July 26, we went with two young kids and they were very nice. Service is good, attentive, the food was excellent. Portions were good. Only tried the restaurant, didn't visit the shop. We had outdoor dining experience and it was great. We didn't get any photos of the food because our kids digged in right away. We will be back. read more

Asia Live - This was crab spring rolls. - Pan Asian Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Not sure how this has a 3 star rating, as it's honestly pretty damn good. Good quality drinks, food, layout, etc. This used to be Ichina which struggled, but I'm hoping for better futures for Asia Live. The duck little mini sandwiches was amazing. The layout isn't as "fancy" as Ichina, but it's still pretty good. The area is full of great restaurants, and I think this is one of them. Give it a shot. read more

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As a veteran diner of Chef Chen's convivial ChinaLive and his highly exclusive Eight Tables in SF, I was excited by the arrival of the ambitious AsiaLive to Valley Fair Mall. Having now dined there 4 times both upstairs and downstairs, I would like to share how to have your own 5-star experience here. First of all, I loved the transformation of the physical space from I China. I found the designer elements with wood and tile to be purposeful, inviting, pleasing, and comfortable. Even the interior staircase was inventive and fun to traverse. The kitchen is very efficient even at peak weekend dinner times. Dishes will fly out at you if you placed your entire table's order at once. That's ok if you prefer family style and you need to get back to shopping. For a better paced experience, place your order in succession with the waiter when you are done with a course and ready for the next. Second, request the waiter to just leave the carafe of water on the table. Refilling of water glass can be spotty here, but I definitely saw improvement in this service arena across my visits. I would suggest training to the wait staff to wipe down the tables before dessert is served. This ain't a dive. Dishes that I love here. Allow me to jump to the desserts first. Absolutely save room for the sesame soft serve topped with mango shaved ice plus variety of toppings and edible flower. At one visit, the executive manager, Jessica, personally presented this dish. How's that for the entire front of the house working hard to find their footing? I was so appreciative. Chocolate lovers have two yummy choices--an intense chocolate cake with matcha lava or a winning brownie packed with orange flavor. A pro-tip is to visit their to-go section and take home a couple of their desserts at screaming discounts!!! On to the savory offerings. My no-reservation recommendations are Shen jian bao Betelnut minced chicken lettuce cups Chili encrusted fried calamari Scallion fried bread Edomae style 8-piece nigiri sushi Miso glazed seabass over beautiful bed of cucumber I found the $25 bento box to be a tremendous value with salmon poke, California roll, soba noodle, matcha mochi(again amazing dessert), plus choice of chicken teriyaki or beef sukiyaki. I do think there's opportunity for improvement for the somewhat tough chicken. I felt both their chili wontons and mapo tofu were delicious. But you can easily find them cheaper and equally good at many other eateries. I loved the broth of AL's beef noodle soup. The portion was way generous compared to Din Tai Fung. Personally I would go all tendon if they allowed and skip the decidedly non-tender brisket and shank. Now to the sour notes on the menu. Just skip the peking duck pockets all together. No duck joy. Born and raised in Singapore, I must say I was disappointed by the Singaporean/Malaysian offerings here. The shrimp toast had zero advertised Kaya flavor. The chicken satay dipping sauce was uninspiring and I left the nyonya chicken curry half uneaten. I did not feel the soul nor the authenticity from that region of the world. Despite these, I eagerly anticipate my next adventure at Asia Live. There are various noodle and vegetarian dishes that are on my radar. Don't underestimate the Pergola sushi bar downstairs. Chef Tomo was so personable and the sincerity of his sushi came across. I told him he could be the secret weapon to this whole joint. I wish this cheeky establishment every success as they grow into the space. read more

