Dear Husband, Sophie and I recently ventured out to Dublin to try some fantastic dim sum at Koi Palace. Koi Palace has a few locations across the Bay Area, and although Dublin is a bit of a drive, we thoroughly enjoyed trying something new.
I’d say the dim sum experience at Koi Palace is a little more authentic than that of Yank Sing (not that I’d ever turn down a chance for lunch there!) It actually reminded me of where I first tried dim sum- at a dim sum spot in Shatin in Hong Kong, as a college student. It was a completely new experience for me, a gal from Dallas in the 1980s. I wasn’t quite sure how the whole thing worked- how do you order, what’s on the menu. But I was determined to figure it out because the food looked delicious!
The same thing occurred at Koi Palace. So I’ve got a few tips for you, if you are a newcomer like we were.
Plan to be there for the 11am opening, and get there 5-10 minutes early
I’d made a reservation for their 11am opening, but it’s unclear that that was at all necessary. What is a good idea is getting there a bit early to queue up. Go up the escalator to the second floor of the strip mall in Dublin. (at first, I thought the “Koi Palace Express” storefront on the ground floor was the restaurant- that is incorrect.)
You’ll see the line of people waiting to get in. The line moved quickly and we were seated within 5 minutes of our reservation time. But if you come later than 11am, it looked like a bit of a wait.
Order from the printed menu
Unlike Yank Sing, the fantastic dim sum is mainly ordered directly from the server. There were a couple of roving carts, but we followed the lead of the tables around us and ordered on the printed menu on the table. Thank goodness the menu featured photos and semi-clear descriptions. The food was dropped off over the course of 30 minutes, and it was delicious!
Try some new things!
The menu at Koi Palace had, of course, fantastic dim sum, but there were also soups, fried rice dishes, all sorts of things. We did try some new things, but I am sure there are more to try. Can’t wait to get back!
And a final tip- the teapot goes on top of the ceramic stand with the candle on every table. We finally figured that out after seeing all the other diners placing their teapots there! 🙂
Koi Palace, 4288 Dublin Blvd #213, Dublin, CA 94568
