Reviewer: Foodnut.com Fey Restaurant 1368 El Camino Real Menlo Park, CA 94025 (650) 324-8888 |
Why did we dine here? – Fey Restaurant recently opened in Menlo Park. It has gotten positive buzz, so we decided to give it a try. The owner has owned many different Sichuan Chinese restaurants including Little Sichuan in San Mateo and Classic Sichuan in Millbrae. She has built up a fan base and hopefully has found a restaurant that has some staying power.
The restaurant features somewhat neo-classical lighting and decor, probably from China. They have a small parking lot in the back, so you might have to park on El Camino Real.
Insider Tip – Stick to the Sichuan items with a star on the menu.
Cuisine – Chinese Sichuan
Location – Menlo Park
Opened – 2013
Service – Fey Restaurant was overwhelmed the Saturday we went. They didn’t have enough servers and the kitchen was extremely slow. Hopefully they will add resources as they expand.
Verdict – Fey Restaurant impressed us with quality Sichuan Chinese food in elegant surroundings. With more customers, they should be able address their service woes and become one of the better Sichuan restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Fey Restaurant Signature Dishes – Cumin Lamb, Cold Noodles, Hot Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce, Chongquing Spicy Boiled Fish Filet.
Fey Restaurant’s Menu is extremely extensive with 196 items. (Several funny typos) There are clearly many Americanized dishes along with classic Sichuan entries. They also have rice plate lunch specials. When we dined, there were several dishes on the menu that were not available including 195. Xinjiang Saute Spice Chicken w/Lasagna.
Fey Restaurant Food Picks:
1. Green Onion Pancake ($3.95) – Slightly above average, lacking in flavor, but reasonable texture. A good dish to mellow out all the spices.
47. Xinjiang Private Kitchens Lamb ($16.95) – came in a 2 foot long dish with braised lamb, potatoes, and carrots. The meat was extremely tendor and fell off the bone. Surprisingly, not too gamey.
48. Xinjiang Fried Cumin Lamb ($11.95) – very spicy and not very gamey due to higher quality lamb. A bit crispy, making it a must-get dish. This dish was on the small side.
81. Tea Smoked Duck ($11.95 half) ($19.95 Whole) – very smokey, juicy, boney, a must for duck fans.
124. Spicy Shredded Potato ($7.95) – a classic Sichuan dish that was cooked to a very al dente state. A medium amount of heat.
134. Spicy Sichuan Cold Noodles (Minced Pork or Chicken) ($7.95) – this is the classic that everyone gets. A large portion of pretty spicy noodles that reminded us of Little Sichuan in San Mateo almost 15 years ago.
136. Hot Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce ($7.50) – the hot version the previous dish. Also worth ordering.
152. Chongqing Spicy Diced Chicken with red Chili ($9.95) – another super spicy dish but well worth ordering. It was hard to find the chicken chunks amid all the red chilis.
155. Chongqing Spicy Boiled Fish Fillet ($13.95) – a clear broth filled with tendor fish, another classic worth ordering. Not as many floating chilis as China Village in Albany.
140. Beijing Style Cold Bean Jello ($7.50) – white savory jello that balances out the heat of other dishes. Also well done. Hard to pick up with chopsticks.
OK: (Order if you like this dish)
142. Stir Fried Sichuan Salty Long Beans ($9.95) – finely chopped beans in a sour and spicy sauce. This dish was just ok.
Tofu with Vegetables ($8.95) was an average dish. Not particularly inspiring. Perhaps the eggplant would be better.
Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
49. Xinjiang Kebabs ($4.50 each) were overcooked, tough, and too chewy. The flavor profile was decent though.
No Comments