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From what I recall shortly after the pandemic, George Chen's China Live in SF was an enjoyable experience. We had nice and crispy Beijing Duck with rice flour wrappers, hoisin sauce and pan fried dumplings. China Live had a fun and festive marketplace feel, with tables surrounded by retail snack items. Fast forward to the first weekend of August 2026 at their larger space called Asia Live in Westfield Valley Fair Mall which replaced its ill-conceived predecessor, iChina. Entering from downstairs next door to Shake Shack, the first floor looked deserted on a Saturday night where hundreds of people were walking around just outside and dozens of people were waiting to get seated at King's Fish House and Joey. It was confusing so once I asked where to go, the two staff members directed us upstairs. We had to walk all the way from the stairs to the inner mall side entrance to get to the host stand and check in for our reservation. The dining floor was fairly large with what looked to be about 40 tables. We were seated against the wall across from the kitchen with menus after a brief wait. The overhead lighting was extremely bright and shining right into our eyes. For what was about 15 minutes, we waited for a server to stop by our table to take our order and give us water. Neither happened, so we stood up and waved down someone who appeared to be one of the managers in a blue satin shirt. We placed an order for crushed cucumber skins, Peking duck pockets and Shen Jian Bao (pan fried buns), which we got because they were out of the Xiao Long Bao. It didn't take that long for the cucumber dish to come out. The cucumber tasted overly sour, sweet and not particularly savory like the classic chili garlic oil cucumbers at Din Tai Fung. The duck was tasty and roasted well, though not quite as crispy as the duck we had at China Live. But there were only 3 sesame pockets, which was not enough to hold all of the duck. The Shen Jian Bao were about on par with China Live. Nice and crispy bottoms with hot and steamy fillings. The whole time none of the servers returned to our table to refill our water or ask if we wanted to place another order. As the food we ordered was not filling enough, we ordered the Betelnut minced chicken lettuce cups. The flavor of the chicken filling was somewhat balanced by the lettuce but still a bit sweet and had a heavy soy flavor. Without the lettuce it had too much sauce to eat on its own. What really had me aghast was a table in front of us that had the tabletop set with utensils, napkins and plates but was completely littered with dropped food on the ground beneath. I watched for about 20 minutes to see if any of their staff would notice but they seated an entire family at the table, their shoes stepping into the food droppings from previous diners. After the meal, we walked over to Bar Lucy back by the stairs for a couple drinks. It was a nice experience striking up a conversation about mixology with Alex, the friendly bartender who used to work at MiniBoss in downtown SJ. Got to try a rare Hitachino Umeshu, which was delicious and smooth. Would be nice if they redo and drastically cut down the stark overhead lighting so it feels more lowkey like a speakeasy lounge like Alter Ego and less like an office. Bar Lucy has potential with some vibe tweaking. The servers mentioned that they were understaffed which is understandable during the weekend rush but what I failed to see was any kind of system to routinely check on tables. Assigning staff to monitor their own sections. We dealt with 4-5 random servers that we had to chase down like the shopping experience at Home Depot. From the moment we were seated by the host, I don't think we had a single server stop by our table unprompted. At the moment, it seems like a chaotic environment with a poorly implemented service system that needs to be revamped because poor service and lack of attention to detail could sink the entirety of Asia Live. To sum it up, I give 2 stars for the unrefined Asia Live dinner experience and 1 star for the more enjoyable Bar Lucy. I really hope George and his team turn things around because this had to have been a significant multi-million dollar investment and lengthy renovation. read more

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I don't leave 1 star reviews, but this experience was truly disappointing. Initially, I was so excited to try this place. The host and hostess were so welcoming. But we were sat and ignored, my mom had to chase down a waiter to take our order. We also didn't even have a waiter I think they forgot about us. We weren't given water until our food came out 20 minutes later. I usually give staff the benefit of the doubt, but the place was practically empty and there were only 10 other customers. The food itself was bland and lackluster. We paid and left mid-meal because we couldn't stand the food and service. We ordered the xiao long bao, pork buns, and rainbow roll. If you're able to, go to Din Tai Fung downstairs instead. It's a better value despite the hours long wait. I will admit the decor is really nice though. But overall, this place is a definite miss. read more

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Such a beautiful establishment with a vast menu of pan Asian delights. Our server was supper attentive and helpful, zero need for improvement as this was amazing. The eatery is huge with a fun shop of goodies in the front; they're got cutlery, dinnerware and cooking items to choose from. Now for the food: I choose a curry dish which was loaded with vegetables and sauce/ I do wish the flavor was a bit more bold but with some added sauces and heat it was good. My hands down favorite of the meal was were the lettuce wraps- such a simple dish that left no room for error and they did it exceptionally well. I can't wait to come back to explore the menu and especially the sushi bar! read more

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A fancy Asian food hall, where you don't have to line up or walk around to order your food. Went it for light dinner, so we end up trying only 4 things. Went started the cucumber for appetizers. I love a flavorful cucumber. It's mildly spicy, with a good balance of salty and sour. The we go the mapo tofu and ordered coconut (blue) rice and regular rice. The tofu is also good, and on the mild to medium spice. Next we got the Xiao Long Bao. It was okay. The meat and soup inside is on the clean light taste. You definitely need the sauce for flavor. We also tried a couple of skewers - chicken momo and shitake mushroom. The sauce is flavorful and not too much char taste. We also got a pot of 8 Treasure Tea which is served in a nice pot. The glass that it came along was slightly thin and it's hard to hold when the tea is still hot. They have lots of seating on the second floor, although can feel a bit packed when there's a lot of diners because the tables are a bit close to each other. I think first floor is where the skewers are. And they have a mini store in front, where they also sell their vinegar with ginger (it's good!). The service was decent. They are on top of things, even the manager goes around to check on everyone. Overall it was a good experience. We are yet to try more dishes from the menu. read more

