Asian Pearl Peninsula Lunch Dim Sum Restaurant Review, Millbrae

Reviewer: Foodnut.com

Asian Pearl Peninsula

1671 El Camino Real (Near Park Place)

Millbrae, CA 94030

650-616-8288

650-616-8282 (Fax)

Asian Pearl Millbrae Exterior Decor

One of the better Chinese restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area… 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 face some of the best in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Richmond Asian Pearl has also served up very good Chinese food. This place stays open till 1am. Our visit was for dim sum lunch. Asian Pearl Peninsula has a separate Asian Pearl Peninsula dinner review. Our last visit was at the beginning of 2011.

Be sure to read:

Asian Pearl Millbrae Interior Decor

Decor, Vibe – Big seafood tanks by the kitchen. Fancier interior with big decorative light fixtures and recessed ceiling. Same large food photos seen at the nearby The Kitchen. Loud, busy, lots of large table get-togethers. Majority of folks were Asians. It was still packed around 1:45pm.

Menu Pictures (Click to zoom into any picture)

Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Millbrae Menu

Asian Pearl Peninsula’s lunch Menu is pretty extensive, they have all the classic dishes along with a couple of more exotic offerings. We’ll list the item number of each item below.

Picks:

Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Millbrae Shrimp Dumplings Har Gow

1. Steamed Shrimp Dumpling ($3.95) or Har Gow were 4 delicate pieces full of delicious fresh shrimp and just out of the steamer. Lots of shrimp and very well done.

Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Millbrae chao zhao dumplings

28. Steamed Chao Zhou dumpling ($3.20) were three very large dumplings possessing a spicy flavor and filled with pork, scallions, tofu, peanuts and other vegetables.

31. Pea sprouts dumpling ($3.95) had three large dumplings filled with pea shoots and a little bit of shrimp. This was almost a vegetarian dumpling but still managed to hit the spot.

Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Millbrae Shark Fin Soup Dumplings

7. Shark Fin Soup Dumpling ($5.80) is totally not PC but a reference test dish. First class broth with a slight mediciny hint and some Cheung ho fa herbs. Dumpling was full of chopped shrimp and sharks fin. This too a long time to arrive but was well worth it.

Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Millbrae Fried Pork Dumplings

13. Fried Stuffed Dumpling ($2.60) or Ham Sui Gok were hot out of the fryer and perfect. They looked pale but the crunchy texture and meat filling made up for the look.

Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Millbrae Turnip Cakes

20. Dried Scallop Turnip Soft Cake ($3.20) were pretty big. Lots of chunks of white turnip and classic flavor.

Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Millbrae Steamed Pork Spare Ribs

23. Steamed Pork Spare Ribs ($3.20) was one of the best. Hot out of the steamer, it contained lots of pork, black beans, and some lango. Greasy but super flavor.

Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Millbrae Shrimp Rice Noodles

34. Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll (3.95) was excellent. Very smooth, not too greasy, and sauced so it was not too sweet.

Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Millbrae Mango Pudding

40. Fresh Mango Pudding ($2.60) was top notch. Lots of real mango chunks, egg to make it fluffier, and not too sweet.

Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Millbrae Sesame Balls

17. Sesame seed ball ($2.60) were warm and decent. Larger than most, and possessing a thicker skin, but still very good.

OK:

Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Millbrae Sticky Rice in lotus leaf

29. Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf ($3.95) was solid but not amazing. Slightly hard rice but a good amount of meat filling.

Pans:
32. Shanghai style steamed buns ($3.20) had minimal soup and were simply dismal. Order this dish at nearby Sunny Shanghai instead.

They have some carts circulating during the weekends, but most items come from ordering off the checkoff menu. The food came fast and out of order, desserts first, so try to order multiple times to space things out.

Service was decent with some flagging down of the server required. If you are looking for high quality Chinese Dim Sum cuisine on the Peninsula, Asian Pearl Peninsula is on our short highly recommended list. Frankly, we feel that their food during dinner is superior to their dim sum lunch. The Kitchen is also on the list and slightly better in quality. Hong Kong Flower Lounge is a step down. Koi Palace in Daly City is one of the few Chinese restaurants that is better locally. Check out our reviews from Hong Kong to see the best in dim sum.

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

New Canton
2523 Broadway
Sacramento, CA 95818
916-739-8888

New Lai Wah
5912 Freeport Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95822
916-428-6183

Each location is now independently owned and operated.

Peninsula Asian Pearl on Urbanspoon

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:$2.60 - $6.80

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10 Comments

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    January 4, 2010 at 4:22 pm

    […] Kong Flower Lounge, The Kitchen. This high quality dim sum, this is a very good choice for lunch.  Asian Pearl Peninsula and Koi Palace better Zen Peninsula’s quality. Call ahead and get a number, this will reduce […]

  • kate
    February 7, 2010 at 7:14 pm

    wow, look at that, I’m already drooling, great color, looks delicious

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    April 2, 2010 at 8:47 am

    […] their extensive menu. The food here is solid but there are so many decent Chinese restaurants like Asian Pearl, nearby to choose […]

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    […] breath of items was excellent, more extensive and more inventive than nearby places in Millbrae. Asian Pearl Peninsula is the other place that comes […]

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    July 14, 2010 at 12:02 am

    […] – Nearby dim sum lunch restaurants include Asian Pearl or Zen Peninsula. Shanghai cuisine restaurants include Shanghai […]

  • Yank Sing, San Francisco | Foodnut.com
    August 3, 2010 at 11:59 am

    […] Clearly the prices are 2-3 times more than other places. Yank Sing is worth it if you like decent dim sum in a clean Western setting with lots of English speaking servers. I would rate the food below places on the Peninsula like Koi Palace, Asian Pearl Peninsula. […]

  • Asian Pearl Peninsula Restaurant, Millbrae - Dinner | Foodnut.com
    August 16, 2010 at 11:48 am

    […] Asian Pearl Peninsula in Millbrae, California’s downtown was at one time, part of the same Culinary Wonderland group that owned 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. 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 August 2010. A separate review is for Asian Pearl Peninsula Dim Sum Lunch. […]

  • The Kitchen Lunch Dim Sum Restaurant, Millbrae | Foodnut.com
    September 10, 2010 at 4:19 pm

    […] occasion around 2pm, we walked right in. They appear to be under new ownership and not related to Asian Pearl anymore.  Our last visit for lunch was in September 2010. They had remodeled the dining room […]

  • Sunny Shanghai Restaurant, San Bruno | Foodnut.com
    April 27, 2011 at 5:02 pm

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