Asian Pearl Peninsula Restaurant, Millbrae – Dinner

Reviewer: Foodnut.com

Asian Pearl Peninsula

1671 El Camino Real (Near Park Place)

Millbrae, CA 94030

650-616-8288

650-616-8282 (Fax)

Solid Chinese Food in Millbrae.

Asian Pearl Millbrae Exterior Decor

Asian Pearl Peninsula in Millbrae was at one time, part of the same Culinary Wonderland group that owned the highly rated The Kitchen in Millbrae, hence the same menu. We’ve been to this location a couple times and have found it to offer very good Cantonese Chinese cuisine, in fact some of the better ones the San Francisco Bay Area.  In recent years, upstarts HL Peninsula, Grand Harbour, and Dragon Beaux have stole its thunder.

The Richmond Asian Pearl has also served up very good Chinese food. This place stays open till 1am. This review incorporates many dinner visits from 2009 through Late 2020. A separate review is for Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Lunch.

  • The next time we visit, we will have to try the lobster noodles.

Be sure to read:

Be sure to read our article How to order in authentic Chinese dinner

Asian Pearl Millbrae Interior decor

Decor, Vibe – Asian Pearl Peninsula has big seafood tanks by the kitchen. Fancier interior with big decorative light fixtures and recessed ceiling. Same large food photos seen at the nearby Kitchen. Loud, busy, lots of large table get-togethers. Majority of folks were Asians. The place becomes packed around 7pm on Fridays. Make reservations or come early!

Menu Pictures (Click to zoom into any picture)

Asian Pearl Peninsula’s Menu looks nearly identical to The Kitchen’s Millbrae’s as they were once under the same ownership but has evolved slightly.  If you do not know what to order, try the items with pictures in the menu. Funny but they really highlighted their top items. Also try the dishes pictured on the wall.

Full Asian Pearl Peninsula Menu Picture set

Asian Pearl Picks:

Soup of the Day ($15) was a vegetable root soup with pork and lots of octopus. Strong seafood flavors with a clear broth. Not cheap but worthwhile. Long boiled and huge pot full.  On another occasion we got Winter melon soup that was also very good. We have also gotten Mushroom and Conch soup ($18) that had strong flavors and was excellent. 8/10

Chicken soup with Fish Maw ($18) is a thick starchy soup that contains lots of chicken. A decent soup but a little expensive.

Creamy chicken corn soup ($13) was not creamy at all and was more like a starch based soup with lots of corn. A reasonable soup, but other options would be recommended.

West Lake Beef Soup ($13.80) is fairly Westernized with a ton of cilantro. Still work getting if you like cilantro and beef.

House Combination BBQ and Cold Cut Platter ($20) Crispy skin Roast Pork was very fresh and had some very crispy skin. BBQ Pork cheek is an enhanced version of BBQ Pork. We prefer the regular version. Beef Shank cold cuts and Jelly Fish were good standard appetizer fare.

Roast Squab ($13.80 each) Authentic version of a classic Cantonese dish. Juicy and cooked just right.  Very well done. We had better squab in Vancouver, but we distill the difference to the birds themselves, not the cooking style. Roast Squab in soy sauce ($13.80 each) is available on the weekends but falls way short of the fried version.

Asian Pearl Millbrae Empress Chicken

Empress Chicken ($15, Half) – came with some nice ginger, scallion dipping sauce. Tender and a bit low on flavor. It was better in the past. 7/10

Asian Pearl Millbrae beef short ribs

Beef Short Ribs with Papaya in clay pot ($16.80) was a well done dish that was not very sweet.  Tender short ribs with a robust savory sauce along with soft papaya.  8/10

Chicken with Pork Belly ($20) was featured by a picture on the wall. This cold dish contained lots of chewy pork belly marinated in wasabi, on top of some Empress Chicken. This dish is not for everybody.

Braised Chinese Eggplant ($12) with Yusheng sauce was excellent. It comes with a candle lit heater. Tender warm eggplant, shards of pork.

Fried Rice ($13) with dried scallops and egg whites was top notch and a big dish. Lots of scallops and just egg whites and no yolk.

Fried Rice Fujian Style ($13) is also excellent with real fresh flavors.  A lot more duck meat in this version.

Salted Fish Diced Chicken Fried Rice ($13.80) had a strong fish accent as is expected from this classic dish.

Peking style Pork Ribs ($12) were cooked perfectly. Egg batter. Lots of vinegary sweet and sour style sauce on pork with onions. No pineapple or bell peppers here.

Roasted Duck ($12 for half) was top notch. Good sized portion, warm, juicy, and good flavor. Better than nearby Cheung Hing.