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Visited Asia Live on July 12 (soft opening?) with the limited menu. It looks quite different than when it was iChina. We ordered -Char Siu BBQ Pork "Dutch Crunch" Baked Buns. Our favorite of the meal. I would order this again -Hong Kong Noodles. Too much salt. If they can fix the salt, then I would happily order this again because the toddler ate it up. -Peking Duck in Sesame Pockets. To be honest I would prefer the usual bao bun instead of the "sesame pockets" which hid away the duck -Mongolian Char Grilled Short 'Kalbi' Ribs. This was tasty but perhaps overpriced along with the rest of the dishes I don't think it quite lives up to China Live in San Francisco or what they are trying to do like their neighbor Eataly. I look forward to seeing what's next and trying the rest of the menu when it becomes available. read more

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I wanted to give this place only 2 stars, but our server Lilly was friendly and attentive, so I bumped it up to 3. We were seated right away. The only things I really enjoyed were the ice water and the nice linen napkins. Unfortunately, the food was disappointing. The chicken lettuce cups were overly salty and lacked flavor. The dim sum dumplings (shrimp/scallop & soup dumplings) were just average. Honestly, they tasted like something you could easily buy at a Chinese market. Overall, I would not recommend this restaurant. Sorry Asia live, I guess I won't be a regular. If you're planning to spend money on quality dim sum, I'd go to Din Tai Fung instead. read more

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This review is for the "market" that was supposed to be the "Asian Eataly" and is just some tea & stuffed animals for sale in front of the restaurant. I've been to Asian Live in SF for a friend's event and didn't get the hype there either. Just basic Americanized Chinese food. The Valley fair restaurant was almost empty at 6pm on a Friday while Joeys was packed so that does tell you something (where the food is good). read more

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To be honest I don't see why this place is receiving such low ratings. Great service and ambience and the food was overall worthy of a mid tier fine dining experience on par with a place like Din Tai fung. Sesame dumplings - One of the ongoing themes I enjoyed from this restaurant was the chili oil which is especially fragrant. It had sesame sauce which made it a bit more filling and I enjoyed the flavor Dutch crunch pork buns - the bun was like a donut or pastry, light and crispy, very good. Maybe there could be more filling, but maybe less filling helped it stay light. Crushed cucumbers - it didn't look like they were crushed, but cubed. Maybe I am not familiar with this crushing technique. In any case the flavor was fantastic and I liked the the chili oil. Xiao long bap - they are larger than the ones at dim tai fung, though only 6 total compared to din tai fung which gives you I think 8 or 10 I forget. The soup to meat ratio is less than din tai fung, (less soup), which I personally don't prefer, but it was still a good dumpling. Hong Kong pan fried noodle - Great filler dish. It's larger than it looks in the picture. The portion is what you might expect from any random Chinese family style restaurant, much larger than the portion size of anything else on the menu. I loved the slightly crispy texture and the al dente boi Choi sprouts which were a good smaller bite size. I also liked the simplicity of it. Not too oily/ heavy or too salty with lots of sauce and just a few ingredients. read more

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I was so excited to snag the last reservation available on Father's Day. We've past by multiple times previously, waiting for their opening day. When we couldn't make the preview launch party, we tried the weekend after to swing by, but they were not open. They also weren't open a few other times there on after. Deciding to take another chance on Father's Day, they actually answered the phone and said they were open on a reservation only basis. Upon entering the restaurant, the retail side was nice and offered us samples of their cookies and other snacks. On the restaurant side, there was many staff everywhere. The tables were not full though. The menu had good variety, but somehow our server didn't seem so knowledgeable and guide us well on how to order dishes. He was nice though. We ended up ordering the Peking Duck, Hong Kong Crispy Noodles with Chicken, and Blistered Green Beans. We would've ordered more, but decided to try these out first and didn't feel properly guided on how to approach the menu. Glad we stopped there, as everything was so disappointing. The $34 Peking Duck came with Sesame Buns, that tasted like really stale bread. The skin on the duck was far from crispy with ample fat underneath. There was sufficient amount of meat on the duck pieces, but the skin along with the Sesame Buns was so disappointing. The sauce it came with was good though. The Hong Kong Crispy Noodles were soggy and not crispy. They were also super salty. Another huge disappointment, especially for a dish that is pretty common. Lastly, the Blistered Green Beans, were not as Blistered as they could be and super salty. We felt the dishes we ordered were common, and probably would not be something we can go wrong with, however was totally wrong on this part. For the quality of the food and prices, there's a lot left to be desired. To end it off, we sat there waiting a long time as staff consistently passed our tables and going home. Our table was hardly tended to, and even after we got boxes, we sat there with our dirty dishes for a while in an empty restaurant. When we finally flagged someone down, the person who was helping us pay, asked us how things are and who are waiter was (who was behind her), which I thought was ridiculous because shouldn't they know who was helping us? Hopefully, things improve a lot. We do understand this was soft opening, but it was really a BIG disappointment, and so many things gone wrong. There is a lot of training needed from a service standpoint, and reviewing the kitchen's recipes and turnout. We really wanted to enjoy the experience, as we had with their China Live restaurant. However, this was far from - the only thing they had going was the nice ambiance. read more

