Mandarin Lotus Fine Chinese Fusion Cuisine — Restaurant in Agoura Hills

If there is ever a Chinese restaurant analog of The Beef/The Bear restaurant from the hit Hulu show, The Bear, this humble mom and pop restaurant can certainly play that role. It is also surprisingly a must-stop pilgrimage for celebrities (just look at their wall of famous visitors!).

From Kelsey Grammer (who requested to add his name on his favorite dish here, the Orange Chicken) to Kobe Bryant to Jack Nicholson, the who's who list who has been here is pretty extensive and astounding, especially since this restaurant is way out in Agoura Hills.

To call the menu jam-packed is an understatement with 324 food items + 2 desserts, but take a good look at the entries and you can see some of the most exotic and creative dishes made with ingredients that you just don't associate with Chinese cuisine. I am just amazed to find so many dishes that are just not your ordinary dishes.

Here a sampling of menu entries that caught my eyes (all can be added with chicken, beef, shrimp, or pork):

Honey Mustard Wine Reduction Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk Maple Pecan Matcha Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk Kaffir Lime Leaves Oil Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk Lavender Honey Blueberry Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk Raspberry Captain Rum Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk Tibetan Goji Mango Pistachio Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk

I asked Kim (half of the Dan+Kim whose names you see in majority of the reviews here) for her recommendation, and she said "Southwest Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk Argentinian Sauce."

Now this dish is not a Southwestern American dish, but it is one of Chef Dan Chang's Signature Creations that started from Southwestern China stir fry chicken and green beans. He then added his secret concoction of spices that would make Colonel Sanders jealous and elevate the dish to a fantastic fine dining culinary flavor and presentation. There are layers of taste here that work together harmoniously but are also distinct. This is not a one-note dish overpowered by a single flavor. There is a lot going on but it all works so well.

Unfortunately, I tried to pry a bit more information on what went in into the dish, but Kim was rather coy about the magical spices and herbs formula that makes this dish so delicious. I do prefer the red sauce over the green because it complements the taste more but the green is certainly more unique. Long story short, you have to try the Southwest chicken with Argentinian sauce!

For dessert, I had the Red Bean Sesame Ball. Once again, this is a classic staple Chinese dish but with a unique spin that is not just another desert slathered with sugar or some overly sweet syrup.

Their red bean sesame ball is delicate, delicious, layered, and not overly sweet. There is a drizzle of chocolate, a sprinkle of concoction sugar, and what Kim calls "sandy almond". Very distinct sets of flavors that works well to complement the red bean sesame ball. The Lychee nuts, cherries, strawberries, and baby melon add a refreshing counterpoint to the sesame ball and adds variety in between eating each of the 6 sesame balls.

Lastly, Kim is such a darling as a waitresses and hostess and she completes the experience of dining at Mandarin Lotus! Her stories are entertaining.

All in all, you may have to spend a lot of multiple visits when you come here but the giant menu is worth the...

Decided to try Mandarin Lotus after driving by and then reading about it. Given the write up and the prices ($25 to $45 per entree), I was expecting an upscale experience, at least from a culinary point of view. Not even close. First, other than the wall of celebrity photos, it is pretty much a typical hole-in-the-wall dive of a Chinese restaurant. That ambiance is brought down to a new low by the food being served in styrofoam to-go boxes, and the tea being served in a styrofoam cup. I understand Covid changed the way people do things, but no restaurant I have been to pre- or post-Covid (including Chinese restaurants) has served sit-down food in a to-go box. I don't think the idea of serving on real dinnerware is asking too much. All that, however, would be tolerable if the food was up to the owner's obvious high opinion of it. The dumplings were average. The spring rolls were 1/2 the size of a typical spring roll and straight from the Cisco truck. The beef in the Maple Glazed Beef was obviously reheated. The Argentinian Chicken was terribly overcooked. The flavors were good but nothing special, and the preparation was less than mediocre.

And then there's the price: Spring rolls, dumplings, 2 dishes for a total bill of $115. Last time I checked that's real restaurant pricing where at the minimum they serve your food on actual dinnerware and you drink out of actual glasses. Even in LA I cannot believe more people don't comment on how outrageous the prices are for the quality of the food as well as the dining experience. Maybe this place was special once upon a time, but last night it was a just a ridiculously overpriced mediocre meal in a dreadfully pedestrian setting.

Like others who have posted less than favorable reviews, I do not know what restaurant the people who love this place ate in. If someone can tell me where that restaurant is, I would love...

My son went here a lot when he lived in the area. So he chose it for his birthday dinner. When we got there it was obvious the owners knew him and had missed him. They asked about one of his friends that had passed away. In fact everyone that came in that night gave and received personal and warm greetings. It was like a family gathering.

What could inspire such happiness beyond cordial friendliness?

The food! It was close your eyes and luxuriate awesome!

While my son and I noticed changes to the orange chicken, it was still delicious. This is not a static restaurant. It's fusion. They learn and incorporate from a variety of food cultures. So the OC (which BTW we never found in China) they reimagined was great - no skimping on anything.

We tried the shrimp they recommended but declined to eat it shell and all (if you've been to China you know about exoskeleton delicacies - a taste we haven't acquired). But even though we took off the shells, the seasoning was too incredible not to nibble off from the usually discarded shell. And the seasoning on the included vegetables led to who gets the last one squabbles.

Mongo beef - great. Cashew chicken- great. Chicken fried rice - ok anywhere else but with how everything else was spiced to perfection it suffered by comparison but was still enjoyable.

There were many other artistic and culinary touches that enhanced the food experience. This is not a decor destination. This is about the food and people dedicated to their craft and growing with it. And genuinely loving it.

My wif and I loved it too. It's now on our list to return in a month for a date night.

I hope you'll try it and love it...