Macau Style Salted Pork Shank ($13) was some fried pork with crispy skin and lots of fat under the skin.  Not a lot of meat. This combination made for a decadent and tasty appetizer.  Includes a big bone that dogs would die for.

Papaya Beef ($13) is a signature dish that many tables ordered.  Tender, juicy, high quality beef brushed with egg to shininess.  Slight pepper kick. The papaya helps flavor the sweet sauce and accent the beef’s heartiness.

Stir fry Rib Eye Steak Cubes with sesame sauce ($16.80) and fried egg tofu was excellent. Quality meat with a slightly crispy crust and a gravy with a hint to sweetness.  Fried tofu cubes with soft smooth innards were perfect when slaughtered in the sauce.

Stir fried Giant Clam with XO sauce and snow peas ($16.80) is another wall poster dish. Slightly spicy, fishy, chewy but worth ordering.

Sauteed Scallop & Japanese Tofu with Pumpkin Sauce ($13) was an innovative dish featuring excellent silken tofu topped off with scallops and some fish eggs.

Asian Pearl Millbrae pea shoots in supreme broth

Pea shoots in supreme broth ($18) was a huge bowl of fresh vegetables in a clay pot topped with mushrooms. The broth was worth drinking afterwards. Large portion. Vegetarians Must! 8/10

Asian Pearl Millbrae noodles

Thick Noodles ($13) sauteed in abalone sauce looks pretty simple and plain but is stellar.

Asian Pearl Millbrae Abalone

Abalone (Seasonal price) is expensive, but done well here. 9/10

Asian Pearl Millbrae Geoduck clam

Geoduck Clam (Seasonal price) is also done well and not as expensive. Look for them in the tanks. 8.5/10

Tossed Vermicelli Salad with chicken ($6.80) is a fairly tasteless cold jello dish topped with shredded chicken. Their version is fine and not very spicy.

Aberdeen Crab ($25 for 2lb) was an egg batter coated fresh crab sold at a seasonal price. Another dish on the wall.  Very good cooking style resulting in tender meat inside and just a hint of spiciness.  Messy but worth it.

Peking duck ($28) was a very nice dish full of correctly cooked duck meat along with skin with some freshly steamed but small buns. Be sure to ask for some more buns.

Crispy Skin Roast Chicken ($24 for whole) was also a solid rendition of the classic dish, with tender and juicy chicken, although they didn’t serve shrimp chips!

Steamed Seabass ($20 a pound) was freshly pulled from the tank and promptly steamed to a slightly overcooked doneness level. Still a very clean dish with lots of freshness and simplicity.

Turtle Jelly ($3) is definitely an acquired taste as it possesses a very medicinal flavor. We loved it.

Free Coconut milk dessert was thick, rich, and well done.

Food OK: (Order if you love this dish)

Beef Chinese Broccoli ($13) was well done except for the addition of some chili flakes. It detracted from the otherwise good dish. The heat was mild and distracting.

E-fu Noodles ($13) were a bit overcooked.

Pan fried chicken ($13 for half) sounded like an interesting dish but came to us as a pan fried and then baked chopped up chicken dish. There were lots of bones and minimal flavor.

Food Pans:
None

Asian Pearl Peninsula’s Service was decent with a friendly server and no lack of tea refills or plate change. Food came ALL at once or comes as it is cooked, something they should work on. They did nudge us to leave after 2 hours though. If you are looking for high quality Cantonese Chinese cuisine on the Peninsula, Asian Pearl Peninsula is highly recommended.  They also own The Kitchen, so the food is pretty close. Food in Hong Kong is on a higher level though.

Also at:

Asian Pearl
43635 Boscell Rd.
Fremont, CA 94538
510-979-1368

Asian Pearl
3288 Pierce St #A-118
Richmond, CA 94804
510-526-6800

Each is independently owned and operated.

Restaurant Map:


Asian Pearl Peninsula Overall Rating: (Very Good 2.5)

Come Back?

Food Rating: (Very Good)
Service Rating: (Good)
Atmosphere Rating: (Very Good)
Value Rating: (Good)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:Beer, Wine
Attire:Casual
Hours:Sat-Sun 10am - 2:30pm, 5pm - 1am, Mon - Fri 11am - 230pm, 5pm-1am.
Parking:Street
Reservations:Yes
Prices:$6 - $138

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18 Comments

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    i was there on 2009Dec26, my mom’s birthday banquet. That is, December 11th, in the Lunar Calendar. food was not good. barely average. service was pretty sucky as well. meh, would not do it again.

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    […] the service. Runners up to Koi Palace include R&G Lounge in San Francisco, and Asian Pearl in Millbrae and Richmond. Restaurant.com $25 Dining Certificate for $10 Entertainment Book 2 for 1 restaurant […]

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