Yan Peninsula (知味轩) — Restaurant in Millbrae

I recently had the chance to check out Yan Peninsula in Millbrae, and overall, it was a refreshing and flavorful experience. The restaurant is located right on El Camino Real, and while parking was a little tight (as it always seems to be around here), I lucked out with a spot in their small lot.

The inside feels modern and clean – it’s a bit more upscale than your typical dim sum joint, with no carts roaming around. Instead, you fill out a paper checklist, which I actually preferred because it meant everything came out fresh and hot.

We ordered a mix of the classics and a few house specials. The baked BBQ pork buns were absolutely delicious – crispy outside with sweet, savory pork inside. The shrimp siu mai with roe was solid, and the texture was just right. A surprise standout was the salted egg yolk lava buns – rich, creamy, and perfect as a dessert.

The only slight miss for me was the BBQ rice noodle rolls – the texture was a bit too thick and gummy, but not a dealbreaker.

Service was friendly, though a bit slow during peak lunch hours. We had to flag someone down a couple times for tea refills and to check on a missing order, but everyone was polite and helpful once we got their attention.

Pricing is on the higher side – we were a group of four and ended up with a $100+ bill (including a 15% service charge). Still, for the quality and clean, relaxed atmosphere, I felt it was worth it.

Final thoughts: Yan Peninsula feels like a great option if you’re craving dim sum but want a cleaner, more modern experience without the chaos of traditional push-cart spots. I’d definitely go back – maybe on a weekday to...

We originally called in to make a reservation the day before for a birthday dinner. When we went into the restaurant, they told us we were at the wrong place. No problem, our group noticed there were a lot of open tables so we just waited for a seat, and left a cake with the waiters. All of the waiters were just standing near the entrance for almost half an hour without any service. When a guy in a tux finally decided to speak to us, he was very rude. He had the attitude of a pouting child and kept telling us they ran out of items we were requesting. They only had one fish left for seafood and everything else was sold out, which is fine, but instead of offering us alternatives he would only tell us no more, while leaning backwards into a pillar and looking annoyed that we were looking through the menu for food to order. Fried rice, chicken, pork, veggies, tofu were okay, but the fish and ribs were obviously not fresh, burnt, and may have been re-cooked. We decided to leave early and skip the dessert, and asked for the bill. There is a 18% service charge. I will not...

We came here primarily to have some lobster.

The price for lobster over noodles is just $20 at lunch time. Although the plate is really large, the serving isn't that big, but for around $20, there really isn't much to complain about.

To be fair, I have had limited-time specials where they also serve lobster over noodles for around $20 in San Francisco which tasted better, but this is a much bigger restaurant, and it seems to be a regular lunch special.

The souffle is, however, something to write home about: it's really fluffy and not too sweet, and enough to share. Given that it isn't cheap at over $13, the novel experience alone is worth it.

Note that this place not only charges you for water, but also double dip on tips: they levy an 18% service charge even for a party of one, and they still expect you to tip separately at least 18%-22%. It felt almost compulsory, which i didn't like, especially since service isn't all that great to begin. You have to ask for everything...