Blue Ginger

so good, worth the high prices if you can afford it.

Garlic pepper lobster. Great. Strawberry donuts, Yum. Nothing bad here!

What’s not to like about Blue Ginger. It has earned its fine reputation — always great service and amazing food! Perfect for any occasion!

This place has a lot of hype, and gets very crowded. The food was good, the service was good, but it is very expensive. I don’t know if I would rush back as I think there are other great restaurants that offer better food for a better price.
We had a few drinks, an app, meals and a dessert.
We got the tuna poke which was very good. Would highly recommend that, it is really one of the only places around that makes some kind of poke dish.
We got the steak and the butterfish, both were good. The butter fish was tasty, came with seaweed salad which was good, The steak was great as well, rice noodles just ok on the side. But both dishes were good, would get those again.
For dessert we got the sesame cake, it was tasty.
Overall, good place but again a bit pricey and hyped up. Surprised it has an under 4 star rating.

My wife and I have been planning on going to Blue Ginger for a few years. We were very excited when we were finally on our way last night. What a disappointment.
Atmosphere:
Think Chilis or TGI Fridays. I was floored at the dirty, worn down look of the environment. Honestly, if I was blindfolded and brought in I would have thought I was in an Applebees. The restroom was unclean and shabby.
Food:
The food was good. Our appetizers were good. My chicken was delicious and came warm. Certainly nothing that couldn’t be found at other restaurants. I believe Blue Ginger has a James Beard award and thus one would expect innovative dishes and superior quality.
Service:
Absolutely terrible. Our server barely spoke to us. We were a party of 4 and ordered a bottle of wine. Halfway through our dinner the bottle was empty. The server never came by or offered anyone another drink. She lost one of our slips so one of our party had to go back and settle twice. Then when we got home we found another one of our party was charged twice.
Conclusion:
From the display of Ming’s books for sale to the display of the knife company sponsoring Ming it was obvious this is nothing more than a money making venture at this point. Blue Ginger has seen it’s day and is now just riding the ripple that used to be the Ming wave we were expecting and excited for. Very sad and a little depressing to witness. Certainly no place I would recommend.

Wow… Ming. What happened to your place? Ordered our meal, completely forgotten and when I finally hunted down our waitress no apology for the over 1 hour wait for the meal. Soup and main course brought out together immediately after I sought out the waitress with no apology. =indifference and arrogance… And the butterfish entrée (signature dish) was cold and presentation messy. Looked as if the plate had fallen. I would say this is one of those places that has decided to live on the fame of the creator and has forgotten what makes a great dining experience. This was truly a horrible experience and I am a frequent diner and traveler but this one took the cake for not having a clue. Used to be a great place but now? Cannot suggest it as a go to; rather a stay far away. It is my most uncoveted award recipient of the «Yowzer» cup. Stay away from this one. If you enter? Don’t go past the bar…

What a shame. We had a certificate for a 4 course tasting menu with wine pairing from a silent auction and they would not honor it on a Friday or Saturday. We talked to 2 managers on the phone about it and the certificate, envelope, and whole package did not state any restrictions but they were not willing to accommodate what so ever. They kept repeating with a horrible attitude that there «should be» a sticker on the back of the certificate or be printed on the certificate itself of restrictions but there isn’t. They then proceeded to blame it on the silent auction for printing something out on behalf of Blue Ginger but it’s on Blue Ginger paper with a certificate number. I would assume not anyone can just print something out and claim it for a 4 course meal. There should be some sort of authenticity to the certificate for the restaurant to honor it and accept it as payment. Not sure what is going on with management. We will have to see on some Sunday to Thursday to see if their food is any good but service definitely isn’t as they did not at any point apologize for the inconvenience.
To be fair, this review is only based on service level from the 2 managers we spoke to on the phone. Their hostess sounded really nice. I just can’t believe they didn’t take responsibility for messing up on the certificate and did not apologize for the inconvenience as this is a $$$ restaurant.