I had very high hopes for Asia Live given the hype leading up to the opening. What a disappointment. I started off with the Island Keeper cocktail (Roku Gin, lime, coconut and allspice) which sounded like a refreshing, simple drink with a little flavor twist. The twist was that it had no flavor at all except a very potent lime tang with a slight undercurrent of gin. The coconut and the allspice seem to have been left on the bar. We ordered the #1 best seller Sheng Jian Bao - a pan fried pork dumpling. I can say that this was the only dish we ordered that had great flavor - both in the meat filling and the dipping sauce. Unfortunately, the pork separated very easily from the bao which made eating it a bit difficult. We also ordered the chicken satay with spicy peanut sauce. The chicken itself was slimy and had no flavor and the peanut sauce was not only not spicy, but only remotely hinted of peanut. The "Working Hands" dumplings boasted a sesame butter and peppercorn chili broth. Once again the flavors touted in the menu description were completely absent from the dish. As a side, we ordered the crushed cucumber skins with chili garlic vinaigrette. As you can see from the photo, there's nothing crushed about them. They were large chunks of cucumber, and while not terrible, did not really match the description. There were quite a few items on the menu that were not yet available, but I don't know that we will be going back to sample more. The restaurant itself is tastefully designed, but it felt like the tables were a bit crowded together. The retail space has a number of fun items, both food and non-food alike. read more

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I had high hopes coming into Asia Live after seeing all the praise on social media, but I ended up walking away feeling just ok about it all. I am willing to give this restaurant another chance, maybe I just ordered the wrong things which didn't give me the greatest first impression. I do agree with the Chef's replies that people are being overly harsh for a new restaurant. THE VIBE: Firstly, the ambiance is nice, it feels like a casual restaurant, although on the higher end. I think this restaurant could greatly improve with a little soundproofing; as it gets busy it becomes difficult to hear each other since everyone's talking. The service is great. As a new restaurant the workers themselves are also learning as they are going. THE FOOD: The food was great. Yes, it is quite pricy and portions are supposed to be shareable but it did feel like it was on the smaller side. My mom and I walked away with satisfied stomachs. SEA BASS (3/5) - My mom gasped when the sea bass came out. For $45 we assumed that it would be a large portion but we were shocked that the sea bass was the size of my palm. It was good, just really small. It's my fault for not seeing that there was no size mention on the menu. XLB (4/5) - Tasted freshly made, I wish there was more soup for a soup dumpling. Not much to report other than it was good. CRAB & SHRIMP HANDROLLS (4/5) - The aioli didn't really do much for the handrolls but the sweet and sour sauce is nice. read more

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Very nice ambiance. Walking in on a weekday lunch we were quickly welcomed and seated. Servers and receptionist were friendly and attentive and the service was top notch. Way better than your usual Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area. The food was a little pricey but not ridiculous and I'm line with mall procing. Nothing was amazing but nothing was bad either. The peking duck was the star imo - i wish they served it with the traditional mandarin pancakes or even steamed buns. The sesame pockets were crumbly and fell apart after one bite. Otherwise tasty. Portions were pretty good size. Overall a nice new addition to Valley Fair. read more

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Finally we have this opened here and I can enjoy this here in the South Bay after being a customer of China Live for many years. We came here on the soft opening during Father's Day and we had a great time. The food was tasty and the mapo tofu carried heat! The restaurant looks fantastic and they are working on opening up the entire restaurant and menu. Special shout-out to Doug, Sky and our waiter (sorry I couldn't his name!) for taking care of us! read more

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We've been anticipating Asia Live since the signs went up thinking it would be another great option when visiting the mall. There's been a lot of hype with all the Bay Area foodies posting but wow, I have to say it was a really disappointing experience. We stopped by on a Friday at 5:30pm and was able to get seated right away. The ambience is really nice, with an open space concept and high ceilings. What was ordered: + Crushed Cucumber Skins, Chili Garlic Vinaigrette - the crushed part is confusing because it just looked like chopped cucumbers. They were crispy but very heavy on the vinaigrette and not enough chili oil. I puckered every time I ate a piece. + Famous Sheng Jian Bao 'SJB - bottom was fried well but the dough was thicker than I would've liked and the pork lacked flavor. + Dungeness Crab & Shrimp Spring Handrolls, Lemon Aioli, House Sambal (8) - this was very reminiscent of lumpia, but thinner. It came with mayo and sweet & sour dips. + Taiwan's "Most Loved' LuRouFan, Tea Egg - the tea egg was great, as were the veggies, but the lurou lacked depth. The rice was also cooked a bit too soft so, when eaten together, had very little texture and just felt like eating porridge. The service was decent. We had our water glasses refilled multiple times and our waitress was fairly attentive. I did find it a bit odd she asked me if I wanted to try dessert when I was still in the middle of my meal. Overall, this place needs more work when it comes to flavors. Like many have mentioned in their reviews, Asia Live has to be able to compete with Din Tai Fung and the many Asian restaurants around the area, especially given their price point. read more

