Hong Kong Palace, Seven Corners Center - New Owners Go from Cantonese to Szechuan

[DonRocks]

Go to Hong Kong Palace and get the cumin fish - it's fantastic.

Did. Was.

[LizLemon]

The bf and I tried HKP yesterday for the first time, and we were not disappointed. Got there for an early lunch around 11:00 and it was pretty dead inside, but the lack of other patrons doesn't comport with how good our meal ended up being.

We started with the Dan Dan noodles, and they were some of the best I've had in a while. As someone who lives on the edge of Chinatown, I've been let down a lot recently and I'm somewhat resigned to not finding great Chinese food within walking distance of my apartment. But HKP's Dan Dan noodles were so delicious, with a nice latent spiciness that really creeps up on your. For an appetizer, the portion was also large and the price was very fair. A good start.

I got a lunch special of General Tso's chicken because I wasn't feeling very well and I wanted something kind of bland and reliable--sad, I know, but sometimes you just want an old cliche standby. Bf got the Schezuan Chicken. For something like 5.95 and 6.95 respectively, we both got large portions of chicken, a heaping mound of white rice, and two large egg rolls. The value was unmistakable, and the food was awesome. Next time I go back I'll have a hard time resisting ordering the Schezuan Chicken--somehow it managed to taste both slightly familiar and totally new. Makes no sense, I know, but we loved it and couldn't stop eating it. The General was solid as well, but nothing revolutionary--the General is the General, though this was one of the better iterations of it I have eaten.

[JimRice]

Next time I go back I'll have a hard time resisting ordering the Schezuan Chicken--somehow it managed to taste both slightly familiar and totally new. Makes no sense, I know, but we loved it and couldn't stop eating it.

The Chengdu Kung Pao Chicken has that same quality. It has peanuts, dark meat chicken, and green onions, so it's obviously Kung Pao, but they jack it up with Sichuan peppercorns and spice it in ways that you don't get at a typical Americanized take-out joint.

If I didn't have a fridge full of good veggies from the farmers market, I'd be getting takeout from there tonight.

[Biscuit Girl]

The Chengdu Kung Pao Chicken has that same quality. It has peanuts, dark meat chicken, and green onions, so it's obviously Kung Pao, but they jack it up with Sichuan peppercorns and spice it in ways that you don't get at a typical Americanized take-out joint.

If I didn't have a fridge full of good veggies from the farmers market, I'd be getting takeout from there tonight.

There's always tomorrow night

[Ericandblueboy]

Took me alot of googling but I'm pretty sure beef tendons have no fat and no cholesterol so spicy sichuan beef tendon was one of our starters last night (enough ma la to make me sweat last night as I finished the leftover with some iced cold beers). The other was Chengdu Zhong's Spring dumpling - these took a little longer to cook as they were made fresh - same mixture of sauce as the spicy wontons, just as tasty, just a little different in shape. We tried the garlic flavor fried flounder in place of cumin fish. These light and crispy flounder fillets were topped with bits of fried garlic (same consistency as the garlic on top of garlic bagels). The garlic simply garnished the dish, not really an integral part of the dish as the name would have suggested. We still prefer the cumin fish. We also ordered fried chicken with dried chili peppers and some sautéed Chinese watercress. The chicken dish can best be described as cumin chicken, as it's seasoned and accompanied by the same mix of peppers and onions as the cumin fish.

[lion]

Enjoyed Hong Kong Palace. The Dan Dan noodles were amazing, very simple, but flavorful. Eggplant with spicy garlic sauce was just the right amount of sweetness and softness. The cucumber salad loaded with cilantro and garlic was delicious. And as recommended the cumin fish hit the spot which was very similar to Indian style. Finally, the vegetable dumplings were so-so, the same as store bought or other places.

All-in-all, really enjoyed the meal. The place was packed on a Saturday night. The waitstaff was very helpful and friendly.

