Jade Dynasty Seafood Restaurant

Great dim sum. We had a reservation which helped us get seating during a very busy lunchtime service. Our waiter was attentive although it took a while to get us started with food. Once he put our order in, the food came out quickly and was very good. I have no complaints at all.

Our friend got married yesterday and their reception was at Jade Dynasty. I’ve never been here before, so I was quite glad that it was held here. It’s located on the 4^th floor of Ala Moana, close to Mai Tais, and right next to Macaroni Grill/​Island Burgers. Upon walking in, I was blown by their interior design. Their chandeliers were so pretty as well as their chairs! I wanted to take one of the chairs home! LOL.
Not knowing that we had a 10 course meal, I would’ve tried to save myself to last throughout all the dishes instead of indulging in whatever was put in front of me. (I was hungry. really hungry lol) But every single item we had our menu was DELICIOUS. Whatever chicken or beef we had was SO soft and SO full of flavor. I’m a noodle person, so I was quite disappointed that they brought out the noodles last, so I was all stuffed by the time we got it… but I still was able to get a plate of it! hah. One thing I really liked about here was that we got to bring our left overs home!!! Everyone on our table ended up not taking any food home, so that left everything in between my little family & a couple of our friends.
All the staff were really attentive on refilling our waters, getting everyone’s such as hot mustard & shoyu, high chairs, etc. They were all aware of whatever was going on, helped with cutting as well as passing out the cake. A couple of them were engaging with the guests that had children, and I really like that.
The only downfall to this place was the fact that there were other parties going on at the same time so it was hard to hear anything that was being said over the box speaker that the newlywed’s family had brought. Other than that, it was really enjoyable coming here and I look forward to coming here again in the future.

I am more than surprised that I haven’t typed up a review for this restaurant! Shame on me! Especially when I’ve been coming here ever since it opened in 2011 for dim sum, dinner, parties, and other social gatherings!
Jade Dynasty ranks up there with other Chinese restaurants. This is probably the nicest, in terms of aesthetics, in all of Oahu. The food is very consistent, and the service is quick and friendly.
For Dim Sum, I love the fact that they are always introducing new dim sum into their already expansive menu, and it already has a wide variety of items that you will not find at any other dim sum restaurants. As for their main menu items, it’s a majority of hits with several misses. I’d say about 65/​35%.
On this instance, I came with my grandparents for New Years. The place was packed with a 45 minute wait, which turned out to just a 15 minute wait. Jade Dynasty is usually good, but today was awful. This may be due to the busyness of the holidays but it should be That bad…
First off, the teapot had an off-​putting, fishy taste that made the tea undrinkable. The second pot had lukewarm water. Finally, the third was right. Right off the bat, it’s a clear sign of things to come.
We ordered the Capital Pork Chop since my grandpa must get it where ever we go. This plate was so poorly proportioned. It’s a $ 14.95 entrée, and it was served dim sum size. I’ve never seen the amount that low before. The taste was decent with a nice balance of sweet and savory, but the size of the pork chops were small as well, and the taste of the pork itself was bland. I wish this had some onions or peas to cut into the heaviness and richness of the pork chops.
The dim sum had a bland theme as well. The Tofu stuffed with Seafood was so bland, and there was barely any sauce to give it any taste. It was not enjoyable whatsoever. The same goes for the Pan Fried Fish Cake with Corn. The fish cake was just bland, bland, bland, and oily. The Fried Fish Balls were okay. Bland again, but it was fried nicely. I had to rely on a lot of the Sweet Chili Sauce for taste. The Steamed Plain Look Funn is generally bland by itself and needs the soy sauce to give it taste, but there was barely enough of it, and the look Funn was not steamed long enough, so it was a lot more firm and not that appetizing. The Gin Dui was terrible. The outside layer was crisp, but it was super, super chewy that made it very difficult to eat. Thankfully, there was a saving grace: the chicken feet. This was the best tasting thing this entire meal. The chicken feet was actually plump with very the typical oyster and soy base sauce that was flavorful.
The service was good. Our server was friendly enough and the food came out decently quick. The chicken feet took super long though.
Overall, this was a really bad meal. It’s possible the cooks in the back were just overworked through the holidays because almost all Chinese restaurants were super packed for Christmas and New Years, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for terrible food because they know they are in for during this time of the year.
This bad meal wouldn’t drive me away, but my expectance level is a lot lower. I’m glad Jade Dynasty has a Check-​In Offer though. A free Medium Dim Sum with a $ 10 minimum purchase. I’ll take it!

