So i'm giving this place a 3.5 with the choice being the 3 stars side because well I'm not feeling the craziness of this place.

First: the parking is INSANE on the weekend. Parking spaces are like Asian people in Arizona: small and rare. You're most likely to hit someone or vice-versa. Don't be surprised if you find a ding on your door or bumper.

So I was told that their dim sum is pretty good. I will attest to the fact that it is better than Jasmine but why does the tables have to be so damn close? One could easily feel claustrophobic when this place is packed. It does get pretty loud with one group trying to shout over the other... but honestly, are you surprised? Probably not.

I got the usual, hargow, siu mai and other rice based gelatinous treats. But what really stood out is their peking duck dish. They cut it table side and prepare it right in front of you. It was pretty delicious.

But anyways this place gets best dim sum in San Diego, then Jasmine, and the very expensive Pearl in Rancho Bernardo. All dim sum dishes will range from 2-5 bucks with the menu practically all in Chinese. Prices aren't reflected on the menu so go with an open wallet, cuz coming here with the idea that you're spending "x" amount on dim sum is crazy balls.

Emerald Chinese Seafood Restaurant has a big parking lot as well as a big dining area. Many of the asian locals like to come here on weekends for the dim sum. Dim sum is where you sit down and waitresses come around with carts filled with food such as steamed buns, shumai, dumplings, etc. It's pretty good food for the price you pay and the food is not bad. The fun thing that I like about dim sum is that you get to view your food before you choose it, it's like looking at a menu of all the things you could eat. I really enjoy the shumai and the porridge there. I believe Emerald also holds big banquet events, so if you need a space for a dinner party, then you could check out if this place can accommodate you. Emerald Chinese Seafood Restaurant is worth checking out.

I had to go to this restaurant for a function last week and had the opportunity to probably sample over ten dishes since there were so many of us at the table.

Overall, the food here is pretty bad. The Horfun noodle dish is the worst I've ever had: clumpy, underseasoned, extremely sparse on toppings. Their other stir fried noodle dish that came out which had seafood and greens in it looked like a plate of creamy vomit. It didn't look good so I didn't even bother to try it, but there was a lot of that left on the plate so I wasn't the only one at the table who felt the same way.

The place was packed for a Friday night and the service was decent but nothing spectacular. I think if you can't make good food overall, then it doesn't matter about the other aspects of a restaurant that makes customers want to come back.

ervice. Western folks sometimes mistake the Eastern respect for personal privacy for a lack of interest; just ask, and you'll get all the service you need. ...

We enjoy the cooking at this temple of Chinese haute cuisine, and appreciate the mid-1998 remodeling that gave the place a fresh new look. We confess to coming here for dim sum ...