[Escoffier]

Grover and I decided we weren't getting enough Chinese food for breakfast lately so we headed out to Hong Kong Palace. Okay, there was also a bit of nostalgia involved as well. We had been thinking about who to invite for our normal (goyim) Christmas traditional dinner of Chinese food and StephenB's memory made us think of HKP. Anyway, we headed toward Seven Corners and decided that we'd just decide on breakfast when we got there. Through the door and found ourselves the second group in the house (told you it was close to breakfast time). After a warm welcome from Melanie and being seated, Grover perused the Chinese specials listed on the wall and we decided on Dan Dan noodles, Shredded pork with peppers and for our second main, Fish in Spicy Broth (definitely not your run of the mill breakfast). So, here in the order the dishes arrived is my (overstuffed with Chinese goodness) opinion of the food:

1. Dan Dan Noodles: Is this dish a cliche or what? Maybe not so much at HKP. A light bit of greens on top of a generous sprinkling of crumpled beef over some really flavorful, al dente noodles. Those noodles were hiding the best part of all...lightly covered with sesame chili oil, there was more beef and more greens. Because this was the first dish out, it was 99% devoured when...

2. The Shredded Pork with Peppers arrived. Amazing, flavorful bits of pork (appeared to have been wok cooked in a bit of soy sauce) and shredded peppers (both jalapeno and standard green variety), sliced garlic. After the pork was gently cooked, the peppers and garlic were added to the wok and then quickly cooked and then straight to the table. Nice spiciness, great pepper flavor. This had an amazing undertone of spicy without being overwhelming. We'd ordered mah lah but it wasn't the nuclear option by any stretch of the imagination. This was followed by...

3. Fish in Spicy Broth. This was one of StephenB's favorite dishes and it's not hard to see why. Big pieces of fish in a really spicy broth (lots of chili oil) with celery, cabbage and other miscellaneous bits of veggies. Grover and I ate every piece of fish in the (large) bowl. At this point, there was no going on. We were satiated. This isn't my normal Saturday breakfast (that's usually Korean food) but HKP was a great way to get the day off to a quick start.

So to you, StephenB, our quarterly pilgrimage to HKP to say hello to Melanie for you and to eat some fine Chinese food in your memory.

[Ericandblueboy]

Someone on CH reported an ownership change.

We were there Saturday night (2/12/11). The menu is the same and the stuff on the wall is the same. The staff recognized us and commented that we haven't been there in awhile. So how was the food? The dan dan noodles were delicious but I've never had them at HKP before - it was mostly noodles with a few bok choy leaves and some ground meat, but the sauce is crazy good. The spicy wontons were a little bland (probably just need more sauce). The cumin fish was as good as usual. We tried for the first time the "mouth mouth fragrant crispy chicken" that was on the wall and much ballyhooed by CHers - looks like deep fried diced chicken (not breaded) that was stir fried with lots of not so spicy chili peppers - it was a good dish that we both liked but not loved. Lastly the sauteed pea shoots were a little undercooked. If there's a new chef, that chef is pretty competent.

[lion]

We were there are the end of January and it was the same wait staff. Food was good and we tried some Chinese vegetable, which I can't remember the name of at the moment, that was recommended by the waitress.

Hopefully, quality stays up. HKP is a go to place in that area of VA.

[Escoffier]

We were there two weekends ago and the staff and the owner and the menus and the wall hangings (and maybe the clientele) were the same people who were there when we ate there in November. I think somebody got their restaurants mixed up.

[JimRice]

Someone on CH reported an ownership change.

We were there Saturday night (2/12/11).

I got takeout Sunday night, and the Mapo tofu was as good as always, and the staff on the phone and in the restaurant sounded the same as usual.

[Ericandblueboy]

Went to the U.S. Open yesterday with my brother. We followed their suggestion of parking at Dulles airport and taking their shuttle to Congressional CC. Well, many people ignored the warning of no public parking and drove to the country club and that of course impeded the ingress and egress of the shuttle. The shuttle ride back to Dulles was particularly unpleasant as we had to endure a downpour (while on the golf course) and then sit in traffic.