Food was good. Calamari was the best I ever had and the dipping sauce was insane — my first taste of the mysterious umami. Our other appetizers were pretty good. Our main courses were pretty good. BUT we expected better than pretty good.
Anybody can do calamari really. I’ve had great batches all over the place, dive bars to five stars. The dipping sauce was a blend of fish sauce and lime juice with cilantro. A combination that actually blew my mind… but is really waaaaaayyyyy simple.
We’ve been talking about coming to Blue Ginger for years. We’ve watched Ming Tsai forever and looked up to him. Finally we made it to Blue Ginger and… it wasn’t what we expected.
We got there 30 minutes early for our reservation and the hostesses reminded us of that of an Appleby’s. The bar was full so we sat at a random waiting bench and had a drink while we waited. Drinks were pretty good. Atmosphere was cramped and awkward.
As we sat at our bench we noticed how non-​Blue-​Ginger of our mind this really was. It was overcrowded, looked kind of like a TGIFridays (minus the picnic table tablecloths), wasn’t very clean (including the bathrooms), and didn’t scream «superstar chef Ming Tsai» but more of an afterthought. Something that was probably great 15 years ago but has since fallen by the wayside.
The food was the best part of this visit which is obviously most important. Not exceptional but good. Not AS good as we expected from Ming Tsai and the price tags but «good.» Outside of that, bad. The service sucked. We barely saw our waitress. She cleared our wine glasses when we would have had another glass then tried to force feed us dessert when we were full, losing easy extra money in tips.
As I left our waitress grabbed me because she had lost our receipt. So I said, no problem I can sign again. She had me sign on the back of a receipt (random) and as of now we’ve been double-​charged. I’m sure one of the charges will drop off but it’s a hassle to have to worry about that and have to check up on it after such a let-​down of an experience at a place we’ve been excited to try for years.

All I can say is I love it!!! Get the Garlic Pepper Shrimp or Lobster you won’t be sorry!

Came for restaurant week and it was busy but not too bad from what I saw. I think we were forgotten outside at one point because I did not see anyone for about 10 minutes and my table and the other two were looking around.
I had the fried clam fritter, salmon, and chocolate sesame desert. Everything was fantastic. Nothing bad to say about it. But then… my boyfriend had badly under-​cooked rice. Like little rocks on his plate. He really just wanted the scallops so he didn’t want to say anything about it.
I had the margarita to drink at the start which was amazing. I drink about half in two sips it was so good. I then had the singapore sling which was okay.

Awful. Fell rapidly ill from the sablefish which is supposed to be what they’re known for. The fish was cooked mushy and wet but charred on the outside. All the accompanying sauces did nothing to the dish. Absolutely flavorless. The soba rolls were disgusting in texture, felt like you’re eating a cold shot of wasabi. None of it felt like it went together at all. Highly disappointed as this was my first trip here and I was so excited to try Ming Tsai’s dishes.
Even if I wasn’t vomiting violently after, I would still rate their food a 1-​star for being overly seasoned. The tuna poke tasted like sugar crystals. The calamari was all salt. The bread was not even memorable — I couldn’t tell you how utterly disappointed I was. When no one fights over the bread you know something is off.
For being a casual weeknight evening I would expect the food to be stellar because it’s not insanely busy. I’ve heard from others the food was better in the past — then perhaps it’s the new cooking staff.
I’m sad and I hope Ming Tsai himself would read this review and fix whatever he can.
Vomiting the fish, seaweed, and everything else that was on that plate is not the way I’d like to remember this experience.

Went on a Sunday night when they must have the B-​team in the kitchen. Restaurant was only a quarter full so we were expecting a nice evening with good service. No specials, just the short menu. Appetizers were very good, then we made small talk for 50 minutes while waiting for our entrees. Server apologized three times, but it was beyond ridiculous given how empty it was. My sablefish was good as always. My wifes steak and noodles was so salty it was completely unedible. She literally had about two bites. We explained to waiter and he said he would inform manager. Never saw manager, never did anything. $ 41 for two bites.
We go here a couple times a year, but it has definitely declined over the years as Ming has seemed to get involved in other things besides the restaurant. The menu has also gotten quite stale over the years. Hope the place makes it, but I’m not sure we’ll continue to go there.

This is my go to with the family when back in the Needham area now.
Generally rate as follows — two stars for service/​atmosphere, two stars for food/​menu and finally a star for uniqueness.
Service is great! Not overcrowded and pretty easy to get a reservation short notice. Atmosphere needs some work — place feels a little inexpensive. This was the loss of star.
Food is amazing — great combination of flavors. I most recently had the scallops which were just the perfect fusion of east and west. The menu is great and has something for everyone.
Finally — place is unique in the sense you don’t get such a fusion at this price point.
I recommend it!

