Haiyu Seafood Restaurant — Restaurant in Plano

Stopped by Haiyu for dinner with a group of 5 (plus one kiddo) last week. We got there around 6:15PM and were seated immediately but within ten minutes there was a pretty significant line at the front of the restaurant, so definitely recommending coming earlier if you don't want to wait.

Didn't remember to get a picture of everything we ordered, but our favorites were the salt and pepper noodle fish (3rd pic) and the twice cooked pork (1st pic). Crab fried rice (market price, $49.99 + $12 for glutinous rice) was also huge and very tasty. On one hand, you know for sure they gave you the whole crab because it's all mixed in with the fried rice. On the other hand, it's kind of a pain to have to use shell crackers to get into some of the crab legs. Loved that there were plenty of fried crab guts in the main shell, and the flavor of everything was on point. Not sure I would get this again just because of the hassle of eating the crab and the high price point, but definitely a good dish for patient crab lovers.

Only remembered to take a picture of the twice cooked pork by the time we were halfway through it, so just know the portion size is actually about double the amount in the photo. This was extremely well-cooked; the skin wasn't too firm or chewy but was super succulent and soft, and the fat was rendered perfectly. Brown sauce had excellent flavor and tasted great over steamed rice.

Salt and pepper noodle fish was the surprise star of the show for everyone at dinner. I believe this is small white fish battered and fried to perfection. The batter was so thin and light and crisp, and the fish was flaky and succulent despite being so small. The dish was also not too oily/greasy at all. Mixed in with the fish were bits and pieces of fried aromatics like garlic chips and julienned ginger, which really helped amp up the excellent flavor of the dish without making it too salty either. Definitely a must order IMO!

Not pictured were the garlic sautéed pea shoots (market price, $17.99 last week) and the seafood pot with tofu (filled with lots of clams, shrimp, possibly sliced geoduck?, and squid). A bit bland in flavor after everything else, but the tofu was soft and silky. After I finished eating, the live fish tanks in the back of the restaurant helped keep the kiddo entertained while the other adults cleaned up the rest of the food.

Their menu is huge and encompasses more than just seafood. It's slightly pricier than other Chinese restaurants, but we thought the quality of the dishes were also impressive enough to warrant the money. Service can be a bit slow but I think they're still getting into the groove since the place is so new. We'll definitely be back to try...

What a disappointment

Ambience: Nothing special. The karaoke next to the dining area was very loud.

Service: They tried.

Food: Picked out a whole live fish - received a plate of disfigured big mess, only saw a small tail at one end with un-recognizable body parts and head.. not accusing, but how can fresh swimming fish be so tasteless? We ask for steamed, doesn’t require tossing, how did they mutilate the body so badly, poor fish.

Sizzling beef - nothing sizzled, just some tasteless beef with raw green peppers and raw red onions to add colors.

Two Live lobster stirred fried- we all know each lobster has 2 big claws, therefore we should get 4, right? we found only 2 claws cut into 4 pieces, enough said.

Two Live dungeonous crabs- can’t tell if any body parts are missing, but non of the shells on the legs were cracked, something any chief at any types of restaurant would do. I didn’t eat any.

Appetizers cold plate - jelly fish was so hard, not eatable. BTW, it suppose to be crispy not hard… stewed beef and tongue were stale, tasteless tripes. Big display of nothing….

Shrimp - so much junk on top, still tasteless, and over cooked, guess we are paying for the display. Each shrimp lined up perfectly.

Stewed beef - looks nothing like the picture on the menu, but it actually has that special taste it supposed to have for this special dish, it tasted good.

Few other dishes, not memorable,

My conclusion: This is a sea food restaurant. Displays of tanks of live ocean and fresh water animals to entice you. I would pay top dollars for it.

But, no, it’s way too expensive for food that is badly prepared with no taste or colors. What they lack in knowing how to cook, they made it up by adding raw red pepper, green pepper, onions…to add color, and a show of fancy displays on their oversized plates.

After reading other reviews, just noticed, yes, they...

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