My first time going to eat Dim Sum as a vegan, there were not many items that I could eat, but the server was friendly and didn’t seem to mind my questions about the ingredients of each dish.
Vegan items that I tried:
Mushroom Look Fun — ²⁄₅
Black Mochi rolls — ³⁄₅
Deep Fried Mochi Balls — ⁴⁄₅

The best food. This was our first time there and we were a little confused about how to order. We finally figure it out that we had to mark the paper on the table. The server then picks it up and gives it to the kitchen.
The snow mountain buns were the best. We ordered six different dishes and they were all outstanding.

For a place in hawaii, this place was really fancy inside. But it fit into Ala Moana’s upscale vibe perfectly.
The food was good, not too salty. But some dishes could have used more flavor. We had the pork ribs and steamed buns, mushu chicken, steamed tofu, candied shrimp, cake noodles, and shrimp and sausage fried rice.
My favorite was the pork and buns and the steamed tofu. Service was pretty quick, as there were not that many people at 7:30pm on a Sunday night.

I went to this restaurant with a local friend for dim sum. We got there around noon and it was quite busy in the restaurant, but we got seated right away. We had the traditional har gow and shumai (pork hash) and both weren’t bad. We also had the chicken feet, steamed beef balls, snow mountain cha siu bao and an order of Singapore noodles. The chicken feet was very tasty and a nice texture and you get quite a big portion. Most of the dim sum dishes start at $ 3.50 which is a average price for dim sum on the island. The Singapore noodle were also quite tasty. But their best dim sum dish is their snow mountain cha siu bao. It has a crispy topping and a very soft bun that just melts in your mouth. The service was good and I would definitely be back to try some more of their delicacies.

We had a dinner party here in a private room. The food was good, especially the Peking duck, which was moist, juicy (some critics may say «fatty» or «oily» but hey, it’s DUCK) and well seasoned.
The best part of our dinner was the service. Lok helped us to plan and adjust the menus, and he and the manager were very hospitable and accommodating the entire night. The manager told me before dinner that we would have «professional waiters» to serve us. I wasn’t sure what he meant, but we soon found out. The waiters were very friendly, helpful and efficient, not what you’d normally expect or encounter in most Chinese restaurants. The restaurant is also clean and nicely decorated.

Rarely do I give a two star rating but this restaurant really deserved it. They don’t take reservations on weekends so we got there exactly at 10:30 am for walk-in.After being seated, we were given one (1) menu to share among the 4 of us. Had to call the waiter for extra menus, water, tea and mustard dishes (had only 2 on the table). Ordered the Peking Duck and was told it would take an hour (!). Changed our mind and ordered the «signature» roasted crispy beef tenderloin. It was the last dish to be served after everything else came out. Stay away from this $ 20.95 dish. It tasted like overcooked beef pot roast swimming in hoisin gravy sauce. You can pay $ 2 more for 4 buns, to make a mini-​taco, but the meat was tough and it didn’t come with any garnish with it. For the price, the steamed fish filet with mushroom, ham and vegetable ($ 19.95) was nothing to rave about. And the braised e-​mein with assorted mushrooms ($ 13.95) was a small portion and they used canned button mushrooms, not even the black shiitake mushrooms.
I felt this restaurant was overpriced, the portions were small and mediocre and I think they are popular because they are the only formal dining Chinese restaurant in the mall. Royal Garden Chinese restaurant, about 15 minutes away is a better alternative.

The restaurant is quite empty and we waited for 20 minutes… Still no service. Many people have walked out while waiting for their food while they were seated at the tables.
That’s a hint… I’m taking their lead and leaving as well.
Too bad Jade– dunno what happened to your service.

