Simmer Huang / Miao Grill — Restaurant in Daly City

I arrived around 5:30 PM to avoid any wait, but parking was still challenging, likely due to the holiday season. I ordered the chicken wing dry pot,, scallion pancake, pickled cabbage fish noodle soup, lamb skewers, and pork and chive dumplings.

Lamb Skewers: These came out first, similar to my previous visit. Though small, they were juicy with a balanced fat-to-meat ratio. The seasoning leaned heavily on cumin with a touch of sweetness, making them enjoyable.

Scallion Pancake: This was disappointing. It tasted like a pre-packaged version you’d find at an Asian grocery store, thin, not fluffy, and lacking flavor.

Pickled Cabbage Fish Noodle Soup: While the fish was fresh and thinly sliced, the broth lacked the characteristic sourness you'd expect and leaned spicy instead. The noodles were also too thick for this type of soup. It wasn’t bad but didn’t align with traditional flavors.

Pork and Chive Dumplings: These were solid. The wrapper was thin, and the filling was juicy. The pork was heavily seasoned with soy sauce, so no additional dipping sauce was necessary.

Chicken Wing Dry Pot: This had a creeping spiciness that lingered, which I liked. The chicken wings and thighs were juicy and tender. However, the vegetables absorbed very little flavor because the sauce was overly thick and rich, masking the taste of the other ingredients. The flavor profile was an interesting mix of sweetness, cumin, and a hint of instant noodle seasoning.

Overall Experience: This visit didn’t meet the expectations set by my earlier experience closer to their opening. Additionally, I noticed a discrepancy: Yelp advertised a 15% discount, but the staff mentioned they weren’t offering it and were aware of the...

This is a restaurant I've been waiting for 3 years. This was supposed to open about 3 years ago and I know the owner actually went to SoCal (the early franchise in the US) for training about 3 years ago. For those who don't know, the name Simmer Huang is based upon the super popular Chinese chain 黄记煌 in China. This used to be one of the hottest restaurant chains in China because it popularized the simmer pot which is a cross between hot pot and dry pot. It uses fresh raw ingredients such as fish, frogs or other stuff in a pot and then the server would brush in the sauce and finally covers the lid to cook it on your own table. After a few minutes it's done and then you can eat the meat and afterwards they will add noodles and you can eat more stuff similar to hot pot albeit much less soup. The Americanized version has much fewer choices and fluff but that's true for all Americanized Chinese chains because most people probably can't tell the difference. I highly recommend the cat fish or frog because their texture and tenderness is highly suitable for this method of cooking. I tried the frog this time but I don't think it's as tender as I remembered in other chains but maybe it's cooked too long. I tried the spicy sauce which is not very spicy but that's generally true as this is not a spicy restaurant. Overall it's worth trying and no it's not cheap as it doesn't even have any cheaper alternatives other than about $70 a pot. It's soft opening now so the waitresses are very attentive. I'm giving it 4 stars to encourage people to try. I do think they should learn to make frogs more tender and give more frogs in the pot given...

Waited 20mins on a Monday night. They automatically charge 18% tips and we were 4 adults one child. I don't understand why I have to pay 18% tips without choice when their service not even good at all.

Ordered DAN DAN NOODLE. And it was insanely SOUR. Looks like their chef added too much vinegar and it was too sour for all of us. When we talked to them about that issue and they replied thank you for your feedback and we will let chef know. ???? It was a failure and I can cook better than that at home.

Ordered their signature build your own simmered pot. TOP TWO POPULAR POTS were both sold out at 7pm. So we picked 6 sides and cost us over $60. Pricey AND AVERAGE FOOD, a bit salty. We even have to mix the pot thoroughly after it's served to the table.

Ordered grilled fish and it was just ok and tastes just like hot pot. Average flavor, $49.99.

The whole meal cost us(4 adults, one child) $191 including tax and 18% service fee. The waitress only added water for two of us, not for other two of us sit on the other side!

Overall, average food and over priced! And not good service at all! Will never come back again. Do not recommend if you thinking try...