Get the mussels. Trust.
I friggin hate mussels and I loved these. The broth was so deep and rich, we wanted to drink it all. The shiitake mushroom spring rolls were just okay. They were a little dry and tasted mostly of onions.
My pork chops were amazing and melted in my mouth. My wife liked her salmon as well. Service was friendly, professional and attentive. We had the four course tasting menu, and the portions were actually very large. Most people inside were dressed in business casual attire. I would gladly come back to try more dishes.

This place is just fantastic! It takes a lot for me to say that all three factors were perfect this visit — Service was excellent and professional, ambiance was elegant and romantic and food was tantalizing.
We started our evening off with the chef suggested green gazpacho. It was emulsified so thoroughly that it tasted creamy. You forget it’s not prepared with any cream at all.
Next we had the pleasure of trying their Shiitake-​Leek Springrolls and the Mussels. Both were wonderful and nothing lacked in flavor or presentation. At our server’s suggestion, we tried Korean Rice Cake Stir Fry with Tofu and the Curry Pasta with Vegetables. AH-​MAZ-​ING! If you only can pick one of these to try, choose the tofu dish. Very original and I’d say if you’re a foodie looking to order something to try out the chef’s artistry, this is your must have. I promise you won’t regret it.
For our desserts, we chose a chocolate dessert and something that looked like strawberry donuts. Both satisfied our sweet tooth but the donuts were the winner that round.
Overall, a 5 star experience and we will be back!

If I could give them 10 stars, I would!
Blue Ginger — Wellesley, MA — 5÷13÷2015
Its a Wednesday night and the place is packed! A large well decorated restaurant in earthy tones… Columns with wood accents… Gold colored walls… Black ceiling with accent lighting…
House baked French country loaf served aside a wonderful Brioche… Made fresh daily accompanied by whipped butter. Amazing!
Thai Fish Chowder with salmon, coconut milk & lemongrass. If there is a fish heaven, I think I just found it. This is probably one of the absolute best soups that I have ever had. Small bits of various vegetables and pieces of salmon… The flavours and textures blend like a torrid affair on my palate… Mere words cannot describe what I am experiencing right now…
Garlic-​Black Pepper Lobster with Lemongrass Fried Rice. Pea tendril salad with tamari-​ginger vinaigrette. I’m not even sure where to begin with this one… The presentation of the plate… The placement of the fried rice inside the lobster shell… Or was it the way the lobster tail was sectioned like riblets with the meat still inside… Or was it the way the spinach was neatly placed upon the chunks of lobster claw meat??? Everything purposely positioned…
For dessert their flowerless chocolate cake with cardamom ice cream and chocolate ganache… I have had a lot of these but because everything else was so exceptional I figured this would be extra special here… The richest, creamiest, most chocolaty foodgasmic dessert you will find for miles… Simply WOW!
Top it off with a cappuccino and life is truly good…
My server Jill was fabulous! Respected my pace and everything came out at the exact time I was ready for it. I cant say any more than I already have… Although I like to try different restaurants as I go in my travels, I will definitely be back here… Definitely!