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I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here. For this review I will completely ignore service as it was only day 4 of their opening and they were of course still figuring a lot of things out. Before coming here I read all the reviews and was going in with very low expectations. Many reviews said the value for money was awful so I went in expecting tiny portions. This didn't actually end up being the case and I ended up over-ordering for our table or 3 adults and 2 kids lol. We got the crispy noodles, fried rice, eggplant, chicken satay, chicken curry, char siu buns, soup dumplings, and fried dumplings. Nearly every item we ordered was about $20-25. Our total bill came to $185 before tip. I personally think this is a bit on the pricy side (especially since we came for brunch), but we also left very stuffed. I think if we removed 2 items, $120 wouldn't have been toooo crazy of a bill. And I would typically spend this much on a 3 adult dinner, so it's not completely unheard of. I spent about $120 for 3 adults at Din Tai Fung a few months ago and still left incredibly hungry. Perhaps the poor reviews felt like this was not a good price to pay for something they didn't consider authentic, and that's totally fair. As someone who loves Asian food and eats out a lot but may not have the best judgement on "authenticity", I can still say the meal was enjoyable, and the food was tasty. I'd like to come back here on a night I'm willing to spend more and once the restaurant has had a chance to sort out their service. I would give this place a try. I don't think their current rating of 2.5 stars is fair. I think 4/5 is more accurate. Don't skip this spot, give it a try. read more

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My first impressions of Asia Live is mixed. Service was great from the time you walk in. They'll offer samples of the sauces they sell. And they'll box your food at the end. I came with a friend during their opening weeks and was a bit underwhelmed. I feel like they need a little more time to refine. We noticed bowls weren't cleaned throughly and special requests (ie sesame seed on the side) wasn't communicated. And given the high prices I expected tighter execution and attention to detail. They fell short on this because the a few sprigs of the cilantro garnish was yellow and back-decomposing. It also felt like the staff wasn't knowledgable enough about the menu. The Garlic Noodles were rich and a must order. The Singaporean Curry was great, good balance of veggies and diced chicken. The curry came with a side of rice and we upgraded to the Blue Pea Coconut Rice which had a subtle aroma. Skip the Saigon Luc Lac Shaking Beef dish because it wasn't tender or savory. It was a massive disappointment because the flavor was kinda acidic and far from the dish it's based on. The XLB was soft and had a good texture, but barely had any soup. Server suggested about 1.5-2 items per person, which is a good starting point. Keep in mind that the tables are a bit small to comfortably fit if you share dishes. Additionally, their full menu isn't available yet. read more

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I've been really excited for this place to open. The menu looked amazing, and since we didn't have the boys with us, we ended up ordering quite a bit just so we could try a little of everything. We did wait a while before someone came to the table, but after that, our server was great -- attentive, kind, and really helpful. We ordered the Peking duck with pockets, green beans, kalbi, Chilean sea bass, shrimp fried rice, and the char siu bao. The menu itself is super interesting, so it was honestly hard to choose. Unfortunately, the food overall was subpar. Not bad, but not great either. I completely understand they're still in their opening phase and working out the kinks, but if those green beans are Chef Chen's famous green beans, they need to be on point. Ours were chewy, almost like the strings on the sides hadn't been removed, and we could barely chew them. When our server came by to ask how everything was, my wife was honest and let her know that, unfortunately, everything just missed the mark. Later, the manager came by and was incredibly kind and open to hearing our feedback. He handled it really well and took care of us, which we appreciated. I genuinely hope they work out the execution because the team was great and the menu has so much potential. We told them we'd come back in a month and give it another try. I just hope they don't run into the same issue that IChina did -- bringing in an amazing chef later, but only after too many people had already had a disappointing first experience and didn't want to come back. This place has the potential to be really good. It just needs the food to match the promise of the menu read more

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Asia Live is the brand new pan-Asian restaurant in Valley Fair mall. It's clean and well decorated and the staff is friendly and efficient. They supposedly have "world renowned chef George Chen" behind the scenes. What's not to like? The food. The blue pea flower coconut rice is just weird. It honestly looks and tastes like Uncle Ben's with food coloring. I taste nothing of coconut or flower. It was also weirdly dry and undercooked/hard at the same time. The Singapore Nonya curry chicken was more of a soup than i expected. The broth was watered down and bland. The crispy Brussels got soaked in the soup so they weren't crispy anymore. The chicken was rubbery and it wasn't spicy at all. It was the best thing we ordered. The Peking (who spells it this way anymore?) duck in cardboard (I mean sesame) pockets were just off. The duck wasn't tender enough and certainly lacked seasoning. The "pockets" should be a soft dough, but they look and taste like cardboard. Everything tastes boiled and reheated. George: I hope you read this and improve your recipes and execution or I fear this place will be short lived. read more