Due to the traffic, we went to HKP for dinner, which is closer than Bob's Noodle. I let my brother do the ordering and he ordered (i) beef and tendon with spicy szechwan spicy sauce, (ii) chengu zhong spring dumplings, (iii) kung pao chicken, and (iv) peking duck. The apps were delicious but I can't say I enjoyed the entrees. First, the peking duck just didn't taste right, skin not crispy enough & the meat too fatty. We both know that Sichuan isn't the hotbed of peking duck but my brother wanted to try it anyway. Second, my brother pointed out that Chinese kung pao chicken is different from Taiwanese kung pao chicken (which I never really noticed since I'm not a huge kung pao chicken fan and he's lived in China and Taiwan). The Chinese version has more sauce and uses vinegar. I'm just not a sour person. Bitter yes, but not sour. Wonder who's gonna eat that leftover plate of kung pao chicken...

[PollyG]

We were at HKP for dinner this weekend, dragging my visiting mid-70's parents with us. We had the chengdu dumplings, the chicken and spicy potatoes, cumin lamb, and the fried chicken with sesame-stuffed peppers (specials menu, bottom row, second from left, first two characters look like open mouths), and the egg-battered corn. All went over well with my folks, though they felt the salt level was excessive. The only dish that was a dud was the chengdu dumplings, which were boring. I should have gone with a different dumpling, but we had the pan-fried dumpling addict 11 year-old to appease. I've had all these dishes before except the dumplings,and spiciness was not reduced for my parents, nor were any of them below the quality I've come to expect from HKP.

Spicing levels were borderline over the top for my mother, but a beer helped fix that.

[Escoffier]

No posts for two years? Stephen B. is having dyspepsia. Grover and I headed to Hong Kong Palace today for a bit of early Lunar New Years food. What better place to go than to HKP? We arrived to a almost full dining room but were able to grab a table in front of an extended Chinese family with two rambunctious children (less said about that the better). We were looking for one of the dishes that Stephen B. always ordered when we at there but neither Grover and I could remember the name of the dish so...we ordered:

Ma Po Tofu - This was spicy. Nicely spicy, but not for the faint of palate. A large bowl of Ma Po tofu with lots of fresh tofu.

Dan Dan Noodles - As far as Grover and I are concerned, HKP sets the standard for Dan Dan noodles. A very nicely balanced spicy pepper oil start with fresh ground beef and al dente noodles. This is the first dish we finished even though the Ma Po tofu was also on the table.

Fish with Cumin - So call me a heretic, but I think HKP's version of Fish with Cumin is the equal or better than Peter Chang's. Perfect outside, fresh, flavorful, just right textured fish and Ma La. Perfectly Ma La. From the first bite to the last tiny piece hiding under the peppers, you know this dish is flavorful, addictive and Ma La. Poor Ma Po tofu had to take a back seat to the fish. Once again, this dish was finished before we turned our attention to the Ma Po tofu. Don't get me wrong, the flavors on all three dishes were perfectly balanced, the flavors came through even through the Ma La (and the Ma Po tofu was no exception) but I could eat this fish three times a day.

The final bill was around $30 which is an amazing bargain for the amount and quality of food that bought. We had lunch at 12:30 and I'm still nicely full and satisfied at 6:45 (and we brought the remainder of the Ma Po tofu home and as soon as I feel the first pangs of hunger...it's gone).

For another year, Stephen, a word to Melanie regarding your love of her food, and two people eating some of your favorite foods to keep that memory alive. Tomorrow it's traditional Korean and our thoughts of you and family and those who have gone before.

[JimRice]

I called Hong Kong Palace to get takeout, and asked if they had any new dishes on the menu. The person on the phone (I don't think it was the usual person) offered one called thousand-flavor chicken. It was poached chicken chunks on the bone in a thin sauce with little Thai hot pepper slices, peanuts, and cilantro on top. It had a slight floral aroma. When you bite into the chunks of chicken, you get an intensely numbing sensation so that you can eat the little pepper slices without undue effort. I'm not talking szechuan peppercorn numbness, this was another level beyond it, almost to novocaine level. I think I liked the dish, but with the numbness going on in my mouth, I'm not really sure. The chicken had a good taste I think, and I wasn't too bothered by boney shards from the chopping, but that's one of those things where you can ignore it or you can't.