My parents have enjoyed eating at Jade Dynasty, so a few months ago, my parents held a small party in a private room there. We were referred by my parents’ friend to speak to Loc Zheng, who helped us plan the menu. While we had dinner there to preview some of the dishes a month before the party, Loc did an excellent job helping us to modify a pre-​set menu to my parents’ specific requests (did I mention that they are quite particular?). We even got a special treat of mango pudding for dessert so that we could try that out. Loc was also very good at following up with us before the party to get all the details worked out. He is very hard working and personable.
Our final menu, loosely based on the Lotus menu:
Crab meat and fish maw soup
Appetizer plate including jellyfish and cold meats — this is a little spicier than the usual
Whole ‘Uhu served Catonese style (steamed with ginger, scallion and
parsley) — ‘Uhu by special request and extra charge
Peking Duck
Lobster — stir fried with ginger, onion & garlic
Black mushrooms with gai choy
Chrysanthemum chicken
Pan-​fried crispy noodle with shredded pork & bean sprouts
Silken tofu with sweet ginger syrup
The food was all excellent. In particular, I will go back just for the Chrysanthemum Chicken that was smoky, and very moist and tender.
Service was amazing, with all of our dishes presented to the table before being taken back outside the room for plating. Gary Chan, who was familiar with one our guests, also offered us amazing service. I believe he is one of the managers. We had one guest who was unavoidably late, and the servers made sure to reheat his soup, and had set aside portions of all the other dishes for him.
All around, Jade Dynasty is a classy place.
Tip: Jade Dynasty is popular for private parties, which sometimes close down the whole place. Be sure to call before you go to be sure you can be seated.

I like this place.
Why?
Because I don’t have to deal with waiting for the look funn cart while the turnip cake cart comes around fives time.
Because I don’t have to yell out poorly pronounced Chinese while frantically pointing.
Because I don’t have to wait thirty minutes for the two things I ordered off of the menu and wonder if they’re coming or if they’ve been forgotten.
Because there aren’t Chinese women that seem angry about the fact that I am buying their food.
Pencil and paper, attentive waiters, waters brought without me begging, managers that seem happy to see my family… Downright civilized, y’all.
I’m sure there are people out there who feel the chaos is part of the experience. And people that think Jade is too expensive. They can all hang out in Chinatown. And sometimes I hang out in Chinatown dim sum places, but as someone who greatly appreciates low stress and high certainty I do very much enjoy dim sum-​ing here.
I also enjoy the food options I don’t run into that often like the xiaolongbao and the warm tofu dessert with ginger sauce. So good. So. Good.
Keep in mind I have never eaten here on a non-​dim sum occasion. The menu looks a little pricey. BUT for dim sum, this is our go-​to. We LOVE it.
I also like to think a place in Ala Moana has less chance of having roaches in my food.
Shhhhh, just let me have that.

