Comments on: Review: A La Kitchen (阿拉廚房) http://paigu.crystalized.ca/2010/05/review-a-la-kitchen-%e9%98%bf%e6%8b%89%e5%bb%9a%e6%88%bf/ It's not just food, it's love. Tue, 10 May 2011 06:48:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: MiX http://paigu.crystalized.ca/2010/05/review-a-la-kitchen-%e9%98%bf%e6%8b%89%e5%bb%9a%e6%88%bf/comment-page-1/#comment-595 MiX Mon, 17 Jan 2011 07:39:23 +0000 http://paigu.crystalized.ca/?p=187#comment-595 I'm sorry to hear your experience LDV15, and frankly a little baffled. we had lunch there a few days after you did and ordered set meal. It was generously portioned and the waiters were all really good with bringing out the food in a sensible order. In fact i think one waiter told us the set meal would have bigger portions. I wonder if it's because it was a busy time and with new hands that you had such an awful experience. And I agree with the posters that said the food is the most authentic Shanghai-ese i've had in a long time. I’m sorry to hear your experience LDV15, and frankly a little baffled. we had lunch there a few days after you did and ordered set meal. It was generously portioned and the waiters were all really good with bringing out the food in a sensible order. In fact i think one waiter told us the set meal would have bigger portions. I wonder if it’s because it was a busy time and with new hands that you had such an awful experience.
And I agree with the posters that said the food is the most authentic Shanghai-ese i’ve had in a long time.

]]> By: LDV15 http://paigu.crystalized.ca/2010/05/review-a-la-kitchen-%e9%98%bf%e6%8b%89%e5%bb%9a%e6%88%bf/comment-page-1/#comment-548 LDV15 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 18:40:04 +0000 http://paigu.crystalized.ca/?p=187#comment-548 My family, boyfriend and I decided to try this restaurant on new years eve as recommended by a family friend. We usually order a set menus for the party number as it makes ordering easier and usually ( and let me emphasize on this "usually" word) better value than ordering separately and house specialties items are sometimes included. The set menus was 98 dollars for what seemed like a pretty good deal with soup, appetizer, 5 entrees, rice/noodle and a dessert. Typical set menu at a Chinese restaurant! HOWEVER, when the dishes arrived, WOW it was the SMALLEST PORTIONS I have ever seen in a Chinese restaurant. The dish sizes were the size of a side plate with only the noodle dish maintaining the size of a real plate size. I was so disappointed by the portion size that I waved down the server to literally ask him why in the world were my 5 entrees SO SMALL that it looked like a side dish. Two servers came and both had inconsistent answers while one said that it was just the plate and not the content that was small. (which is BS because we are not blind and the content was clearly 60% of the actual full size.) the other server said that it was smaller and then my mother became so angry and asked them why did you not let us know that the portions would be smaller? I have never been to a restaurant that had set menu entrees smaller than the normal menu dish. It was appalling. The dinner was set for 6 ppl and we had 5 ppl and we were NOT FULL. I have never been to a Chinese restaurant and not been full. The other sever told us to order more if we were not full and I just told them to leave us alone as they have already pissed us off enough. But no, THEY DID NOT STOP AT THAT. They decided to make us even more angry by bringing in the dessert while we were still eating the SMALL entrees in attempt to kick us out faster. We got our food around 650 and by 730 we were out the door and this was not voluntary either. This was a the result of the dishes being so small that we finished it so fast and the fact that they stuffed the dessert in our faces while we were peeved. We could not take it anymore and had to get out. I had the worst new years eve dinner ever yesterday. I hate this restaurant so much that I will do anything to convince people not to go. Also, the food is SO SUBPAR that this fact alone does not warrant a first visit, let alone a second visit. Worst 135 dollars I have ever spent in my life. We still tipped because we are not cheap. We just wanted good food with good company and the first was destroyed by this stuck up restaurant. IF YOU ARE SMART, DO NOT EAT HERE!!!!!!! My family, boyfriend and I decided to try this restaurant on new years eve as recommended by a family friend. We usually order a set menus for the party number as it makes ordering easier and usually ( and let me emphasize on this “usually” word) better value than ordering separately and house specialties items are sometimes included.

The set menus was 98 dollars for what seemed like a pretty good deal with soup, appetizer, 5 entrees, rice/noodle and a dessert. Typical set menu at a Chinese restaurant! HOWEVER, when the dishes arrived, WOW it was the SMALLEST PORTIONS I have ever seen in a Chinese restaurant. The dish sizes were the size of a side plate with only the noodle dish maintaining the size of a real plate size. I was so disappointed by the portion size that I waved down the server to literally ask him why in the world were my 5 entrees SO SMALL that it looked like a side dish.

Two servers came and both had inconsistent answers while one said that it was just the plate and not the content that was small. (which is BS because we are not blind and the content was clearly 60% of the actual full size.) the other server said that it was smaller and then my mother became so angry and asked them why did you not let us know that the portions would be smaller?

I have never been to a restaurant that had set menu entrees smaller than the normal menu dish. It was appalling. The dinner was set for 6 ppl and we had 5 ppl and we were NOT FULL. I have never been to a Chinese restaurant and not been full. The other sever told us to order more if we were not full and I just told them to leave us alone as they have already pissed us off enough.

But no, THEY DID NOT STOP AT THAT. They decided to make us even more angry by bringing in the dessert while we were still eating the SMALL entrees in attempt to kick us out faster. We got our food around 650 and by 730 we were out the door and this was not voluntary either. This was a the result of the dishes being so small that we finished it so fast and the fact that they stuffed the dessert in our faces while we were peeved. We could not take it anymore and had to get out.

I had the worst new years eve dinner ever yesterday. I hate this restaurant so much that I will do anything to convince people not to go.

Also, the food is SO SUBPAR that this fact alone does not warrant a first visit, let alone a second visit.

Worst 135 dollars I have ever spent in my life. We still tipped because we are not cheap. We just wanted good food with good company and the first was destroyed by this stuck up restaurant.

IF YOU ARE SMART, DO NOT EAT HERE!!!!!!!

]]> By: S. http://paigu.crystalized.ca/2010/05/review-a-la-kitchen-%e9%98%bf%e6%8b%89%e5%bb%9a%e6%88%bf/comment-page-1/#comment-310 S. Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:59:35 +0000 http://paigu.crystalized.ca/?p=187#comment-310 I honestly looove this place! I'm shanghainese and this is my absolute favourite go-to restaurant for shanghai food. It definitely ranks high in its authenticity!! I hope you'll reconsider going back sometime :) I honestly looove this place!

I’m shanghainese and this is my absolute favourite go-to restaurant for shanghai food. It definitely ranks high in its authenticity!!

I hope you’ll reconsider going back sometime :)

]]> By: kat http://paigu.crystalized.ca/2010/05/review-a-la-kitchen-%e9%98%bf%e6%8b%89%e5%bb%9a%e6%88%bf/comment-page-1/#comment-245 kat Mon, 10 May 2010 17:08:20 +0000 http://paigu.crystalized.ca/?p=187#comment-245 I'm sorry to hear about your awful experience with A la Kitchen. It's a shame because it's one of the few places in Markham that I actually like going back to. Like you said, the food is pretty good. I'm quite certain that you would have a better dining experience if you were seated nowhere near the entrance/exit. Hope you'll still give it reconsider going back! I’m sorry to hear about your awful experience with A la Kitchen. It’s a shame because it’s one of the few places in Markham that I actually like going back to. Like you said, the food is pretty good. I’m quite certain that you would have a better dining experience if you were seated nowhere near the entrance/exit. Hope you’ll still give it reconsider going back!

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