 |
|
|
|
| |
Dining
Reviews |
Lunch
Counter |
Restaurant Guide
|
Chinese
Deidre Schipani
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Mic Smith
The Post and Courier
Seafood Bird Nest at Dragon Palace restaurant on Daniel Island.
Our appetite was for more of the regional styles of Chinese cuisine. We longed for dim sum, and we hoped to discover Peking duck that did not require an advance order. Our search continues, but what we did discover is three Chinese restaurants that appear not to be the phoenixes of former fast-food operations but restaurants created with care, decorated with purpose and committed to exploring authentic Chinese cooking.
Dragon Palace162 Seven Farms Drive, Suite 320, Daniel Island 388-8823 www.dragonpalacesc.com $$-$$$ Streetside, you would have no inkling of the "palace" within, but upon entering this restaurant, you are transported to the ancient Qing Dynasty and all its grandeur. Painstakingly created over two years, this beautifully carved interior space defies any preconceptions of Chinese chop-suey houses. It is lovingly appointed with carvings, artwork and service pieces of another era. Owner and chef Cheng Sin Yung spent months in Hong Kong as his restaurant was being built and refined his recipes for the opening of Dragon Palace. Here you will find an ample menu of dim sum, jelly fish and seaweed roll. Try the wide, fun noodles designed for slurping, the Cantonese-style lobster, salt and pepper squid or the roast duck with mei-fun. Remember to eat communally, as this is the Chinese way.
Palais de Jade1501 U. S. Highway 17, Mount Pleasant 216-0972 $-$$ Tucked away in the Wando Crossing Shopping Center sits the Palais de Jade. Enter through its nondescript doorway and you are treated to a soft green palette of jade and celadon, elegant wall hangings of Chinese knots and a collection of ersatz childlike clay figures from the Ming Dynasty that guard your approach. The calm smile of Buddha assures your contentment. Plan ahead and order the Peking duck, enjoy a delicious bowl of fun noodles and share the Szechuan-style eggplant. Vegetables hold their own at the Palais, and the "dry-fried" green beans will take your tongue for a tangle with their crispy exterior and savory oyster and soy sauce glaze. An ambitious menu of Chinese delights waits amid brocade banquettes and stylized sconces.
Red Orchids China BistroAshley Plaza Mall, 1401 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., West Ashley 573-8787 $$-$$$ Walk into Red Orchids China Bistro and the minimalist side of Asian restaurant decor presents itself. The ceiling is strung with playful red lanterns and you feel the presence of this cultural symbol of brightness, happiness and reunion shining down on your dining experience. Gracious Tony Chu and attentive Kelly Chu partner well both in life and the restaurant business to ensure your culinary happiness. In the spirit of good fortune, start out with a Money Bag appetizer, tender rounds of ground pork seasoned with ginger and crisped in a jacket of spring roll dough that portends for good flavors to follow. There is probably no better state than ours to eat the Salt and Pepper Shrimp and here is the place to order it. The Black Bean Flounder is a study in yin and yang: the white, sweet flesh of the flounder in stark contrast to the black and salty soy beans. Five-Spice Lamb Chops and Shanghai Fettuccine pack a powerhouse of flavor, the Chus' own east-meets-west fusion foray. The classics won't disappoint and the house specialties will surely excite.
Agree or disagree with our reviewer? Offer your opinion below.
|
Comments
Post a comment
(Requires free registration.)