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I wanted to give this place a five-star rating, but, though the food was tasty, nothing really stood out as being outstanding, and for the price point, I was expecting to be blown away. I had to question the Steamed-Fried Scallion Bread, which came with a sweet and spicy house jam. The bread was hard and thick, with little flavor. The jam did not help. I really enjoyed the Singapore Nonya Style Spicy Chicken Curry with Crispy Brussels Sprouts. The coconut curry is mildly spicy with nice balance of flavor. The Brussels sprouts were nicely cooked, but I didn't get the "crispy" as advertised. It went well with the Blue Flower Rice that I used to soak up the delicious curry. The pieces of chicken were a bit chunky, though.had to split a few pieces in half. My wife's favorite of the night were the Char Siu BBQ "Dutch Crunch" Baked Buns. Crispy on the outside, flavorful and moist char siu on the inside. I felt that the Dutch Crunch was a bit too hard for the ridge behind my upper teeth, however, and it scratched as I bit down on it. The "#1 Seller Famous Sheng Jian Bao 'SJB' Daily Made Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings" were tasty, but they had a real thick skin that was extra chewy. The texture got in the way of enjoying what would have been very tasty dumplings. You get where I am going with this review. Maybe I should have ordered the other items on the menu. Regardless, what we did order should have been higher than excellent. There were little things that detracted from the experience. And if the price were lower, I probably would have given this place five stars. But if I am going to pay the price, I would expect nothing less than perfection. I have to give kudos to the check-in staff, who were cheerful and helpful in welcoming us in. The wait staff and servers also came with smiles. This is what I expected, and they all came through spectacularly. Thanks to those who served today. read more

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I came to Asia Live for dinner and for drinks at the bar. It was a great experience! Our waitress's name was Maddie and she did a great job presenting us the menu and answered our questions. The food was great and would come back here again. The kungpao chicken was so freaking bomb and the portion sizes were great. Ordered about 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and a side. More than enough for two people and to bring some home. For dessert, I think the mango and black sesame ice cream/shaved ice was an interesting combo, but loved biting into the fresh black sesame with it. Cant wait to come back to try something new! Shout out to Alex at the bar. He had excellent customer service and was so attentive. He made our first time there real memorable. Loved the thai tea cocktail. Jessica the manager also came to check in on us, making sure our experience was great. I do wish the ambiance in Bar Lucy was a bit more intimate, or softer/lower lights at night. Price: $$ Food: 4/5 Service: 5/5 TLDR: Loved my experiences here and looking forward to coming back soon! If not for the food, the bar is a great stand alone experience with great bartenders to keep you company! (Huge shout out to Alex, Jessica, and Maddie) read more

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Where do I start? I was pretty excited to try Asia live as it was the most anticipated opening at valley fair for a while. The opening kept getting delayed which i guess built even more anticipation. What kind of food could be coming from this new restaurant? We were originally on our way to the cheesecake factory when we stopped to look at the menu at asia live. The Taiwanese dishes definitely caught our eye as we are ABT. Although the prices are a bit steep for this food, given the location, i find it pretty reasonable if the food is good. There are a lot of options and the menu is quite overwhelming. A mixture of ALL Asian food which I'm guessing is what they are going for. Our party of 3 ordered the -Shen Jian Bao (SJB) -2/5 not really juicy, bottom is really thick, sauce included was interesting -Betelnut Minced Chicken Lettuce Wrap-3/5 a bit too sweet and too salty. not bad. not great? -Steam Fried Scallion Bread - 3/5 crispy not much scallion flavor, skip the sauce -Char Siu BBQ pork Dutch crunch -3/5 it's ok. -Pad Banh Crossover vietnam pad thai - 2/5 i love this concept but I felt the execution is off. When imagining this dish, i would expect the exterior to be like a banh xeo with crispy crunch crust but instead we get a soft pancake?? that didn't really tie into the dish. It felt more for presentation than for taste kind of like the leaf included in this dish. -Taiwan most loved luroufan 2/5 - This one... was the item that brought us in when looking at the menu. It really let us down. The rice was soggy. Definitely overcooked. The sauce was ok, not really lurou more like just minced pork sauce and the tea egg had no flavor more so just a jammy boiled egg Taipei beef noodle soup 4/5 probably the best dish we had here. The noodle texture was nice and chewy. The pickled veggies were pretty good (you should use this picked veggie for the lurou dish instead) and there was a generous portion of meat. The soup is on the sweeter side but not bad. we finished with the sesame soft serve with mango shaved ice. The mango shaved ice was pretty good. i'm not sure if it went well with the sesame but we finished the dessert anyways. The interior is big and open. I'm sad they removed/remodeled the previous bathrooms from ichina now it's just a regular bathroom. I'm not sure if i will be back. Maybe when they add more dishes? I feel like as an asian restaurant they can't mess up the rice but they did. The most basic part of an asian dish. read more

