Grand Palace

When you drive by this place, you might be hesitant to give this place a try because from the outside it looks pretty run down.  They offer a parking lot which is small and usually there isn't any spots available, but there are ample street parking.  On the inside, it's small and their decor is old and worn out but something about this place gives a homey vibe.

What brings me back to this place is their great service and delicious food.  It seems to be family owned by an elderly lady.  She always has a smile on her face and greets you immediately.  You can't miss her!  If you are not sure what to order, she is more than welcome to offer you suggestions.  She also tells you what is in season and what isn't.  

With every meal, they offer complimentary soup at the beginning and oranges at the end.  I have eaten things from seafood to beef to vegetables from here and they are always perfectly made.  Did I also say they are pretty reasonably priced for the size of the dishes they offer?  Well they are!  Also don't worry if you are craving for something that isn't on the menu, I have ordered several different dishes and they always try to accommodate.  So if you are craving authentic Chinese food and want to avoid the chaos in Chinatown, then definitely give this place a try.

Amazing hole-in-the-wall restaurant with great service!  It doesn't have great looks but definitely gets a +1 for having its own parking lot as well as TVB (Hong Kong Drama)!

It definitely helps if you know Cantonese but the owner's English is sufficient.  She makes great recommendations.  She recommended the oysters cooked with garlic and vermicelli the last time I was there because they just came in.  They were gigantic, delicious, and only $4 each!!!

I also had the salt and pepper japanese tofu.  Japanese egg white tofu fried till it's golden yellow with just the right amount of salt and pepper and jalapenos.

We also ordered the pork belly with black bean sauce and it really hit the spot.  Fatty pork with a delicious sauce.

The best plate we ordered with the CHINESE FRIED CHICKEN! It has to be ordered 3 days in advanced, but it is totally worth the wait.  Not to be confused with sweet and sour chicken and the breaded deep-fried chicken nuggets, Chinese fried chicken is tedious to prepare correctly and even harder to get right.   Grand Palace will actually mince garlic and cover the entire chicken overnight to give it that extra oomph!  Combined with crispy skin and meat that is actually marinated correctly it was the first plate to go and we ordered an entire chicken.

I guess I missed out on eating the seafood when I came in here. This place is nice and cosy with a few tables. We had to wait a few minutes upon entering.

I was suggested to eat a fish since it's fresh and arrived today. While ordering I was also suggested to try the clams since it seems to be their specialty or something. Instead, I opted in for a bizarre menu with the following three dishes: mandarin style pork chops, Japanese tofu with scallops and black bean sauce, and the seasonal veggies with shredded meat.

Complementary to the meal was a soup and sliced oranges at the end. I think the oranges were my favorite (they're sweet) next to the seasonal veggies with shredded meat.

I have to say, I was quite confused to what kind of shredded meat it was. It looked like shredded pork, but I can't confirm. The taste of the meat was doused out. The veggies is what will be admired due to their "wok heat." It's juicy, cooked, and still crispy. It was awesome.

The other dishes wasn't much for me to admire. I especially disliked the mandarin style pork chops. If I knew they would make it with ketchup, I would've done so at home since that's how I usually make them. There was a slight crisp, which was pretty good. They're mostly meat and minimally bones (I didn't see much bones, to be honest).

The scallop dish with the Japanese tofu was one of the worst combinations of all. Of course, I ordered the food so I was deemed with bad taste... I'll take this one for you Grand Palace.

Overall, that dish wasn't impressive considering the black beans weren't properly mashed so I tasted a lot of black beans in the sauce. It's always a sudden salty kick with the occasional chipping of the tooth. There's some sand/ shell in there for sure. The scallops were halved so it looks like we got a lot more. The tofu was just barely heated. The sauce definitely drowned out the tofu taste. One of the most disliked dish here.

My date complained the place looked shady, and I just didn't feel impressed about the decorations (I'm here to eat for pete's sake). I was entertained by the TV since it was airing MY DRAMA.

I highly doubt I'll be coming back. I forgot to mention the kids who were treating the place like their relative's home. The staff was definitely friendly. It appears that people who come in are regulars. I disliked having the wind lick my rear while I ate, which was topped off with kids' squeals. This is a family place.

Plus one to them for having their own lot. If the lot is full, that means the tables are full as well, so expect a wait time.

There's an uncorking fee (BYOB).

EDIT: I forgot to mention why the stars were so low... the complementary soup was spoiled. Carrot soup tend to spoil easily and that was exactly the case here. The food was really mediocre for me. The atmosphere can be better experienced by people who love a homely feel (along with the noise).