Dim Sum King — Restaurant in Daly City

Dim Sum King Review - Skyline Plaza, Daly City*

*Rating: *

Nestled within the bustling Skyline Plaza in Daly City, Dim Sum King offers an authentic Chinese dining experience that stands out. From the moment you step inside, the rich aroma of freshly prepared dishes and the lively ambiance transport you to a traditional Chinese restaurant.

Ambiance: Dim Sum King boasts a clean and modern interior with simple yet elegant decor. The seating is comfortable and spacious, perfect for both intimate dinners and larger gatherings. The bright and airy atmosphere, enhanced by ample natural light and tasteful decorations, creates a welcoming environment. Its location in Skyline Plaza makes it easily accessible and convenient for a delicious meal after shopping or running errands.

Service: The service at Dim Sum King is exceptional. The staff is friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu, making excellent recommendations for both first-time visitors and seasoned Chinese cuisine enthusiasts. The food arrives promptly, ensuring a seamless dining experience. However, during peak hours, there can be a slight wait for a table, reflecting the restaurant's popularity.

Food: On our visit, we opted for the seafood dinner special, and it did not disappoint. The seafood dishes were fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Highlights included the honey walnut prawns, which were perfectly crispy with a delightful balance of sweet honey glaze and crunchy candied walnuts. The prawns were succulent and complemented wonderfully by the creamy sauce.

The ginger crab was another standout, offering tender and flavorful crab meat infused with the aromatic flavors of ginger and scallions. The salt and pepper shrimp were perfectly crispy and seasoned, while the steamed fish was tender and delicately flavored with ginger and scallions.

The seafood fried rice was generously portioned, with a delightful mix of shrimp, scallops, and vegetables. To complement the seafood, we also enjoyed a side of sautéed greens, which were fresh and perfectly cooked. The meal was rounded off with a refreshing dessert of mango pudding, providing a sweet and satisfying end to the dinner.

Value: Dim Sum King offers great value for money. The portion sizes are generous, and the quality of the ingredients is evident in every bite. Whether you're enjoying a special dinner or a casual meal, you'll find the prices to be reasonable for the high standard of food and service.

Overall Experience: Dim Sum King in Skyline Plaza is a gem for anyone seeking an authentic Chinese dining experience in Daly City. Its combination of delicious food, excellent service, and inviting atmosphere makes it a top choice for Chinese cuisine in the area. Whether you're in the mood for a seafood feast or exploring their diverse menu, Dim Sum King is sure to impress and become a favorite dining spot.

While there are a few minor areas for improvement, such as the wait times during busy periods, the overall experience is highly satisfying. Dim Sum King earns a solid four stars for its outstanding contribution to the local...

Who would have thought that you could find legitimately good dim sum in a Ranch 99 plaza? I was very doubtful at first until I tried Dim Sum King. It's not the best dim sum ever, but it ranks high among other Bay Area establishments.

To be honest, it's hard for me to name a place around here that makes Shrimp Dumplings (Ha Gow) as good as DSK. I consider the now-shuttered Harbor Village in Embarcadero to have had the best Shrimp Dumplings around, but DSK makes some pretty serious ones. The skin's texture was sublime - smooth and delicate but didn't break when handled with chop sticks. It's also not too thick and possessed the right degree of chewiness. Inside, large morsels of plump shrimp mixed with young bamboo were firm but tender, providing a proper contrast to the softer skin. The stuffing was a bit too loosely packed together so it tended to separate into chunks as I ate it. I could also tell that there's some sort of starchy filler trying to hold it together, but those are relatively minor complaints as the doneness and flavor were on point. The shrimp filling was well seasoned, and ingredients like the bamboo illuminated the natural sweetness of the shrimp. They may not be the most refined Shrimp Dumplings, but they have the fundamental techniques and flavors down. I can talk about the other dim sum items we ordered, but they followed a similar theme - not the most refined, but solid fundamentals.

We also ordered a plate of Beef Chow Fun. This dish is a good test for a Cantonese chef's wok skills. It has to be cooked over the highest heat possible to impart the required wok hei, and this makes it difficult because the flat rice noodles have to be stirred quickly to prevent them from being burned. At the same time, they can't be completely manhandled or else they'll fall apart. When the Beef Chow Fun arrived, its irresistible aroma immediately hit my nose. The flat rice noodles had a beautiful deep mahogany hue, and sear marks from the fiery wok laced the edges. Its appearance was far more striking than anything on display at MOMA. The strong and pungent wok hei really intensified the savoriness of the noodles, the sweetness of the onions, and the fresh brightness of the yellow chives. Yes, yellow chives. That stuff's reserved only for the most kingly of Beef Chow Funs. I haven't had a better one in recent memory, and I wish I found this place earlier. My friend told me the Beef Chow Fun wasn't as great when she went during peak hours. Since I ate there at around 3pm, I guess they had the time to focus on making mine well.

If someone were to ask me to recommend a place with honestly good dim sum, I would say Dim Sum King and then immediately invite myself to eat with them. Wait, let's...

Family Dinner with the in-laws again.  Night parking is difficult since this large strip mall has many popular stores and restaurants.   I end up street parking half the time.

So here are some of the dishes we ordered.  It was family style.  Note service tonight was much faster than normal.  From ordering to first dish out was under 10 minutes.

Honey Walnut Shrimp ($22.95) flashed fried batter shrimp (pretty good size shrimp) covered in sweet mayo with some candied walnuts. This time the shrimp was a bit on the salty side and they were really light on the walnuts.  Will give this a 3 out of 5.(3/5)

Beef chow fun ($17.50) is really good. You can taste the "wok hay".  Nice and smokey.  Beef is tender.  Love the way this dish was balanced.  4/5

Salt & Pepper Flounder Fillet ($16.95). Battered pieces of fish then deep fried.  The batter is really light.  The fish is moist and flaky.  4/5

Salt & Pepper Pork Chops ($16.95) small pieces of pork in a season flour dredge, then deep fried. Tender and moist.  Really good flavor.  Some of the pieces needed to be trimmed some more.  4/5

Sweet & Sour Pork Chops ($17.95)  same cuts of pork as the Salt & Pepper, but the pork is a heavier batter, then it's deep fried.  The sauce is sickly sweet... no tanginess at all.  3/5

Japanese Tofu & Pea Sprouts in Broth ($20.95)  This is my favorite dish.  The tofu is slightly fried to give the outer layer a slight crispy texture.  This really contrasts the soft silky interior.  For those that do not like tofu... this might convert you.  The pea sprouts taste like a cross between fresh peas and spinach.  What the menu has down as broth in reality is a brown sauce, savory.  It goes well with the dish.  5/5.

Peking Duck ($42.95).  Crispy skin, soft buns and some sweet hoison sauce... cannot go wrong.  The dish is served with the duck broken down and mostly deboned.  The crispy skin is served on top of the meat.  The meat is tender and moist.  5/5

All right so now for the cleanliness review.  There was a whole cook prawn on the floor under the table where I sat.  It must have been left by the previous guests.

The Men's room today was actually cleaner than normal... the floor was not exceptionally wet and the trash can was not over flowing. All...