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We came here to try out on a Saturday noon 2 weeks after they open. They asked for reservations which we don't have, but they were able to seat us after around 20min's wait. Despite the review online criticizing, I'm pretty happy with my experience. The staff are incredibly professional and sweet given that we have a noisy toddler with us. I'm amazed by their tea selection on display- they are not cheap however at least they have some selection where you can't find anywhere else. I did lift every tea sample and smell. The food was decent. The quantity was not super big but still shareable. As a true Shanghainese, I would say the shengjianbao is 90% authentic. The flavor was on the salty side, however the crispy eggplant as well as the kung pao chicken was pretty good given that. I would say this is a direct competition of ding tai Fung which is a good thing to us customers. The staff was super busy and some seating area were not open due to short on staff. We explored some quiet area in the back where there's less people. We have a good feel about the space. read more

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Service was absolutely AMAZING, though, this is not for the service, but rather for the FOOD.. I was originally THRILLED for this spot, as the iChina was also a huge let down. Peking Duck Buns - Peking duck was FANTASTIC, the crispy bun was a big NO! Pan Fried Buns - No soup inside (waiter warned us), this was served cold, as if it sat for 30 mins, how is this possible if the place is less than 30% full? Crispy Noodles w/ Chicken - Tasted as if this was leftover from the day before I really wanted to love this place, left extremely disappointment, you can see sad faces all around Anyways, come at your own RISK! read more

We wanted to try something new, but it was disappointing. The food is overpriced compared to regular Chinese restaurants. The short ribs were too salty (Korean restaurant is better) and the chicken lettuce wraps were dry. We also ordered a Broccoli vegetable dish, but the waitress entered the wrong order, luckily she allowed us to cancel. The atmosphere is nice, but the service was average and not very attentive. The restaurant also feels more like Asian version of Eataly with a gift shop, selling stuffed toys, chili sauce, and bags in the front. Overall, the food and service didn't match the high prices. read more

Asia Live - "Betelnut" Minced Chicken Lettuce Cup (6) / or Tofu (vg) - Pan Asian Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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Stopped by on the holiday weekend and entered from the first floor outside. It was a small shop and wanted to check out the food hall so went up the stairs. The concept was not what I expected as I imagined various stalls to order from directly but instead it was a sit down restaurant. It was bustling with diners and then went out the upstairs exit to find another small shop filled with teas. Ended up not dining here but did pick up a bag of tea that was a bit pricey but good. read more

Asia Live - Pan Asian Near Me - Santa Clara, California

We all walked in thinking how could this place be 2.7 on Yelp, in the Bay Area at a flagship mall? Esp since some in the party has been to China live and rated it highly. Party of four and we ordered many dishes. First off: poured water was warm, (and the place was ripping hot-No AC on by any means) my first thought and joke was, this is the dining experience one gets out in Germany. Then we ordered a glass of ice and got a half glass (cocktail sized) and we all burst out laughing. The waitress quickly brought out a second glass . Shanghai noodles were pretty good, Peking Duck, roast eggplant and cucumber salad were barely ok. The dumplings were better than some bagged frozen ones; key word here is SOME. Lettuce cups again, pretty good. All at prices 2x+ of what they should have been, given quality and quantity. We saw plenty of wait staff fanning themselves with to-go bags, during the meal. Bless their hearts, 3 stars is generous and brings up their star average. BTW I've been to Tain and I don't think the men there would appreciate you washing their finest with duck fat. Don't spare the AC next time. read more

Asia Live - Drink option. - Pan Asian Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Honestly, this place was pretty disappointing. We ordered 3 dishes: Xiao Long Bao $17- nothing special. HK Stir-Fried Noodles $25- way too salty and oily. Vietnamese Pad Thai with Shrimp $24- the shrimp came out raw the first time. They remade the dish, but while the shrimp was cooked the second time, the noodles were still hard and undercooked. All foods came out warm, not hot. We work in the mall and like supporting new restaurants. We've been to Tai Er over 10x since they opened and always recommended to our friends because the food and service have always been consistent. Unfortunately, Asia Live was not the same. Between the food quality, and lackof followup after our feedback, we won't be returning and wouldn't recommend it to others. read more

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Great service and unfortunately the food didn't meet expectations. When arriving, the host and servers are excellent. Very professional welcoming and friendly. The food dishes were not all available yet and the ones greyed out were not ready to be ordered. The room is large, spacious and open. For a table of 4 seated in a small table of 4, the dishes were brought out too quickly to have space on the table and enjoy it. One dish ordered never came and we thought we may not have marked it on the sheet . When the bill came, it was there but we never received it. This was quickly taken off the bill by the hostess. The room is large and with that many people, it's very difficult to hear others in your party unless you speak loud. I was looking to have a very nice meal and had great expectations . The food was decent, but not great for the portion and tastes I was expecting . Maybe, it was just a soft opening issue? read more

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Had high hopes for Asia Live, but the food left us feeling underwhelmed, especially for the price point. Ambiance is nice, and service is getting better as the staff become more experienced since it's only been a few days since the grand opening. Would maybe give this place another try, but after they have a full service menu. We ordered the #1 sheng jian bao, the Taipei #1 beef noodle soup, and the crispy braised eggplant. Nothing felt on point... not quite fusion but not authentic either. It's ok... read more

