Da Chef Noodle — Restaurant in Palm Desert

I'll start with the good.

The gentleman working the front was incredibly friendly, and very hard working. He's one of the reasons that this restaurant is even getting 2 stars

This is the second time that I've been here. The first time I ordered only a bowl of the spicy noodle soup, and it was fantastic. It was well seasoned, had a ton of chili oil, or something else that stained it red, and had a perfect "ma la" flavor profile (tingly feeling, for those that don't know) I've been craving it for months.

Today I ordered the Kung Pao Chicken - extra spicy, Mongolian Beef - extra spicy, a Large Spicy Noodle soup, and the BBQ Pork Bao.

This time, the spicy noodle soup was criminally under-seasoned, had zero chili oil, zero ma la flavor, and tasted more like a bland beef broth with some bok choy and other ingredients thrown in. Fortunately I have szechuan peppercorns and chili oil at home, so I was able to partially salvage it.

The Kung Pao Chicken was an incredible let down. There was nothing kung pao about it, other than a few peanuts thrown on top. A typical, good, kung pao has a rich and spicy brown sauce, is laden with dried chili peppers, and fresh bell peppers. Sometimes it is fried chicken, sometimes it is not. This restaurants version was in some sort of flavorless yellow-ish brown sauce, with almost zero seasoning and no heat. At all. It was layered with bell peppers, and zucchini. Not. Good.

The Mongolian beef was okay at best. Again, no heat (even though we ordered it at a level 5 on a 1-5 scale) Very little seasoning. But, it was edible and salvaged with some chili oil and soy sauce.

The BBQ Pork Bao were good, but that was to be expected. They were perfectly shaped indicating that they were pre-made and bought in by the restaurant and steamed in house. Which is perfectly fine, they really could've used a good dip though.

All in all, this visit was a colossal waste of $60 and a big let down. It did not hit the spot. Again, the service was very friendly, but the food just plain sucked this time. We likely won't be back, but I hope the owners/chef take this review to heart and improve upon their training...

At first, I was somewhat hesitant. They say not to judge a book by its cover but I was very doubtful upon seeing the interior. Honestly, it doesn't look like a very inviting place but I noticed the menu was made with very upscale quality. So, I had a glimmer of hope. I looked over the menu and saw some very authentic dishes. I've been to China on vacation. I've been married to a Chinese girl and I'm pretty familiar with Chinese culture having lived with Chinese people for almost ten years. I noticed a dish on the menu that got me really excited because it is a very unique recipe that is not easy to find. I asked the server how the chef makes it. Typically, when a customer asks this type of question, servers are quick to give a rapid reply to end the query but I was happy to hear that the server took the time to ask the chef the question I had. Even though it wasn't the answer I was looking for, I was impressed with the service that seems to be a lost trait with small restaurants nowadays. So even though I was sad it wasn't what I hoped it was, the service I was given opened up my hope for a tasty meal.

I opted for the Mongolian beef. The beef came out swirled in between perfectly cooked onions and other veggies which was a fluffy, moist mouthful of flavorful steak. The presentation wasn't even close to the perfectly made dish I was pleasing my taste buds with. So don't judge a book by its cover. This place is a hidden gem that I'm hoping will continue to keep me happy for...

Pleasantly Surprised—Definitely Worth a Visit and added to my favorites on the area! I noticed some low reviews / hate on Yelp and almost skipped this place, but digging a little deeper I realized many of the 1-star reviews came from users with no photos, few friends, and only a handful of reviews—which often says more about the reviewer than the restaurant. So I gave it a try, and I’m glad I did.

Da Chef has a quaint, mom-and-pop vibe that worked nice for me. The space was clean, the booth was comfortable, and my server was kind and attentive. The menu is a unique blend of Chinese/Cantonese and dim sum with a few Korean and Thai-influenced dishes sprinkled in. The menu and the walls are full of photos, which definitely tempted me to over-order—with to-go boxes in mind, of course.

The braised beef noodle soup was decent, with a good amount of beef and a nice flavor with some cabbage, but a bit heavier on noodles than I expected and the broth leaned bland but it still worked, but I’d probably explore a different soup next time.

The spicy cold noodles were a total win—super flavorful with green onions, cilantro, and fresh peanuts in a mild red pepper and peanut oil base. Would absolutely order again.

The mushu pork was another standout—rich flavor with a hint of fresh ginger in a few bites. Loved it.

For the quality and quantity, the prices were very reasonable. I’ll definitely return. If you’re in the area, it’s worth adding...