. I also asked if broccoli and snow peas can be added. He said OK. "No celery, or carrots, OK?" He nodded yes. I also ordered a batch of crab puffs.
The crab puffs arrived 15 minutes later, all golden-brown and smelled wonderful. I liked the crunch of the fresh-from-the-fryer wonton wraps, but found that the sweetened cream cheese and crab filling too sweet. I decided to eat a couple before the entree and save the rest for dessert. (I found that I enjoyed the crab puffs more when I thought of it as a dessert, and not as an appetizer.) The lo mein arrived four minutes after (19 minutes after time of order), looking delicious, but definitely cooked w/ carrots. I didn't complain and let the matter drop. I'd only expected bok choy, broccoli, and snow peas; Instead, I saw bok choy, carrots, cabbage, bean sprouts, spring onions, and garlic! The exclusion of broccoli was A-OK- I hadn't really wanted it in there; I just didn't want "just bok choy." The dish was very good! Loved the sauce that it was sauteed in, though the BBQ pork was a little too fatty for my taste- I worked around it. What I really didn't enjoy were the pieces of bitter bok choy. Some were sweet, and after finding two bitter chunks, I thought I'd see if there was a reason why they were bitter. A-ha! Those that were bitter were bites close to bases of the stalks, which had particles that looked like dirt, while those that tasted sweet were cubed pieces, or stalks that didn't contain those dirt-like particles (see photos). Needless to say, I felt less-enthused about the noodles after that. Back to those crab puffs!
Server was unobtrusive, but could be found, if I needed him. The woman who gave me the ticket and my fortune cookie was very sweet... OK, Phoenix Palace. One more strike in a few months, or maybe two years, and you're out!
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rNqSjfRM09T-VOjRTAF66g?select=ygt_oEC7K_ukEGlFdMWpow
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rNqSjfRM09T-VOjRTAF66g?select=f7Ci-_b6cb0BZg3QgvZHYg
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rNqSjfRM09T-VOjRTAF66g?select=PHZJQhzvrwBhmsxWV5aYDg
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