I've been eating dim sum here for 23 years, since around 1995 when that owner offered AYCE dim sum buffet during the weekdays for about $7.00.
I just ate dim sum here today Sunday Aug 5, 2018. I host dim sum events for Wild Dining...MeetUp. Today's group was only 6 people, my smallest group ever.
I really appreciate that Phoenix Palace is willing to let me make reservations for dim sum, although they said they will only hold the table for 5 min, I find that very reasonable, given that there are people waiting outside. My party is most often at least 10 people, sometimes I host 2 tables of that many, so reservations are needed, which I make at 11 am when they are not too busy.
One thing I do not like about PP dim sum, is the cart ladies often put items on your table that you did not want, and it seems they are "forcing it on you", as if they receive a commission for being able to mark that item on your card. This happens almost every time I go eat dim sum at PP. They keep putting their dishes on my table, that no one said they wanted and trying to mark the card, and seem reluctant to take the dish back cos I say I don't want it. Their English is so poor, that they don't seem to get that I want "sui mai" (I guess because it wasn't on their cart). Things like that.
Chinese restaurants that have a lot of young Chinese male servers are famous for poor service. I and others think it is because Chinese males are being catered to all their lives, so thy do not have to think about "needs", such as "when you serve a urn of soup, people need spoons to eat the soup with". Chinese males are not "cognizant and observant" to anticipate your need, such as when they see you spilled something, you need more napkins to clean up with. No one ever comes to fill our teapot, and everything we want, we have to run after, and flag down the servers, but being this is "usual service", I am not marking down to three stars because the food makes up for it, and they are the only dim sum venue that I know of, that is willing to take reservations, even for party of 4. When eating at truly authentic Chinese restaurants, I just get up and get my own bowls, forks, and other things I need, myself, otherwise my neck will be forever craned, looking for a server, instead of enjoying my food.
Battling with the cart ladies, the lack of service, makes dim sum stressful to me. Also this visit, we were seated by the entrance, which was REALLY HOT!!! The 110 degree heat came in the front doors, and their AC, they said was turned lowest, cannot keep up with all those people and those steaming carts. I was trying to fan my face with the dim sum card, and another lady took out something from her purse to fan herself. There was a glow of sweat on the faces of the male servers too.
I cannot tell in words, the difference between "which has better dim sum", Great Wall or Phoenix Palace. Both are good, just do not go to either on weekdays, because the dim sum isn't hot or fresh due to low turnover and consumption, and weekday selection is only a fraction of what they offer on the weekends.
I like PP better than Great Wall ( don't care for Mekong Palace so I don't go there) because PP takes reservations, and PP us close to my home to drive to via 101. I can also stop at LeeLee's, which I do not have a secondary destination if I drive all the way (from 87th Street to 35th Ave on Camelback). Phoenix Palace also has lazy susans, which Great Wall did not get for 40+ years until just this summer 2018, yes there are now lazy susans on Great Wall's larger round tables. Is that a miracle or what???? 40+ years of no lazy susans!More