I grew up and lived in Los Angeles most of my life, so when it comes to Dim Sum, I admit to being a bit spoiled. For me, the bar has been set quite high by the variety and quality of Dim Sum available just east of LA. Because of that and because I am realistic about living in a relatively provincial town compared to Los Angeles, I am willing to judge accordingly and be less critical.
I have been to Orchid's Garden many times and it's usually passable Dim Sum. I've never walked out of there thinking, "Wow, that was kick ass". That said, I was just glad that at least I could get some Dim Sum here in Las Vegas, albeit mediocre.
I don't like writing bad reviews of restaurants, but I'm afraid that my last visit necessitates some serious venting. I actually left this dump feeling pissed off. There is almost nothing worse than seriously craving good Chinese food then having an absolutely crappy meal. In a way, it's like having sex and ending with a mistimed lackluster orgasm.
It was partially my fault for having the temerity of eating at 4:30 in the afternoon. The place was fairly empty and only one sad lukewarm cart was being wheeled about. Dim Sum is best when a place is overflowing with ravenous customers and hot steaming carts are careening about at the hands of hostile Chinese women who recoil at the thought of serving Gringos. Oh, wait, I take that back. They were a little rancorous.
Everything we picked from the cart was room temperature at best. The selection was old, oily and diminutive. With a little imagination, one might wonder if this is what Dim Sum is like when served in socialist Venezuela where people engage in small skirmishes just to get a loaf of bread.
When I finally flagged down the waitress to get our check, I actually got very Gordon Ramsey on her and said, "You should be embarrassed to serve crap like that." My bitchy comment was returned with a blank, couldn't-give-a-shit, stare.
Four of us in my party vowed to never go back. It was simply terrible. What a shame. Fortunately none of us got sick.