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 into someplace special. The place was immaculate. The service is meticulous. The waiters are 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 into some people’s minds. It did mine. But that thought was quickly disparaged by the three appetizers we were served.
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 us in a happy place to start our meals and emboldened our conversation.
The aforementioned appetizers were quickly served up. They had a distinctive salty and garlicky flavor. 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 – mos
- 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 imagine 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 its 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 I 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 Restaurants 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!”)