As an avid traveler before the post ⁹⁄₁₁ «traveling pains», I had the luxury of being on holiday in Asia’s fragrant harbor, literal translation-​Hong Kong, for 3 weeks in the mid-​80s and my vacation there was so memorable «food-​wise». I had a fabulous time in this dim sum heaven; I picked HK because I love dim sum and all things dim sum. If you love dim sum as much as I do, you should absolutely consider taking a dim sum trip to Hong Kong before you die.
Why dim sum in HK? This former British colony, roughly 400 square miles in size, is a mecca for dim sum and the quality of dim sum here is as good as it gets. In Cantonese, the words dim sum mean ”a dot on the heart,” or more broadly, ”the heart’s delight”. While dim sum was originally not a main meal but only a snack, it was meant to «touch the heart». Now, it is a staple of Cantonese dining culture, especially in HK. The unique culinary art of dim sum, over the centuries, has transformed from a relaxing respite (but at times) to a loud, gregarious and happy dining experience we know today. I considerr dim sum to be a culinary wonder because the seemingly unending & beautifully shaped steam baskets (usually) are carried or wheeled by as you sip hot tea can bring you a sense of wonder and joy.
During my stay in HK, I made sure I woke up early everyday so I could walk down to marketplace early so I can take in my «daily requirement» of dim sum. My time in HK was limited but I plan on getting my fill of dim sum in as quickly as possible. Three weeks of eating dim sum on a daily basis did not even begin to satisfy my voracious dim sum appetite. Granted HK’s dim sum is the finest but I can’t fly to there on a regular basis. That would be 1 extremely expensive meal! There are other places outside of HK with good dim sum though.
Dim sum in Hawaii, specifically on Oahu, has been okay but it’s no Hong Kong up until now with the opening of Jade Dynasty and Good Fortune. Jade Dynasty has great dim sum food and a very elegant interior. Finally, the bar for a dim sum restaurant is now set a little higher for the island of Oahu. What really impressed me about Jade Dynasty is their impeccable customer service. I think this is due to (my guess is) their staff training program. The employees came across genuine and they’re so sincere in their attempts to satisfy a customer’s beck and call. For the longest time, I did not ventured into this fancy establishment due to a friend’s advice. This friend, who hails from the land of dim sum (Hong Kong), did not endorse Jade Dynasty. She frequented JD more than several occassions and she’d call me to convey her disappointment after each meal. I took heed and did not bothered to go until recent months. The verdict, as it turns out for me, was much better than her take of the place’s food and service. Guess when you’ve low expectations, there’s only 1 direction from down and that is up.
I’m ok with or without a rolling cart when dining @ any dim sum restaurants as long as the food speaks for itself. And Jade Dynasty’s dim sum food speaks volumes (it’s about time Oahu has some decent dim sum offferings). Their steamed dumplings, especially the Chiu-​chow (provincial) style was steaming hot, freshly made and perfectly delicious. The rice wrap wasn’t thick and that is a good sign of a well-​trained dim sum chef. Then there’s the pan-​seared seafood stuffed tofu — it was tasty with the house made sauce. Only change I’d make to the sauce would be its thickness, it’d be a little more savory if the sauce was just a tad thicker. Another awesome dim sum dish Jade Dynasty serves is the flat pan-​fried chive dumplings. Excellent since it had the right anount of chives & shrimp pieces. Pan-​fried turnip cakes tasted good and clean, not oily at all. But the piece de resistance in my book is the green pan-​fried shrimp and chive buns. I had no trouble eating this; it was delicious going down! Chicken feet was ok but the sauce was not quite right; I think it needs more flavors to balance out the flatness. As for dessert, I was thrilled to see they’ve warm soft tofu served in brown sugar syrup which was a little too sweet & not enough ginger. The mango mochi — not a fan, this mango mochi was too runny for me, hence probably reason they served it chilled from the fridge.
Ambiance was quite subdued for a dim sum house in comparison to some typical Chinese restaurants known for their «white noise». The décor is modern classy and well done but not gaudy. Service here gets high marks as they went beyond the typical, standard Chinese restaurant manners. Exemplary servicing is not common anymore and maintaining that service standard takes work and effort and that’s why Jade Dynasty stands out for their good service. In addition, their customer walk-​in and reservation policies are outstanding. The elderly hostess is courteous, respectful and helpful. Staff’s outfits are so cute, especially the ladies. Jade Dynasty has me for a regular fan & customer.

I just had lunch here again with Missy T. who introduced me to this place. Aw man. SO GOOD.
The many times I’ve walked past Jade Dynasty on my way to another neighboring restaurant, I honestly dismissed it as another run-​of-​the-​mill Chinese restaurant. I mean… look at the cheesy décor, inside and out.
Little did I know that they would become my favorite dimsum place in town! Especially their sweet selection. *mouth waters* Dimsum snobs will likely say there are better places, I’m sure, but for a Chinese restaurant in a mall, Jade Dynasty is surprisingly good!
As others have already mentioned, the snow mountain buns are a highlight. The sugar baked atop each bun gives it a nice, crispy texture that makes it different from your standard pork bao.
Jade Dynasty has the word «seafood» in its name, so don’t be surprised to find a ton of shrimp and fish dumplings here. Hey, it’s a good thing I love shrimp!
If you’re not so much into dimsum, they serve a handful of noodle dishes, as well. Our first time here, we ended up with a plate of their Shanghai thick noodles. Our minds were BLOWN. It was a hefty portion, so I got to take some home with me and carbo-​load even more the next day at lunch!
This last time, Missy and I had a late lunch/​early dinner at 4pm, which is the least-​busiest I’ve ever seen the place. The usually hectic environment is likely why Jade Dynasty’s average rating on here isn’t as high as it could be, so try avoiding peak times. Keep in mind that dimsum is only served until 5pm, though.
Lesson learned: Don’t judge a book by its cover, and don’t judge a Chinese restaurant by its over-​the-​top, cheesy décor. ;)

