Lao Sze Chuan — Restaurant in Orange

I want to preface this by saying I REALLY wanted to leave a good review. I’ve been waiting for this place to open for months. The owner has had great success with Asian restaurants in Cleveland so this new addition came with years of experience.

I’ve been here twice, the first visit was average in terms of food and service, the second visit was terrible; I don’t think everyone will have a bad experience but I feel dissatisfied to the point where I have to come here to write a review.

FOOD 1/5 We ordered the duck at 7:10pm on a Tuesday, the restaurant wasn’t packed but at 7:50pm we still have not received the food. They told us our duck is the next one out (it wasn’t, we were seated at the table with direct line of sight to the kitchen door, the next duck out didn’t come to us) At this point we asked to pack the food to go, it took another 10 min to get the food packed.

The duck lacked flavor and crisp (checked the duck as soon as I left the restaurant, so there was minimal condensation built up in the box). The flour tortillas were inconsistent in thickness and shape. Other condiments appear to be fresh.

SERVICE 1/5 The serving staff are all very friendly, and we had no issues with their attitudes at all; however, they seem to lack training for this type of restaurant, which is not their fault.

We were not greeted, instead the first thing we faced was a monotone “do you have a reservation”. This doesn’t deter us away from the restaurant but it’s such a simple improvement that management can implement.

The reception area has a number of empty plastic drink containers and a dirty rag, it will be the first thing a customer sees when they walk in, this is also a simple improvement if they can keep these things under the counter.

When servers pick serve the rice bowl, they have their entire palm over the rice. I’ve observed this on all the occasions I’ve seen servers serve the rice during BOTH my visits. Again, very simple fix for a big hygienic problem.

ATMOSPHERE 2/5 The decor and setting of the place is gorgeous. The server-ware and choice of ceramic plates to serve each type of dish in is well selected. The seating was comfortable and tables are at a good distance from each other. I docked 3 stars off because the table clothes are just thick paper so they can skip...

First Ohio branch of a popular upscale Chinese restaurant based in Chicago. Definitely recommend reservations, as there has been a significant wait (even for two people!) on weekends. Outdoor seating not yet open, but the verdant patio is definitely a vibe. A great place for special occasions, but the price point is above what I'd be willing to pay for takeout (now available).

Parking is free in the various Pinecrest parking areas. The decor is a sleek blend of modern design with traditional Chinese accents, with every piece shipped from China. Despite being relatively new, everything was operating very smoothly even during our visit on week two of opening. The staff is about half Chinese-fluent and half non-Chinese, with a similar clientele. Making for a very fun people-watching experience.

The ambiance is definitely on the swankier side of Chinese dining, with hefty chopsticks, charger plates, and napkin rings - incorporating a little bit of Western design. The decor even extends to the bathrooms, located behind an opaque glass wall. Soothing earthy colors, solid wooden doors, and no-touch wave-to-flush toilets are thus far still in pristine condition. The only two things that seemed out of place were the music (a blend of pop and light EDM) and the paper tablecloths (layered to make it easy to rip away for the next customers). For large parties, there are several private rooms available to reserve.

Our waiter was super attentive, giving us recommendations and some time to look over the (hefty Chinese-English) menu, and suggesting that we place an order for the Peking duck first if we planned to order it since it takes a while to prepare. They don't have many liquors, but several beer and wine options and soft drinks are up for grabs.

The Chef's Special Duck Soup was comforting and light, and Wonton Soup loaded with two fat, juicy wontons. We very much enjoyed the Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken and Half Set of the Peking Duck. I was also pleasantly surprised by the Crab Soup Dumplings, a different spin on the traditional pork filling, which were perfectly soup-y and had a generous proportion of filing to wrapper. Though I found the Chengdu Mapo Tofu too salty for my taste, this was the SO's favorite, and this will definitely...

For a place that is supposed to be a fine dining experience, they are no where near where they need to be.

The restaurant space is beautiful, filled with bottles of wine. Good-luck ordering one as they have no wine list or even a drink menu.

While our waiter was lovely, it was clear she was inexperienced and not well trained. We were a party of 9 on a Friday, and the managers should have assigned someone more experienced or given her help.

When we did order drinks, they took over 30 minutes to arrive. I would describe my Manhattan as watery with sub par cherries, indicating they don't care about cocktails. A few drinks had to be reordered as they never arrived.

Our dishes came out in no logical order, one at a time. Dishes came out family style, but had no serving utensils. A few dishes never came out at all and had to be reordered. The highlight of the night was sweet and sour pork, which we didn't even order. The rest of the dishes were mediocre, nothing earth shattering.

Speaking of dishes, some people at our table had spoons in their wrapped silverware, others did not. The plates used to serve the food came in all shapes and sizes and were not great for the lazy susan. They plated dishes with cheap plastic flowers that just got in the way and I think were kinda gross (do they wash these??)

For the bill, I think overpriced for what we got. We tried to split the bill, but the software they used was too difficult for the server. We still had charges for various items we never received. The bill came on an iPad and was not clear. Pet peeve of mine is seeing the tip on screen with the waiter hovering. Just not classy.

Managers checked in, and it was clear no one at the table was having a great experience. One member of the party complained to the hostess. Overall, little effort to "make it right" as I have seen in other places that are fine dining.

Maybe they work out the kinks. We will not be going...