Phoenix Garden Chinese Restaurant 鳳凰城酒家

Phoenix Garden was previously Golden Phoenix which was owned by Cindy who now owns Cindy's Palace. My only "blurb" about Phoenix Garden, two strikes and you are out. Phoenix Garden's interior is a cleaner Chinese restaurant which gives the impression that the food will be tasty and service will be attentive.

CRAB MEAT WITH SHARK'S FIN SOUP ($18.80/bowl). The shark's fin is fused with the soup which is something different for me since I usually see a piece of shark's fin. The broth tastes light, clear and tastes good. For the price, it would have been nice to have a piece or two of crab meat.

2lb LOTUS WRAP LOBSTER AND STICKY RICE ($29.80). This is a special and I think it is usually $10.00 more. It seems like Chinese restaurants are trying to compete with each other because lately there has been many lobster and/or crab specials. The only reason BF and I wanted to come here is for the lotus wrap lobster, he had it the first time and found it interesting. The lobster tastes flavourful as well as tender since it is only 2lb. The rice has a nice lobster aroma and some tasty niblets of corn.

OYSTER WITH ROASTED PORK AND BITTER MELON ($16.95). The bitter melon tastes perfectly cooked with a nice crunch. Unfortunately the roasted pork tastes too chewy, and I did not try the oyster. The black bean sauce tastes average and not too salty or overwhelming.

SPARERIBS INSIDE A WHOLE PUMPKIN ($16.80). For this dish, the waitress usually slices the sides of pumpkin to let the sauce pour out. The spareribs taste tender, flavourful, not salty, and the pumpkin does not taste overcooked. 

RED BEAN SOUP (COMPLIMENTARY). The soup tastes average, not too sweet and could have been more thick (personal preference).

FROM FIRST VISIT. STEAMED TILAPIA, SAUTEED PEA TIPS, 2LB SPOT PRAWNS, AND LOTUS LEAF WRAP LOBSTER.

POSITIVES

- Dinner was better than the first because we were given red bean soup this time and not fortune cookies

NEGATIVES

- Average tasting dishes

- Pricier dishes

- Service? Won't get any unless you're here with a large group

LITTLE THINGS

- Below is my vent, a pretty rude vent

- I understand the owner has good intentions by telling me to order soup and only one dish, but I am starving. For him to YANK the menu out of my hand numerous times, come on. Seriously. When I say yank, I mean yank. The first time we came here, he did the exact same thing and it really pisses me off. Why must you yank the menu out of a customer's hand? Usually people are happy when customers order more! I really wanted a vegetable dish because I prefer less saucy dishes. He practically did not even want us to order the third and forth dishes, we literally said we wanted them for five minutes straight. Other than the ordering problem, I actually banned this place before because they gave us a fortune cookie for dessert, WTF? Not to sound like a b@#$%, but fine a fortune cookie is acceptable. I only find it not acceptable when everyone has else red bean soup and cookies on their table.

- Continuing with my vent, the service is pathetic. There is no service unless you are here with 8-10 people. Are you guys stupid? So many larger tables do not even tip properly. Stop thinking that larger tables will mean a bigger tip. It is not always necessarily true and I have seen it so many times. I regret the tip I gave them and should have tipped what they assume two people will tip. This restaurant really pisses me off. All I wanted is to order peacefully, freely, and order what I want. The only service I needed was the bill and some take out containers, why is that so hard when you have 2 waitresses and 2 owners with only 4 seated tables in the restaurant?  

Food: 2.5/5

Service: 1/5