Editor Pick
Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant
- May 22, 2006
- Rated 3 of 5 by
stvchin from Tustin, California
First off, there are two sides to the Sam Woo Restaurant. There is Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant and a Sam Woo Seafood Restaurant, located next to each other. This is a review of the BBQ side only.
Once you enter, there is a large take out section with all sorts of roasted and Bbqed meats hanging in a display case. They have roasted duck, roasted pig, BBQ pork, sausage, roasted squid, (?) and just about all sorts of things available in addition to the standard fare of fried rice and traditional Chinese dishes. To the left of that is the seated dining area. During lunch and dinner, there is usually a small wait.
Once seated, the waiter plops down a kettle of tea and our menus. The menu is typical of any Cantonese Chinese restaurant. They all seem to serve the same food. The front of the menu did offer some of the Asian "boba" tapioca drinks in it.
My friend ordered a roast duck and rice plate, I ordered Beef Chow Mien (crispy noodles with beef and veggies in sauce.) In a short while, our food arrived. There isn't much to describe the food. It tastes as it's supposed to, so that makes it good. My beef noodles were nice and saucy, the beef was a slight bit tough though, but that's expected. In total, our total bill was $14. We don't tip much because that's expected for the level of "service" we received.
I've eaten at similar Chinese restaurants before, so don't expect much from the atmosphere or service attitude. This is no exception. There is no atmosphere, and the servers rarely say anything to you. In fact, the servers usually frown upon being bothered for such things other than to take your order and bring you your food. They say that if the waiters are nice and attentive, then it's NOT authentic Chinese food!
Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant is one of the few authentic Chinese restaurants in Irvine, so if you want good, authentic dine-in Chinese food, you're held hostage to the bad service. That's the ONLY reason I say it's recommended. Remember that when you wonder why the waiters don't smile or talk to you. Oh yeah, they take CASH ONLY, no credit cards or checks.
The Sam Woo Seafood side is different, and I'll write a review on that later.
From journal Dining Around Orange County