I have to say this place was quite a disappointment. Servers and staff was great however it doesn't compromise for the food and prices this place offers. Let's get started, China live was the expectation so the bar was already really high. Being placed in a busy mall, being two stories, and suppose to be the "eataly" of Asian food. Place and ambiance wasn't too bad however wooden chairs had no back support and very uncomfortable to sit on. I've seen they have pillows to help but it doesn't. Next let's talk about the food. We tried there famous "SBJ", the pad Thai crepe, galbi short ribs, etc. needless to say, it's mediocre at best. You get 3 pieces of short ribs with rice for over 30 dollars. SBJ was lacking flavor. Honestly, this place was alright but nothing out of the order to be chargin these prices. I think I'll stick with din tai fund or any other Asian restaurant because they at least will have reasonable pricing. Had rlly high hopes because they replaced the last restaurant which I believe was Ichina but it seems this place might be cursed. read more

Nice new place where service is excellent and the food is amazing. Good new china and silverware . The only problem is the people talking makes the place louder. A little pricey, but worth it compared to eating somewhere less with out The great quality and service. read more

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Great food, great service. A little on the pricier side but par for the course with mostly everything else at Valley Fair. The SJB dumplings and Peking duck sesame pockets were especially delicious. Will definitely be back to try more of the menu. read more

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Tried a couple of dishes: Singapore Kaya Shrimp Toast - weird taste. Instead of Kaya, they should have just put mayo. Kaya was too sweet for a savory dish. Sheng Jian Bao - not juicy inside. Base of bao is slightly thicker and crunchy. Prefer the bao to have some soup in it. Pad Thai Crepe - not bad. I don't usually eat pad thai so can't compare to others. Wasn't sweet or spicy. Peking duck with sesame pockets - the veg inside was soaked with sauce and the pockets can't hold it in. Prefer normal Peking duck with the thin wrapper. Last, their deco a bit weird. See the top row. I think those are urns. Not sure if I'll come back. All dishes came out lukewarm. For the price, I think there are better restaurants. Update in response to comments: The above are based on my personal opinion. And to the commenter, yes, a restaurant can't please everyone but posting one's opinion shouldn't result in such a response. If I knew asking for mayo was an option, I would have asked for it. I pointed it to the server that Kaya wasn't a good combination and was not told mayo was available. The bao may have sold a lot and the top seller but shouldn't the meat inside be juicy and not dry? Even if no soup inside, it should be hot and juicy instead of warm and dry. Being the 3rd day of opening allows for lukewarm food being served? I paid good money for the food and provided my comments on food served. That's it. A restaurant can improve on service and food but if one is not willing to accept comments, then I wish the restaurant all the best. read more

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This place has been hyped for so long on IG but didn't meet my expectations :( Only recently opened so I'm sure they're still working out the kinks but service was still off -- servers came to us twice with orders we didn't make and when we asked for the check, the staff said they didn't remember what we ordered?? Ended up being fine but was just weird lol. AC wasn't strong and there's big windows which is nice to let in light but our party was getting really warm/I was starting to sweat haha. Food was okay but definitely pricey for what you get. We got the Sheng Jian Bao, Peking Duck Pockets, Kalbi Ribs, and Baked BBQ Pork Buns. Sheng Jian Bao had a nice crispy bottom but a little too much dough right above it. Duck in the Peking Duck was good but I wasn't a fan of the bread that it was in. Kalbi was solid, just not a large quantity. Baked BBQ Pork Buns were not bad, good top surface and decent flavor inside. read more

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Great service but seemed new. Pretty store but I couldn't go in because I was full. Ordered a Peking duck roll. Tasted ok. It was both warm and cold and tasted like hoisin and green onions. Ordered a carrot cake which the twin liked. But where it's at is the scallion biscuit. I ordered three to take home and I've made a lox biscuit with one and a bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwich for another. Might just eat the other one plain. It's fluffy and savory and really delicious. read more

Grand opening event review. Drinks were fantastic! Had the Silk drink and sparking wine cocktail! Would definitely go back just for the drinks! The grand opening event was a little rough but I know they were all working hard. Fave appetizers were the pork buns and I believe the Peking duck buns! Sushi rolls were good as were the wontons. Looking forward trying the full menu! read more

Asia Live - Pan Asian Near Me - Santa Clara, California

No clue why this place has so many low reviews. Honestly, it feels like a lot of unemployed, panda express connoisseurs, trying way too hard to be a food critics lol.... We had a great time. The service was wonderful, the food came out incredibly fast, and there was a ton of variety. I've traveled and worked all over Asia, and it was great finding beers and flavors here that reminded me of being abroad. I genuinely liked this place more than Din Tai Fung, mostly because there's so much more variety. Definitely deserves a higher rating. read more