So, since I got this for takeout, I wasn't able to ask them if that was from szechuan peppercorns or if it was from some other spice or seasoning. Anyone have any idea what was going on there?

We also got cumin fish, which seemed to be greasier than it had before, but also had more of the cumin-szechuan pepper spice mix. Mapo Tofu was great as always.

[Enzo Fargione]

Great place for comfort food .

One of my personal favorite Chinese restaurant

[weezy]

Went here with friends tonight for our own celebration of the chinese new year. We had the green onion pancake, eggplant with hot garlic sauce, the spicy chicken with the sesame stuffed peppers, szechuan string beans and cumin fish. The eggplant was a little oily, and the green onion pancake a little bland. Otherwise, I think we should have ordered the cumin fish a little less ma la, as we were in tingly spicy overload by the time we ate our way around the table. It was the first time I had the chicken and peppers, what a great dish that is!

[KoolPaw]

Twelve of us celebrated the Chinese New Year a couple of Sundays ago. Our preordered meal consisted of:

Green onion pancakes;

Beef with beef tendon;

Seafood hot and sour soup;

Pot stickers (both meat and vegetable);

Dan Dan noodle;

Peking Duck;

Whole fish with bean sauce;

Zirin (cumin) lamb;

Salt and pepper shrimp;

Ma po tofu;

Eggplant with garlic sauce;

Green bean leaves with garlic;

and dessert of sesame balls and fresh fruit.

I have been putting these annual celebrations together for over 25 years, with varying menus and at various restaurants, and this year's was the first time that every single item was delicious. In addition, the service was impeccable and the price for the whole shebang was very reasonable. My thanks to HKP's manager, Melanie, for a great experience!

[Ericandblueboy]

Don - didn't you bitch about how salty the cumin fish was recently?

We had a similar experience at lunch yesterday. The chengdu cold noodles, spicy and numbing beef tendon, shanghai bok choy & mushrooms were perfectly fine. The last two dishes, a diced fried chicken (very similar in flavor to cumin fish, but has even more spices and peppercorm) and cumin fish tasted okay on the first couple of bites and then it just got saltier and saltier. The dishes were cooked perfectly otherwise, and I can't explain why these two dishes were so much saltier than the others. Could it be the batter?

[captcourt]

Just to throw out another data point, we got the cumin lamb recently and it didn't have the salt problem. The homestyle bacon wasn't as "saucy," and the pork belly was cut a little more thickly, than usual, but neither of these made really made a difference in our enjoyment of the meal.

[weezy]

Don - didn't you bitch about how salty the cumin fish was recently?

We had a similar experience at lunch yesterday. The chengdu cold noodles, spicy and numbing beef tendon, shanghai bok choy & mushrooms were perfectly fine. The last two dishes, a diced fried chicken (very similar in flavor to cumin fish, but has even more spices and peppercorm) and cumin fish tasted okay on the first couple of bites and then it just got saltier and saltier. The dishes were cooked perfectly otherwise, and I can't explain why these two dishes were so much saltier than the others. Could it be the batter?

I've noticed that when same getting-saltier effect when I eat foods with a lot of szechuan peppercorn. It seems to numb up my ability to taste anything save for the salt.

[Ericandblueboy]

I've noticed that when same getting-saltier effect when I eat foods with a lot of szechuan peppercorn. It seems to numb up my ability to taste anything save for the salt.

We've never had that problem before though. We always order the cumin fish - the only reason why we eat at HKP more than anywhere else is that my wife lovest he cumin fish. We ate the entire plate as usual but the saltiness was very noticeable.

[Escoffier]

We had it at dinner and it didn't seem salty. The homestyle pork was salty however. The fish and tofu in spicy sauce was excellent and a nice complement to the cumin fish.

