East Lake Chinese Seafood
★★★★☆ 3.5 (658) • $$
"Final Thoughts: 4.48/5Dim sum for lunch with my friends after my 8-hour shift feels very rewarding. For this place, their dim sum menu is only available until 2:30pm, so just a caution with the time. We came at about 1:30pm and I had quite the pleasant experience from food to service. Food:1. Shrimp Dumpling (Har Gow): 4.4/5The texture of the har gow is to my preference - Optimal balance of softness, thickness, and chewiness. Filling was also optimal for all 4 that were provided. The shrimps are nicely cooked and well-seasoned. Texture of the shrimps were crunchy and I enjoyed it. I did dip this one in soy sauce, but it could have sufficed even without the extra seasoning.2. Siu Mai: 4.6/5My personal favorite item was this item. Four are provided to you. Size, temperature, and flavor were all very nicely done today. Each item actually came out piping hot, so please don't burn yourself. Texture wise, there's a nice crunch from the shrimp mixed with the pork. I split mine in half to cool it off and get a cross section. Optimal amounts of both proteins are provided. Flavor wise - Delightful. I love the balances of salty, sweet, and some umami from the sauce and fish roe. 3. Steamed BBQ Pork Buns: 4.1/5Seems to be your average buns. They came out nice and hot. Dough itself was still very fluffy with a good ratio of dough to filling. The meat was the standard red color. Flavor was also quite standard - well-seasoning with what I believe tasted like oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. 4. Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll: 4.1/5Texture of the rice noodle rolls were nice and thin. Good chewiness and softness with some body to hold its shape. Ratio of the rice noodle and shrimp was alright. The shrimps are plump, but they are smaller in size than other places that I have tried. Light seasonings and balanced flavors overall. The sweet soy sauce has a nice umami and sweetness to it that just compliments this dish. 5. Pan Fried Green Onion Pancake: 4.0/5Very crispy pancake with some subtle flavors from the green onion. Lovely golden brown exterior. The outside texture is very crispy and the inside has the slightest bit of chew and pull to it from all the flattened out layers. Nothing too extravagant about this item, but it did pair well with a protein.6. XO Sauce Stir-Fried Rice Rolls: 3.9/5This dish always needs some kind of a protein to it because it's just rice rolls. There wasn't a significant amount that contribute to it, but I appreciate the shredded meat provided between the rolls. Personal preference, but I enjoyed the thickness of these rolls. They seem quite thick, but pair well with a protein. Nice spice and flavor from the jalapenos. Regarding flavor, some more flavoring would've elevated it. The sauce has a lighter taste to it that seemed to only be on the outside charring layer of the rice rolls.7. Salt and Pepper Fish Fillet: 4.2/5Definitely the protein that helped elevate the rice paper dish. Both paired fairly well together. Nice flavor of salt. I think I would have preferred a strong scent of the black pepper, but it was still good. They came out nice and crispy. Texture wise - Optimal. Slight crisp exterior and the interior was cooked to perfection. Not dry and just breaks apart with a soft interior.---------Quality: Fair All food items were good overall. Temperatures were desirable and very palatable. My two notes would be the shrimps used and BBQ buns. One of the buns had a crack running through the top, and I usually see that with frozen, thawed, and reheated buns. The shrimps aren't the biggest concern, but the size is smaller than others that I am used to. Price: Fair Between the three of us, we paid about $21 each, which I deem a fair price for what we got. Considering we got 7 items and still had leftovers afterwards - Ideal for a simple, but nice lunch date out. They have a variety of items from dim sum to kitchen menu items, so the price will range and vary depending on what you get. Service: Very efficientThe waiters and waitresses here took no time in seating us, checking in on us, and managing each table. They checked on us multiple times and there always seemed to be someone overlooking the tables. Each time we made a movement to signal for something/someone, they were usually already on their way over to us.Ambiance: TranquilSeems like a very nice and quiet area. The interior is quite large and did get a little drafty, but that wasn't too big of a concern here. We were seated at a large table and ended up huddling together to one side. Tables and space seemed fairly parted, so we were able to enjoy our lunch and talk comfortably even in the quiet space.Location/Parking: Fair to optimalThis place seems to be your average dim sum restaurant. The plaza is not one that I visit often. There are a variety of different stores presented here. Parking doesn't seem to be a concern at all. Some traffic is seen, but there were many spots available to us, nonetheless."
"The Mexican inspired sushi is my favorite here. Multiple flavors and proteins to choose from."
"This place has always been on my bookmarks and I got to finally try it on Valentine's day. We got here right when they opened at 5pm, and was able to get a table inside. super cozy and romantic spot with tasteful decor. Despite it being a busy day, the servers were still attentive and provided great service.Fresh Ankimo (5/5) Some of the freshest I've had in the Bay Area. Dare I say as good as Japan? We were super happy with this dish. Highly recommend. Treasure Box (5/5) Just enough for two people, the treasure box is a must get when you come here. We got the Valentine's day box that came with abalone, uni + ikura over rice, king salmon, wagyu nigiri, Toro nigiri, Hamachi, oysters with caviar, sea bass, and a savory egg pudding dish topped with a dungeness crab. Mango Salmon Roll (4/5)salmon was fresh and the mango was sweet and complimented the roll so well.Fancy Oysters (5/5) topped with quail egg, ikura, ponzu and green onion. i really enjoyed these as well and even put some of the Ankimo on top overall, great experience for our first time. I will definitely be back!"
