Hong Kong Palace, Rowland Heights (06.21.11)

We were invited to join a special meal by a family friend. It was a birthday celebration with 8 courses. The restaurant was running a special offered on all days except Saturdays and holidays. Now, we hadn't been back to HK Palace for at least 5 years and we wondered if the food had gone downhill. Nope...true to form, it's stayed pretty consistent.

Course 1...Veggie Dish - Stir fried baby bok choy with king oyster mushrooms, bunashimeji, shimeji and stewed oyster mushrooms.

Course 2...Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry - Very peppery...so peppery, in fact, that our hosts had to wash their beef pieces in their tea to wash off some of the black pepper. It was just fine for the hubby and I (we love spice) but a tad too much for our friends.

Course 3...Traditional Chinese Soup - A very tasty soup made with pork, silkie hen (black chicken), and Chinese herbs. This was when I was reminded that soup is very nourishing and I should make it more often.

Course 4...Broccoli with Chicken & Squid - American broccoli topped with stir fried strips of chicken and squid in a clear sauce. A solid dish. Nothing too special.

Course 5...Peking Duck - Nice fluffy and soft buns with a well prepped Peking Duck. The skin was nice and crisp (not too fatty) and served on a bed of prawn crackers. This place always has great duck.

Course 6...Suckling Pig - This was a deliciously, porky preparation. Perfectly crispy pig skin and nice tender meat underneath. Served with a cucumber salad and hoisin sauce. This place makes the best tender piggy!

Course 7...Yang Chow Fried Rice w/ Crispy Shrimp - This was a basic fried rice but what made it super special were the hundreds of tiny head-on shrimps which were fried and sprinkled on top. The shrimps were almost dried but not really and were absolutely delish! The hubby really enjoyed this dish as did I.

Course 8...Lobster Yee Mein - This was a dish with 2 lobsters served on a bed of super buttery yee mein. The noodles were delicious on their own with all that butter but the lobster added a nice element to the dish. Most people would say that the lobster was the highlight of the dish but, for me, I thoroughly enjoyed the noodles. Probably because I'm a carb loving biotch but to me, the noodles really were awesome!

All this food for $198...serves 8 to 10 guests and they kinda do require you have at least 8 people there. Otherwise the deal is different but not a bad deal for the price.