Philippe Chow DC — Restaurant in Washington

I had a disappointing experience during restaurant week with a friend. The expectations of a “high class” Chinese restaurant severely missed its mark.

Upon walking to our seats, we were met with an unfortunate sight: customers returning their food. This initial experience left a bad taste in our mouths even before we had a chance to sit down.

I understand that this week yields a high volume, but certain nuances of restaurant pacing should never be ignored. Libations should always come first. Our initial drinks order, creamsicle fizz and espresso martini, arrived two appetizers into our dining experience, and there was possible spillage. The presentation of these $16-20 drinks was rather basic and dirty. They did not bother to wipe down the glasses. In a “luxury” setting, every detail matters.

Although we opted for items beyond the restaurant week menu, like pork soup dumplings and salt and pepper tofu, the latter never reached our table. The dumplings were subpar. The flavor of ginger overpowered the entire dish. It was a blessing that we didn’t receive the tofu after discovering how the food tasted.

The first course, featuring chicken lettuce wraps and shrimp satay, was average, with the wraps being surprisingly filling.

Our second round of drinks, the Pacific Old Fashioned, was imbalanced; one had an overly sweet banana flavor, while the other was average. The banana infusion in the cocktail made the overall drink sickly sweet. Again, the presentation of these $20 drinks was nothing remarkable.

Onto the second course, we selected filet mignon and green beans, along with sweet and sour chicken. The waiter suggested sharing one green beans and fried rice dish, but we received both fried rice, and the waiter didn't rectify the mistake smoothly. The chicken's heavy sauce made it soggy, and the sauce appeared to be coagulated and lumpy. The steak was excessively salty, making it inedible and hard to finish. Regrettably, the restaurant missed a crucial detail – they omitted the customary inquiry about how we preferred our steak to be cooked. This oversight in such a fundamental aspect of fine dining.

For dessert, we ordered chocolate layer cake and red velvet cake, both unremarkable. The red velvet cake was frozen, giving off the presentation that it was store bought or catered.

The staff's attentiveness was lacking; they removed utensils without replacing them, and there was no inquiry about missing food. Despite the manager conversing with other tables, he didn't inquire about our experience. To top it off, during the cleanup of the second course, a waitress spilled a glass of water on me and had no urgency to provide me a towel.

I have read many other reviews about their dining experience and it seems to match mine. Leaving with soaked pants and a sour taste in my mouth, this place falls short of fine dining expectations. Until these measures are corrected, I would not recommend this place for...

I was hesitant at first to dine here after seeing the ratings but I’m so glad I did! The experience deserves a 10/5. We came here for dinner on a Friday night — we had a party of 4, and we did make a reservation for 5:30 PM which was ideal as the restaurant did get busier as the time got later.

The ambience was pleasant and soothing with the dim lights and background music. I saw precious comments about it being too loud but that was debunked — we could definitely converse at normal levels and hear each other. It added a bit of vibrancy to the atmosphere.

Moving forward to the food, we started off with three appetizers — the salt and pepper calamari, the Peking duck spring roll, and the wok fried pork dumplings. They were all delicious but the Peking duck spring roll was our favorite and the plum sauce complemented it so well! Delicious! The calamari was good. It had a light and airy flavor, and I’m assuming they used tempura batter but it could use a little bit more flavor or be paired with a sauce to balance it out. Dipping it in the hot sauce and plum sauce was our solution LOL.

We started off with wine and our server made a great recommendation for the Les Voisons Pinot Noir being that the 3 in my dinner party didn’t enjoy super dry wines like myself and it was definitely a perfect fit.

On to the mains, we had a spread and we had no regrets! The dishes are sizable and can be shared for 2-4 people. Don’t judge us but we are true foodies so we ordered the Crispy Duck, Crispy Beef, Wok Seared Branzino, Sweet and Sour Salmon. Everything was absolutely scrumptious. The duck was perfectly cooked! So good I ordered a to go box for my partner. The sides went well with them too — we had the vegetable lo mein, chicken fried rice, vegetable fried rice, crispy cauliflower and the crispy seaweed (story to follow). The chicken fried rice and the crispy cauliflower were my favorite sides for sure!

As for the crispy seaweed, it came with candied sesame walnuts, and anticipating a savory flavor I was astonished at the overly sweet flavor of the seaweed and sugar granules melting in my mouth. I made our fantastic server, Meena, aware that the table wasn’t a fan and that the seaweed was a sugar kill and they kindly took it away. We then had a visit by the manager Sadi, and he was truly pleasant. Both Sadi and Meena were true examples of exemplary hospitality!

The service was so fantastic and they provided us with a complimentary dessert — the cotton candy baked Alaska. It served the table of 4 and was a great end to the night.

They made sure to take care of their guests. This was probably top 2 service I’ve received in DC since moving here in 2013 — and it’s not 2. 😉

Thank you to the team at Philippe Chow! We will definitely be returning and recommending dinner here to our friends and family! It’s perfect for date nights, birthdays and special celebrations, or if you’re just craving...

I’m writing this review to discuss my recent experience at Philippe Chow. Yesterday, June 21, I had an 8:15 pm reservation at the DC location. I arrived on time, about 8:10 pm but my guest that was joining me was arriving late. I spoke with my guest, who suggested I get seated, and they will join me once they arrive — which I agreed too. I headed inside and tried to check in with the host (a young black lady with hair to her shoulders). I provided my name and the time of my reservation, to which she then asked “do you want to wait for your guest or be seated?”. I responded back no, that I’d like to be seated now and they will soon arrive. She then looks at me and tells me, well we can’t seat you until your guest arrives, so you’ll need to sit at the bar.

At that point, I’m taken back by her response because she just asked me if I wanted to wait for my guest, which I said no. Then with so much attitude, she proceeds to tell me that I need to sit at the bar.

Now, I’ve been to his location plenty of times and have been seated at a table, without having to wait at the bar for my guest to arrive. When I was booking my reservation, I noticed there were plenty of reservations available which indicated to me that the restaurant was not packed. I looked around and noticed plenty of tables opened, so why couldn't I get seated? I’m not sure.

My issue was not with me having to sit at the bar but more so with how she responded to me. A few weeks prior to yesterday, I was there with my friend and we were at the bar for drinks and food. This same lady gave us so much attitude and issues. So now I’m back, dealing with the same stuff again. I asked her why is it that every time I come here you seem to have an attitude with me or are being disrespectful in some form? She responds that she is not being rude but then I immediately remind her of our past interaction, and that it seems to be constant behavior from her. I then told her the way she responded and her body language was completely uncalled for. Instead of apologizing, she then tells me that I should not have an attitude with her and if I continue to have one then I can leave. I responded immediately that I’m not going to stop having an attitude because the way I’m being treated is terrible, nor am I leaving because I made a reservation and plan to dine here. She then looks at me and in a threatening form says “O yea? Okay.” then proceeds to storm off as if she is about to get a manager or something.

Needless to say, I remained seated in the host area but decided to step outside to notify my guest of what was taking place, so they were aware. Once my guest arrived, we were seated by someone else and able to enjoy our dinner. The service for the remainder of the night was good.

After my experience with this host, I will not be returning to this location for a long time. A lot of changes need to be made starting...