PJK Neighborhood Chinese Restaurant - Coconut Point — Restaurant in Bonita Springs

First time here and OH MY. I used to be a big fan of Chang's until they raised their prices, decreased their portion sizes and started serving frozen instead of fresh. This was my first foray back to high end chinese food since I wrote them off and I'M SO GLAD I TOOK A CHANCE ON PJK!

Before I get into all the flowery details: The drink menu is creative and varied The food was a good value. After being a Chang's patron for so many years I was really pleasantly surprised at the portion sizes at PJK. This place is casual but provides fine dining and the prices are definitely in line with what I'd expect to pay for high quality apps and entrees. Dining out is an EXPERIENCE and this place delivers. I absolutely factor ambiance & service into the overall value and I really felt like PJK delivered during my visit. Bathroom was super clean and also super cute. DISCLAIMER: I intentionally delayed trying this place out since restaurant growing pains are real and I wanted no part of that. I think they've worked out the kinks and, selfishly, I really hope more people give them a try like I did because I want them to succeed.

We arrived later in the evening on a Thursday and service was definitely winding down. Good for me - I had the opportunity to unobtrusively take lots and lots of photos and videos! The interior is STUNNING; absolutely gorgeous and I loved the vibe. The bar is a perfect setup for post-work drinks and apps. I spotted a TV and not long after I arrived the screen flipped to a soothing aquarium scene which I dug. We scored a circular booth along the back wall. There was a couple in the booth next to us who were obviously on a date. I could not have created a better date night spot. The decor is a little exotic, definitely romantic and I honestly really liked the music. It was "chill" versions of popular songs so they were familiar but not intrusive. The couple was there when we arrived and still there when we left.

We probably spent the first 5 minutes ogling the decor before we bothered looking at the drink menu. Our server was very friendly (even though we showed up on the later side) and she greeted us with water and these thimble sized cups of non-caffeinated, unsweetened tea. It was a very nice thought but there was a non-flavor factor as well. I ordered the PJK Old Fashioned. I am a bourbon girl so I ALWAYS go with an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan and I was intrigued by the combo of rye whisky and black tea syrup. It was soooo good! My dinner partner ordered the Crouching Tiger mocktail. She thought it was a bit tart from the lime and asked for a splash of simple syrup which made it delicious.

We started with the grouper bao buns and coconut shrimp. They remove the shrimp tail fan which I think earns them bonus points. I took a pic specifically of the bao bun app which are like asian-style sliders - this appetizer could easily substitute as an entree! I'm not a red meat girl so I appreciated the menu read I could have the beef & broccoli prepared with chicken instead. I didn't think to ask about having the chicken cooked 'not fried' (whatever the PJK version of that would be) but it was delicious all the same. We also ordered the red curry ramen noodles which were very tasty and a little bit spicy. If you're on a date this is not something I'd recommend ordering as the noodles are insanely long and there just wasn't a graceful way to eat them. I was not on a date so I dove right in!

We were full and still had plenty of leftovers to take home. And then our server brought over these complimentary powdered sugar doughnuts! I don't have a sweet tooth but it was a really nice gesture and we packed them to-go figuring they'd be tasty with some coffee later that night or the next morning.

My only regret of the evening is that I didn't get the chance to try the deviled tea eggs. On the plus side, I know what I'm getting for an app on...

Worst experience from the service and food EVER! Do NOT see this restaurant being open if it doesn't have a complete 360 degree turn around!

Details:

Hello,

I will start off with the positive!  The place was nice, and I love the privacy of the private dining room.  Now, I will go into details of how bad the food and service was.

I had a reservation and waited almost 30 minutes to get seated.  Can't blame you, if the customers stayed longer.

After getting seated, waited a little over an hour before appetizers arrived.

Also took over an hour to bring out a bottle of wine that we ordered and the wine glass was still wet from being washed.

No water or silverware was brought to the table for over an hour, and we had to asked the busboy for water and silverware, because we can't eat the appetizers without them.

The soup appetizer was cold and had to be sent back.

After almost 1.5 hours we got some of our entrees, and here is where it went really bad.  8 people and 8 bad entrees.  The server didn't bring out any rice, so the shrimp, the sea bass, and etc was eaten by itself.  The waitress never came to our table to check on us, but thankfully my friend gave everyone a portion of his fried rice to eat with the protein.  It will take too long to go over why each entree was bad, but each entree was really bad.

The kids steak that I ordered for my daughter was so salty that she couldn't eat one bite, and I had my friend try it, and he agreed.  It was almost 10pm by the time she got her meal, so not only was her meal not touched, but it was too late to reorder.

Several entrees came out at different times which is really bad having them watch the other half eat while they had to wait 15-20 min.

No drinks was ever refilled until we had to ask the busboy again.

Last, but not least.  The assistant manager, who was very nice, deducted 30% off the tab, and the bill still ended up costing me $300 plus a $100 tip. Several meals were barely touched, and the rest was only half eaten, and not one meal was taken to go, because it was that bad.  Not wanting to embarrass my friends, I regretfully paid for a meal where we all walked away hungry because of the quality/preparation of the food was so terrible.

I hope this letter helps, because I want all business to succeed, but I don't know if this critique will fall...

Occasion: A couple friends and I thought this would be a nice place to eat after my best-friend's graduation...

Outdoor seating issues: Everything was picturesque at first, however, it did start to get extremely hot as we were seated outside, and it was 5pm. Due to the extreme heat, we requested that our umbrella be put up. Our server put the umbrella up, but it kept falling, which was disruptive to our experience since my uncle kept having to get up and fix it himself. Our server noticed, and proceeded as though everything was alright. The umbrella fell down three more times, and it got to a point, where my uncle felt as though he had to remain standing due to how frequent the umbrella was falling.

Drink Mishap: That aside, we were still eager to order our drinks and food. Our server brought out our drinks, and as she was distributing them, she decided to remove the heaviest drink from the tray first--tipping the tray, and a large Sangria spilled all over me. My hair, dress, and white cardigan were drenched.

Lack of Resolution: Our server apologized and I could tell she was genuinely remorseful. While I appreciate that, I feel as though the matter was not properly resolved. We had to switch tables due to abundance of liquid on the table, and to make matters worse, that umbrella was not working correctly either. Our server told me that I'd get a free dessert and a 10% discount for the inconvenience. Considering that I had to eat dinner soaked, we had to switch tables, and the reoccurring issue with the umbrella--10% felt disrespectful and careless. There was a general attitude of apathy amongst the staff.

Poor service quality: Our server never came over to us on her own accord. We constantly had to call to her for refills and etc.

Final thoughts: I initially chalked this up to an off day, but after reading other reviews, I noticed a pattern: people either love this place or strongly dislike it. That discrepancy makes me wonder if service quality is selective. I had high hopes, but was left disappointed. For the price point, the service and overall experience were frankly...