We were craving chinese food this labor day weekend and thought of going to Jade Dynasty for dinner as we have been there for the dim sum lunch. Upon arriving at about 6:30 pm on Saturday, we were seated in the main dining room and offered menus immediately. Our server also brought over hot tea and I asked for iced water. We perused through the menu and decided on 4 dishes and one appetizer; Deep fried shrimp balls, Singapore vermicelli, Oysters on a sizzling platter, fish fillet with veggies and orange peel chicken.
We noticed that the prices were quite high averaging about $ 17/​per order but convinced ourselves that this would be a treat.
The first dish was listed as «Orange peel chicken» but when this dish arrived as the first, it was only two chicken breasts which were breaded and fried then covered in a orange sweet and sour sauce — see my picture below. It is hardly as the name of the dish on the menu. No orange peel and it was like a cheap imitation of sweet sour chicken. I mean even Panda express orange chicken would be even a better choice. Huge disappointment and those of you that has had real orange peel dishes would know. The second to arrive was the shrimp balls which were very nice and flavorful. We received the fish fillet then the oysters next. The fish was good but nothing to rave about. We were relishing the oysters but when we bit into the first few pieces, it had this bad distinct odor like it was probably spoiled. I can event explain that taste or odor as to not freak out other fellow yeeps.
We tried to enjoy the other dishes and continued our evening but it was so disappointing as half of our dishes were a letdown. Our tab came and with tip it was $ 98.00!!!
I would give the service 4 stars as they were attentive and our glasses were always filled with water or tea.
The food quality gets a 2 star just for showing up on the plate.
IF YOU WANT DECENT chinese food, you can probably find better but don’t get your expectation on service too high. I seem to ve difficulty finding both good service and quality food in one place.

Time for another Jade Dynasty Update. Five Star food! Five Star Dim Sum! Vegetarian Friendly!
We keep coming back on a regular basis. The dim sum is better than ever. There were a few favorites that were not on the menu. But, there were so many items that we all liked I’m convinced of the five star rating. We didn’t really miss anything.
Venue: Still a very pleasant and beautiful space.
Service: Not quite as attentive as our last two visits. But really everything went smoothly. We ordered quite a few items. Staff made sure that we got all the items on the list. They checked in frequently to make sure everything was good.
Food: Choy Sum, Shrimp and chive dumplings, Snow mountain char siu buns, shrimp and chive dumplings, baked taro buns, mushrooms look fun, garlic cucumber, crystal jai balls, pan fried turnip cake and steamed bbq pork buns. All 5 stars good. All authentic with no compromises on the food.
Vegetarian: The menu has improved since our last dim sum meal. There are lots of meat-​free vegan, vegetarian items. It was very easy to select a huge nutritious vegan meal. I would give them 5 stars for that alone.
Glitch: More than a year ago my wife called to set up a menu for a September dinner party. She made a reservation via phone and spent some time carefully selecting a menu. She made it about two months in advance and then called to confirm 2 or 3 days ahead of time. Making a long story short: They offered BS list of lame excuses. The mistake was made on their side. They couldn’t fit us in for that night.
Fortunately, I was able to make a reservation on short notice at another restaurant where I am a known customer.
Four Stars: So in spite of that reservation error we still think Jade Dynasty is pretty good. Otherwise, I would have gone with 5 Stars. I think that is fair.

