Ya | The Mandarin Room 黄鹤楼 — Restaurant in Munich

UPDATE 2024 - From 5 to 2 stars - Not the only one recognizing the decline, if you scroll through the reviews.....

Family from Singapore came and visited. Was happy last year, so why not go there again:

Food took a decline - ricepapers not properly steamed - were hard; Dim sum skin much too thick - their xiao long bao would not sell well anywhere in Greater China - same problem as at Le Du, their sister restaurant; filling soso. The shrimp wantans ok. All in all: dim sum soso, duck was good.

Service was a disaster this time - seriously - maybe we were just unlucky (but really really unlucky) because last time the service was great. Hard push towards the set menues (we have a menue culture in China........ aha, ok, but this time we would like to mix and match ourselves, even though you only give us one menu and state that then we will order more dishes, i.e. numbers, than three which is harder to remember (she actually did :)

The spare chair was instantly removed (was needed although 15 other chairs unused and the table next to us did not need their 2 spare chairs - no problem but felt strange).

She then opened the ordering process asked my Chinese wife, whether she is familiar with sharing dishes. No problem - fair question; later she asked whether we know how to eat a canton duck - that was friendly TBH (only her tone and arrogant behavior was not). Only handing out a single menu was a nice gesture, so we had to talk more to find out who likes what (next table faced the same problem after us) - but later we got another menu from the front desk, which was nice.

Among the drinks, we had ordered 2 of the teas on the menu (5.60) and pointed on them - they were eventually 12.50 each on the bill (seriously??? not exactly trustworthy '), she did not refill the water (her nice colleague however did - thx man); we discussed how many ducks to take after starters, said 3 and immediately wanted to change to 2 to leave room after the dim sum and the ducks for dessert - impossible she said, already entered into the Ipad - for real?? The ladies were not that hungry in the end and I squeezed in 2 ducks with hard ricepaper (see above), but at least I knew how to eat :)

Check out was cumbersome (no wonder as the service lady remained true to her mission to try hard to ruin what could have been a good evening - no AMEX accepted (fair enough, that happens), no personalized bill but sent an email with a link - only 12 hours valid (makes sense if you have dinner at 6.30 and drinks after - who does not want to edit on the go and otherwise not get the bill needed for German authorities) - all garnished with one of th worst attitudes I came accross in 1000 restaurant visits.

Nice atmo still, really like the interior, but super loud.

After all - there will most likely not be another EDIT in the future, I am afraid :) Just too many good alternatives around (hope the waitress will not move to another restaurant, although - then we might even come back - see my first review above). Again: stress - Different to the 'set menue culture' she did not complain abt the tip (thought whether I should skip it entirely, but then hoped it will be shared among employees and did not want the others to suffer from a single person's work attitude) - maybe her China also has a 'tipping culture' she would like to educate the stupid 老外 about, so at least we got this one right.

ORIGINAL REVIEW

Took some guests there. Setting and atmosphere is super nice. The food caters to the western palate, almost fusion, but is first class. We tried some of their prearranged menues and a few extra dishes on the side. Had the task to please a Chinese lady and a German F&B manager. It worked. Also because the service was great, did not overpromise and was witty and funny. Overall, we had a fantastic evening. The place is absolutely suited for dates, formal occasions or just celebrating something. It is a bit on the pricier side but well worth it. Full...

-1 star for the terrible organisation: we waited for minutes before someone came and asked if we had reservation. Then she told us to simply go in. No one came to us so we had to roam around till someone finally noticed us. At first I thought it was a short of staff. But then I realised that they had only 1/3 of the tables filled with plenty of staff walking around.

-1 star for the overpriced food. We had a menu for two, costing 55€ for six dishes. The quality of the dishes was so-so. One of the dishes was outstanding (the chicken leg), two of them bland (beans and the vegetarian fried bun which was terrible), and three decent dishes (shaomai was too large, the prawn dumpling was average, the duck sandwich was pretty good, but overpriced). Rule 1 for restaurants: Never have your peripherals levels above your food. You pay here mostly for the decor and fancy equipment, not for the food. Yes, good atmosphere is important, but only if the food matches it, which leads to the most jarring issue:

-1 star for the terrible pace of the meal. The dishes came way too quickly. A new course came as we had hardly gone half way through what we had previously. We felt like we were rushed, as the dishes also should be eaten while warm, not cold. If the restaurant doesn’t know how to do multi-course dining it should stay away from it. This is also no where near being a traditional yum-cha place as in yum cha, the diner has full control of the pace. This would never happen in France.

Positives: The drinks were very nice, the tea was all right and the mango mocktail was quite good.

Our waiter...

If you're looking for a stylish and authentic dim sum experience in Munich, this Chinese restaurant is a fantastic choice. Specializing in dim sum set menus, they offer five different options ranging from €79.90 to €99.90 for 5-6 courses for two people. There's also an à la carte selection, and their specialty, the roasted Peking duck, is the star of the show.

We opted for the Ya Delight menu and were thoroughly impressed. The duck thigh salad was a standout, with a umami-packed sesame, peanut, and chili dressing that was simply delicious. The traditionally prepared Peking duck featured crispy skin and juicy meat, and it was a fun experience to roll our own pancakes with hoisin sauce. The mixed steamed dumplings were plump, juicy, and generously filled. Every dish was not only tasty but beautifully plated, and the portion sizes left us fully satisfied.

The drinks menu is extensive, featuring a great range of refreshing cocktails and mocktails. However, the prices are on the higher side - €10.90 for a non-alcoholic mocktail feels a bit excessive. That said, the yuzu-kumquat soda was tangy, sweet, and refreshing.

The restaurant's decor is classy and reminiscent of fine dining, with dark tones and a distinctly Chinese aesthetic. While the service was polite, it lacked warmth, which was a slight downside to an otherwise great experience.

Overall, this restaurant offers great value for money and is an excellent dim sum option in Munich. The food is authentic, well-made, and satisfying. Highly recommended for...