I came here for the Easter brunch buffet, so I’m not sure if that’s a good indicator of the usual standards of this place. When I first arrived it wasn’t too busy so I was alright then, but as the day continued I became very annoyed because they had squeezed us into these tiny seats. Every time I had to leave my table I wound up jabbing the man next to me. Maybe this would be a good set up on a regular night, but when people are getting up and down to refill their plates it isn’t all that convenient.
I grabbed one of every single thing their asian buffet was serving. There was lamb, shrimp, dumplings, noodles, thai fried chicken, sliders, ham. The only thing I really enjoyed were the lamb and the dumplings, because they were the only things that were warm. I strongly disliked the noodles, they were covered in a yellow curry sauce and it wasn’t very good, the noodles were overcooked and essentially mush, I had one bite and regretted it. The «Thai» fried chicken was also very confusing to me, as someone who has lived in Thailand. It kind of just seemed like a typical fried chicken with a few asian spices that I didn’t immediately associate with Thailand. I went back up for another plate of ham, lamb, and shrimp but then after that I was done with the «adult» side of the buffet.
I was still hungry so I moved from the mature asian fusion side that my peers were enjoying, and walked over to the kid section. Yup, I chose chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, and a hot dog over the menu an Iron Chef made. Don’t know if that says more about me or the food at Blue Ginger. My boyfriend actually laughed so hard when he came back to the table and saw me eating chicken nuggets I was worried he’d choke on something.
The highlight of my trip to Blue Ginger was the dessert table. Oh. My. Goodness. If I had known it had existed earlier I would’ve spent all my time there, but unfortunately I didn’t discover it until after I’d stuffed myself with kid food. They had key lime bites, strawberry shortcake, green tea cakes, crème brûlée. My boyfriend and I went back to the table twice. Had it not been for the dessert I would’ve very much regretted going to Blue Ginger, but it made it worth it.
So, not sure how much I can say about their usual menu, but this is what I experienced during their Holiday special.

After watching Top Chef and receiving a gift card from our wedding, we finally had the chance to patron this place! It was easy to make a last minute reservation via Open Table on a late Friday night.
The ambience was louder than I would have preferred but it was a large restaurant with an open kitchen section which I always appreciate. Our waiter had a strong foreign accent and I found myself smiling and nodding most of the time without actually understanding what he was saying.
I started with a Castlebrite cocktail, him an Old Fashioned. Both delicious. We got the Poke and LOVED it. I loved the take on ‘rice cakes’ as I expected soft and gooey, pounded rice cake. Poke itself was so good — lots of interesting flavors and we cleaned that plate quick. He went with the Sablefish (butterfish) and I got the Porterhouse pork. He claimed his fish was the best he has ever tasted. Butterfish is very soft and tender and an easy fish to eat. The pork was delicious but overly sweet in my opinion with the apricot and glaze. The smashed crispy potatoes were great but I would have hoped they were more evenly cooked (some were more burnt).
We ended with the Mochi Donuts, which were very… sesame-​like if that’s what you want. It was interesting with good texture but I should have followed my gut and went with something chocolate.
Maybe I walked into it with my fake Top Chef judge hat but overall, we really enjoyed the food but could understand why the price point would draw people away for what they would think is ‘worth it.’ Service was also incredibly slow but our water was topped off constantly and bread re-​fills were offered which I thought was thoughtful and attentive.
PS — Parking in the back in case you’re pulling your hair out looking for street parking.

‘Free bread? Maybe it’s not that kind of place.’ That’s the first thought we both had after we ordered because we were so hungry from the wait. But as we were thinking it, it came. The service was amazing but we went during the dinner rush on a Sunday and surprisingly it was busy!!! Especially since it also was a blizzard warning weekend.
Every Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night they offer the winter comforts 3 course dinner menu for $ 39.
The deal gave us a reason to visit but due to the prices and tastes it’s not something that makes me want to go there all the time. It was just OK. It’s a nice fancy place to bring a date if you want to impress.
Apps came out fast. We ordered the Crispy Fried Calamari with Thai dipping sauce and the Shiitake-​Leek Springrolls with three chile dipping sauce. The calamari was good but the sauce was too sour– so much lime that it turned us off from eating the calamari.
Entrees and dessert was a bit slow I think due to a back up in the kitchen from the high volume customers as the evening went on. We ordered the Braised Pork Shank and Grilled Salmon. I thought the salmon was amazing. I loved the mushroom risotto that came with it. My husband felt that the pork needed Tabasco sauce.
Dessert we got the crème brûlée which tasted like every brûlée I’ve ever had and my hubby grabbed the Bittersweet Chocolate Cake which he loved because he loved anything that tastes like dark chocolate.

I would give it 3 stars for its mediocrity but the high price drives it down a star.
way overrated. If this is what americans consider good Asian food, they’re missing out! I expected way more from Ming the famous Chinese chef, but instead its like Asian food cooked by non Asians. whatever Asian fusion is, it should taste good but this is just way average.
the lobster fried rice was so mundane. their signature dish. it was salty and nothing special. had another dish and it was also so so. can’t remember what it was. maybe steak?
wouldn’t waste my money or time travelling here again.