We have been coming here for 2 years now. The food portion has been decreasing, but the prices has been raising. At the end, we don’t feel like it is a fair deal anymore.
The food still tastes good, the service is good. The restaurant is fancy, and the bathroom is clean.
We will still come once in a while, but will not be coming very often because the restaurant has been reducing its portions, while rising its prices. Some of the food’s tastes are changing. Spicy dishes are not so spicy anymore.

After reading Angel H’s review of Jade Dynasty Seafood Restaurant… I had complimented her that I’ve always wanted to try the restaurant but never had the chance. We made arrangements to meet up for lunch on a Thursday at Ala Moana Center. I had to reschedule our lunch date for Wednesday instead.
Wednesday comes and I was able to meet up with Angel for a late lunch at Jade Dynasty Seafood Restaurant at Ala Moana Center. When checking into the restaurant with the Unilocal application a person will get one free small dim sum.
The hostess had led Angel and I to a small table that seats 2 people. The waiter comes to give us 2 picture menus and a sheet that we would mark up for which items we wanted to eat. Angel had asked me if I like certain type of foods. I was eye balling a few other items. Angel surprised the hell out of me when she started to speak Chinese to the waiters. We settled for 6 items.
1) Deep fried mochi balls. I gotta have my jin dui.
2) Fried shrimp puff.
3) Signature shrimp dumplings
4) Steamed Shanghai buns. I had absolutely no idea that this item would have liquid on the inside. Almost burn my tongue since it was hot.
5) Spare ribs with black beans
6) Steamed BBQ pork buns. I gotta have some manapua too.
While having our late lunch I noticed that there were 3 flat screen televisions. 2 small ones and one large television above the bar area. It showed highlights of Perry and Price radio talk show. The restaurant was pretty big and yet very quiet.
All dim sum entrees were delicious. If I had my way I would have ordered a bit more. Since Angel was treating we stopped at 6 items. I mentioned to Angel… I only drink hot tea when I’m at a Chinese restaurant. All other times I rarely drink tea.
Thank you cousin Angel for lunch on July 1, 2015. I really appreciate it. It’s not often I am on the receiving end when it comes to dining out… I’m normally the one taking care of the check. Having a lunch buddy makes a dining experience awesome… it’s many times better than dining alone.

I had a late lunch here the other day with Jeana P. I specifically wanted to come here to get the Snow Mountain Char Siu Bun. To my disappointment, they were out. We ordered the BBQ pork buns instead. We also ordered the shrimp dumplings, steamed shanghai buns, black bean spare ribs, jin dui and the fried shrimp dumplings aka ham sui got. Other dim sum places use pork but they use shrimp over here.
Everything was great except that they didn’t have the one item that I wanted. I forgot to mention in my last review of this place, that if you check in on Unilocal,they will give you one medium basket of your choice.

Oh Jade Dynasty. If there were a way to make Chinese Dim Sum mainstream yet semi luxurious, Jade Dynasty seems to have found the way to achieve that. Before you even walk in, you’ll be greeted by gigantic sculptures of horses guarding each side of the door and you’ll be able to get the essence of all the high end and out of this world dim sum places you usually wouldn’t be able to find anywhere but in Hong Kong.
That being said, because their appearance is so attractive I naturally held high expectations for the quality of their food as well and I was not disappointed. Everything tastes authentic, from the shrimp dumplings to the char siu buns. But my favorite thing about Jade Dynasty is that they do it in a fun way. The usual chive dumpling you’ll find at any other Dim Sum restaurant, at Jade Dynasty is wrapped in green rice mochi and fried. Your usual Chinese meat ball here comes with a twist and is injected with hot delicious curry. Their strange changes to the usual Dim Sum dishes that I can’t seem to find anywhere else is the reason I keep coming back!
But with all the gorgeous décor and elaborate menu, it comes with a cost. Jade Dynasty is for sure going to cost you a few more bucks than going to your Chinatown alternatives so be prepared! On holidays, they also seem to create a buffet only course menu. When I came here this past weekend, they had a sign up saying Mother’s Day dim sum brunch buffet is $ 29.95? I don’t know about the next guy, but for me that’s a bit more than I’d like to pay per person for Dim Sum no matter how fancy it is.