My first impressions of this place was that it was very aesthetically pleasing and spacious. I loved the fish tank and the photographs of the celebrities and famous people.
The service was not exceptionally stellar, yet it was much better than at some other restaurants. However, I found the quality of the food to be rather appalling. Many of the steamed dumplings were overcooked and the wrappers had already burst and leaked out the juices and flavour. Also, the chicken feet did not look nor taste right. They are supposed to be deep fried and then marinated and steamed before serving. Yet, these feet looked like they had just been blanched and were flavourless. The crunch definitely was not right. We also had two rice crepes: the beef and the shrimp. I found the texture bland and it tasted reheated and just meh... I think the worst part was the egg tarts and baked buns. We ordered four plates of egg tarts and they did not taste nor look like egg tarts. Rather the appearance of undercooked curdled milk tarts which needed just a couple more minutes of oven time. The almond baked buns also seemed to taste a little yeasty... I am not sure if it was just an off day for the baked foods or...?
On the other hand, the salt and pepper squid tentacles were to die for! They were not hard and chewy like some places. They were the perfect texture and the crispy batter was not too salty or greasy. YUM! The sticky rice was also rather tasty. A little salty for me, but I loved how it was chock full of yummy good ingredients!
I did not enjoy the cart experience. I just watched the same old ladies pushing the same food back and forth around our section. Watching it get cold and watching as they put the dirty dishes right beneath the food that was waiting to go on someones table and into their mouths. Yuck. I think it didn't help that it was a not so busy week day and the food was not being kept fresh as a result...
Overall, my experience was under par. The food was mainly poor and overpriced (our lunch meal for 6 came to $130), but I did like the decor and service. However, it may just be I prefer ordering piping hot fresh dim sum off the menu instead of the carts...