Hl Peninsula Pearl - Burlingame

In late July, our group of seven enjoyed dinner at this restaurant, and my highlight was the geoduck clam, which was served in two delicious styles. The stir-fry was superb, and the soup made from the clam's head was also quite tasty! We ordered eight additional dishes that were decent, though not remarkable. I had never eaten here before, having only had dim sum, as I usually go to the location on Grand Avenue in South San Francisco. Since we were staying at the hotel right next door, we decided to give dinner a shot! If you make reservations in advance, you'll be treated to a fantastic view of the bay!

The Chinese food at this restaurant is outstanding. It boasts a stunning view of the planes taking off and landing at SFO. The dining area is spacious and offers plenty of seating, making it a comfortable place to enjoy a meal. Parking is very convenient as well. They provide an impressive selection of fresh seafood. It’s definitely a place worth visiting! I had the geoduck, which weighed 1.5 lbs, and it was prepared in two delightful styles. I thoroughly enjoyed both: one was poached with bean sprouts, and the other was cooked with sizzling rice in a flavorful vegetable broth.

It's also important to mention that when organizing a wedding at this venue, you are responsible for many details yourself, including decorations and vendors like chair covers, rectangular tables, DJs, and lion dancers. The venue seems to be more suited for a traditional Chinese banquet reception instead of a full-scale wedding.

The dim sum here is quite good. We arrived at 11:30 AM on a Friday and were seated right away, but by noon, there was a long line. The food was served fairly quickly, and we enjoyed every dish. I liked the ordering system that includes pictures of the items, which allowed us to mark our choices on the dim sum brochure. This feature was especially helpful for our four friends who don’t read Chinese. In terms of quality, I’ve had better dim sum at other places, but this was still satisfying. The lobster noodles, priced at $44, were just okay—not extraordinary—with a small lobster and very little meat. The standout for me was the giant zongzi, a sticky rice dish filled with meats and wrapped in lotus leaves. This is different from lo mai gai, which are smaller, chicken-filled lotus leaf wraps typically served two to a steamer. Overall, a big thank you to the staff at HL Peninsula for a pleasant lunch experience.

This review centers on the dim sum at this restaurant. We arrived about ten minutes after they opened and were fortunate to find one last table available for four. They also have outdoor seating. The dim sum menu is somewhat limited, featuring mostly typical dishes you would find at any other dim sum spot, with the exception of the broiled sticky rice with wasabi sauce. This dish has a flavor similar to the lotus leaf-wrapped version, but the broiling gives it a unique twist and it is quite satisfying. One of the restaurant's standout features is the view; you can enjoy watching planes take off and land from your seat. The service is good, and our servers were very friendly. If you plan on having dim sum here, I suggest arriving before opening to avoid any wait time. Otherwise, the wait can vary, and, like many Chinese restaurants, they tend to prioritize regular customers.