[captcourt]

Picked up waaaaay too much food last night because all I ate during the day was a bar of chocolate-covered sawdust, also known as a Kashi bar. Ordered chengdu pan-fried dumplings and spicy wontons to share with my not-very-hungry +1, as well as the chengdu kung pao chicken and stir-fried shanghai greens with black mushrooms. I also decided to try the twice-cooked pork with fresh garlic leaves; unfortunately, when I got home, I opened it and it certainly didn't look like what I ordered. But wait! It was the homestyle bacon, which we love. I was disappointed that I didn't get to try a new dish, but they probably saw from my phone # that I normally get the bacon every time and must have decided I mis-ordered. The dumplings weren't particularly flavorful this time but they benefitted from the dipping sauce. The kung pao chicken, with its peppercorns, really hit the spot. The greens (shanghai bok choy) were garlicky and crunchy, which was a nice complement. I also noticed that the bacon didn't have as much sauce as in the past, but it did have lots of tasty fermented black beans.

Lots of leftovers in the fridge and we're happy. If anyone else has tried the pork dish I didn't get, a review would be great.

[DonRocks]

Picked up waaaaay too much food last night because all I ate during the day was a bar of chocolate-covered sawdust, also known as a Kashi bar.

Come on. You are being way, *way*,* WAY* too hard on sawdust.

[DonRocks]

Upgraded

Damn, what a Seven-Cornered trilogy unfolds in this Vietnamese / Thai-Laotian / Chinese-Szechuan triptych-Garden of Earthly Delights: Rice Paper / Bangkok Golden / Hong Kong Palace.

Give me the wisdom not to fall this far in the future; I should have never downgraded Hong Kong Palace the way I did.

As bizarre as it may sound, there is seemingly olive oil, somewhere, in the cooking here.

[Simul Parikh]

This little corner of NOVA is becoming my favorite. The restaurants you mention, dogfish head ale house (because the restaurants have terrible beer and id like a decent one before), and a homebrew store. I should just move in.

[Ericandblueboy]

Steve and I are going on Fri, 7/29 @ 11:30 a.m. for lunch. PM me if you to join us. Also recruiting for a trip to Fredericksburg. Uncle Chang wants you!

Unless Steve strenuously objects, I plan on ordering cumin fish, spicy beef and tendons, either some kidneys or intestines, and other stuff depending on the number of people who show up.

[lotus125]

The cumin fish is even better! Good mapo and sichuan string beans too. As good as Rockville options but much closer to DC.

[PollyG]

Please do not overlook the garlic fish. Melanie suggested it one night when my daughter initally wanted both the cumin lamb and the cumin fish, suggesting that the seasonings were too similar and this would be a good alternative. (And there is no one in my family who is going to be happy if we make the trek to HKP and don't have the cumin lamb.) The garlic fish is a non-incendiary dish that helps balance out a table full of heat. It is breaded and fried, crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside, with a fair amount of crispy fried garlic bits on the plate. This would not be the one dish I ordered if I was limited to one entree, but it provides a nice balance and the friends we introduced to HKP last weekend loved it.

[Escoffier]

Not wanting to appear stuck in an ordering rut, but a leisurely (even at 5:30pm) drive to Hong Kong Palace.  Our annual homage to Steven B with the dishes he always favored (fortunately, so do we).  So as is our wont, we ordered:

Dan Dan Noodles.  Does anyone go to Hong Kong Palace and not order Dan Dan Noodles?

Spicy Sichuan Ribs: Really meaty, very short pork ribs spiced similarly to the cumin fish. 

Ma Po Tofu: I know this has come up many times, and always as good. No exception this time either.  (Unfortunately, only touched on, we were full on the Dan Dan Noodles and the ribs).

Cumin Fish: Probaby my favorite HKP dish.  I don't know what it is about this dish, but no matter what else we order, Cumin Fish always seems to be included. Probably the absolutely best onions in a dish that I have ever eaten. The flavor of the fish, the cumin and the peppers combine with the onion to make a Mozart symphony in your mouth. Almost as good as the fish, but not quite.

Naturally, we couldn't finish everything so there'll be a reprise of HKP today with leftovers.  Another thing Stephen B was famous (notorious?) for.  The left-overs always seemed to go home with him. Now it's just us.  Here's to you Stephen B.  You may be here only in spirit but Melanie and the staff at HKP remember and salute you just as we do.

[Simul Parikh]

So, it wasn't salty? My last 3 times there it wasn't too salty, but the 2 times before that it was.

