Share this on...
Tonight we Dined in the Palace
We truly had a meal fit for Kings tonight, and we were treated like Royalty. From the moment that you see Asian Jewels Seafood Restaurant you feel like you’re walking in to some place special. The place was immaculate. The service meticulous. The waiters attentive. And, the bathrooms were the best I have ever seen (though I can only speak of the Men’s room). It was no surprise that the restaurant was rated an “A” by the New York City Board of Health. Now, that might put the fear of tasteless Chinese food in to some people’s minds. It did mine. But that thought was quickly disparaged by the three appetizers we were served.
Asian Jewels Seafood Restaurant is located at: 13330 39th Avenue Flushing, NY 11354 Parking is provided (two hours free with dinner) At the beginning of the evening it felt like we were in the United Nations Dining Hall with people of all colors and ethnicities. By the end of the evening we were all family and it was universally Asian (including us pseudo-Asians).
As has become out wont(on), we had our wine connoisseur with us, and with what will now becoming a feature, and fixture, on The Chinese Quest, we will begin offering our opinions on various wines and wine pairings, in particular with Chinese Cuisine. So, you’ll definitely be wanting Subscribe to our blog in order to start receiving notification of all new articles that we post.
The Jewels were not only in the name of the Restaurant, but also served on the dishes we ate.
We started off with two white wines that put in a happy place to start our meals and embolden our conversation.
The aforementioned appetizers were quickly served up. They had a distinctive salty and garlicky flavor to them. We were served:
- Salt & Pepper Fried Squid – This dish, in my humble opinion, made the night. The Squid wasn’t what you’d find in a fried calamari, but tasted more like shrimp. It was a huge winner and got our meal off to a galloping start.
- Vietnamese Shredded Chicken – Served on what I can best describe as cole slaw. I feared this one was going to be very spicy. But, it wasn’t. It had a delightful taste, and the cole slaw (without the mayo) was a nice salad and complemented the chicken nicely. This dish had a nice cooling taste to our palates.
- Crispy Spare Ribs – not like you’d expect in a Chinese restaurant. But, this was an authentic Cantonese Chinese restaurant. It was different. A little dry. Salty. And not tremendously meaty. It was just ok.
More wine was served between the appetizers and our entrees. We were served, in order:
- Lobster w/Black Bean Sauce – most excellent. The lobsters were 1 1/4lbs. We had two. The lobster was already cut up in to pieces, and was relatively easy to get out of the shell. Which we greedily picked up to get each piece of succulent lobster meat in to our appreciative bellies.
- Duck w/Taro – We should have ordered the Peking Duck. Though we were encouraged not to. We weren’t pleased with this duck, so I can’t imaging how we might have felt about their Peking Duck. We were warned. We heeded. But, we could have skipped this dish. It was their only real miss.
- Sea Bass w/Vegetables – Served fried and sautéed. Half prepared each way. I don’t know which I liked better. Both were excellent. Obviously, as we should have realized with the word “Seafood” in the name, this restaurant is known for it’s seafood. This dish was a winner.
- Beef Cube w/Asparagus – Some of the pieces of beef were beyond belief good. Some were dry. It was a hit and miss dish. The asparagus and sauce were spot on.
- Crystal Crab Meat Fried Rice – I liked this rice a lot. Until….
- House Special Fried Rice – THIS. Wow! This rice was moist, tasty, and dare I say fruity. There, I said it!
Desserts were a treat of:
- Flan(?) with Coconut and Almond Paste – It looked gelatinous. But, we tried it. It tasted better than it looked.
- Green Bean Soup – Traditionally, I’ve had Red Bean Soup as a dessert. This offering surprised me. I wasn’t really eager to give this one a good taste, but had to, didn’t I? It was sweet. A little too sweet. There was more left over than consumed.
- Sponge Cake served warm. I liked it. But, then again, I’ve always liked sponge cake. It was a nice end to a great meal.
The bill came out to less than I expected, which earned the restaurant even a few more Jew Appeal points. All in all I was very pleased with Asian Jewels Seafood Restaurant, and clearly my brothers agreed as was evidenced by our ratings:
By the very slimmest of margins, eight 1000’s of a percentage point (.0008) to be exact, Asian Jewels Seafood Restaurant took over the second position in our Official Chinese Quest Rankings of Chinese Restaurant’s on Long Island and NYC.
If you’re in Flushing, or wish to make a special trip to eat a truly good Cantonese style authentic Chinese meal, put this one at the top of your list!
Humbly submitted for your consumption,
—Mee Magnum (“Chop! Chop!”)
Share this on...
Review Overview
5 Stars
Great!
Summary : Excellent Article!
I loved it when you mentioned that two lobsters in black bean sauce were served already cut up into pieces. Crustaceans can be very expensive bought per gram and hard to eat with their hard shells on. Being served these tough-shelled delicacies not only shows real concern for diners but also a way of saying that they are most welcome to drop by again. I will take note of this golden service and consider dropping by your seafood restaurant when I start craving for Asian food.
Angel,
Have your tried this restaurant yet? It’s still one our most highly rated Chinese restaurants.
Where else should we go?