Do you ever get the fish and bean curd in spicy sauce? That's a good one, like H20 at Joe's.

There is a pork belly dish there that is fantastic, I can't find on menu, but the lady offered it to me.

I love the spicy fried chicken with sesame stuffed chili peppers, not on official menu.

Cumin lamb is dope, too.

Anyone recommend any vegetarian dishes? Or the whole fish dishes?

I was going to cook, but screw it, I'm making it an HKP night.

S

[Escoffier]

So, it wasn't salty? My last 3 times there it wasn't too salty, but the 2 times before that it was.

Do you ever get the fish and bean curd in spicy sauce? That's a good one, like H20 at Joe's.

Wasn't salty at all.  Just nice and spicy, and gently fishy (as all good fish are) in a good way, naturally.  We've had the fish in spicy sauce a number of times, but not every time we go.  The dishes I listed are almost always on our order (even though the ribs are sometimes replaced with another dish).

[Simul Parikh]

Slow day at the clinic, so I took my physicist to lunch and made him translate the menu on the wall at Hong Kong Palace. Been wanting this done for years and Ye has in one day done more for me than he has in 4.5 years as my medical physicist. Just kidding.

So, I'm starting at top left and going to the right

Row 1:

Sour/hot rice noodles (might be wide noodles, not like mien)

Fresh hot pepper ____ (fish or meet, not the dried red peppers)

Pickled vegetables and intestines

Garlic and cucumber

Seared fish (unclear if this is whole or filet)

Pan fried beef tendon

Fatty intestines

Fresh bamboo sprouts

Row 2

Pork strips and rice cake (unsure if it is pork belly or what)

Lamb hot pot (didn't know they had!)

Spicy chicken and potato

Spicy blood chunks

Green onion and beef tendon

Spicy fish

Pickled hot pepper fish soup (he seemed particularly excited about this)

Pickled hot pepper and needle mushroom with chicken strips

Row 3

Vegetable sprouts and chicken (this would be the yellow menu item - bottom left)

Fried chicken strips

(????) - he couldn't come up with anything for this

Three brothers spicy chicken (I'm doing to figure out what this is)

Spicy intestine strips

Beans and dried meat

Salty and sweet pork chop

Bean sprouts and fatty intestine

[TheMatt]

I kinda want to try the "beans and dried meat" and "fresh bamboo sprouts". Mmm.

[Rhone1998]

Simul Parikh, there's an app called Waygo that will do this for you. No physicist required. There's a thread somewhere about it.

[PollyG]

Gluten-free people, take note:  If you bring your own GF soy sauce, HKP is able to make most of its dishes GF for you.  We took over about half the restaurant for my birthday a few months ago and one of our friends genuinely has Celiac and must eat GF; even the small amount of wheat in soy sauce has become a problem of late.  I did some consultation in advance and found out that most of the "breaded" dishes at HKP use corn starch and not wheat flour.  There are a few exceptions and a call in advance would be smart, but my friend was able to eat almost everything we had pre-ordered for the gang.  All of their sauces are made on the spot and not pre-made, so it was easy for them to use our GF soy.  

[DonRocks]

Look!

[naxos]

2.8 miles !! Looking forward to a delivered meal .

[Simul Parikh]

Don't dine with kids much, especially at places like this, but anyone know if there is stuff 15 month old little boys could eat here? Their parents love them some Sichuan, and don't really get it unless they are visiting me.

Thanks!

S

[Josh]

Don't dine with kids much, especially at places like this, but anyone know if there is stuff 15 month old little boys could eat here? Their parents love them some Sichuan, and don't really get it unless they are visiting me.

Thanks!

S

We did it with our son when he was around that age...there was an eggplant dish that he dug, and I'm sure the waitresses could point towards another non-spicy, easily gummable dish.

[catharine]

We have been taking our now 2.5 year old here since he was a baby. It really depends on what the little guy likes/will eat. We like to stick to the Szechuan menu but there is no reason you couldn't order him something from the American-Chinese menu. If you want him to eat what you eat, off the top of my head, I would think he might enjoy the Chengdu Zhongs dumplings or the Yang Zhou (sp?) fried rice (made with house-made bacon/pork belly). Another not-too-spicy option is the Salt and Pepper Shrimp.My little guy now eats the stuffed pepper chicken (on the specials board in Chinese) which the waitstaff finds highly entertaining. Enjoy!

[Simul Parikh]

Thanks for suggestions, guys!

I hope when I have a kid he eats the stuffed pepper chicken at the age of 2.5.

S

[DanielK]

My kids will eat the good stuff now, but when they were that age, they just wouldn't do it. Lo mein or sweet and sour chicken (hold the sauce - it's chicken nuggets!) are familiar foods for picky kids.

[Escoffier]

Our annual homage to Stephen B. with a journey to Hong Kong Palace.  Last Christmas we started ordering dishes that Stephen really liked (and ordered ofter) so our pilgrimage now includes our two (always) ordered Dan Dan Noodles and Cumin fish.  This year we ordered the Fried Chicken with Dried Peppers as the third dish.  Nice, small bite-sized pieces of coated chicken (no bones!) with LOTS of dried peppers, onions, and garlic.  I believe this dish is going to become a regular on our list.  Excellent all way around.  Nice moist chicken pieces, not numbing spice but with a definite spiciness.  I started eating this after we finished the Dan Dan Noodles, and almost didn't have time for the always excellent Cumin Fish.  Even when I was totally full, I found myself seeking out any overlooked pieces of chicken.

To you Stephen B.  A hello from Melanie, and a raised cup of hot tea from Grover and me.

[Ericandblueboy]

There's a new menu at Hong Kong Palace.  They combined the Chinese and English menu into one and added lots of pictures. 

[Escoffier]

6 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

There's a new menu at Hong Kong Palace.  They combined the Chinese and English menu into one and added lots of pictures. 

Fortunately, all the good stuff is still there even though it may not have pictures.  We paid our annual homage to Stephen B. once again this year and were presented with that Reader's Digest of Chinese-American menus.  We ordered things that have become tradition since Stephen left the dining room a couple of year ago.  They  were as good this Christmas as they were last and the only disappointment was that Stephen wasn't there to share dinner with us.

[iamhydrgn]

Regarding the 'Three Brothers Spicy Chicken'....it is served cold, to include seemingly cleavered wings/legs, in a bright red chili oil-based sauce.  Chicken appears to have been steamed or boiled for this particular plate...not a seared or crisp skin texture.  Will run into some bones, as well.  Certainly tasty, and worth a try, but it may not be everyone's proverbial cup of (green) tea.  

On another note....what is it about the eggplant w/ garlic sauce that garners such rave reviews?  I typically get take out from HKP - perhaps the texture or flavors muddle during transport?  I've given it two tries, but simply don't understand the fuss here.

[Simul Parikh]

57 minutes ago, iamhydrgn said:

Regarding the 'Three Brothers Spicy Chicken'....it is served cold, to include seemingly cleavered wings/legs, in a bright red chili oil-based sauce.  Chicken appears to have been steamed or boiled for this particular plate...not a seared or crisp skin texture.  Will run into some bones, as well.  Certainly tasty, and worth a try, but it may not be everyone's proverbial cup of (green) tea.  

On another note....what is it about the eggplant w/ garlic sauce that garners such rave reviews?  I typically get take out from HKP - perhaps the texture or flavors muddle during transport?  I've given it two tries, but simply don't understand the fuss here.

Agree with the eggplant. I've had it in-house. Doesn't do it for me. This place is so consistently good. Cannot believe Eater left it off it's list of DC area Chinese restaurants.

[JimCo]

Also left off Tim Carman's Top 10 Chinese Restaurant list, which is a shame. 

Was there two weeks ago, and they were serving some of the best food I've ever had there. Whoever was manning the fryer was firing on all cylinders. The cumin fish was crisp and numbing. The fried chicken with stuffed sesame peppers (I never remember the name) was also excellently fried. 

Only bad note was the service, with our waitress who seemed annoyed by our existence. "She doesn't like us," I told my wife. "She doesn't like anyone," my wife replied after watching her get short with the table next to us.