Ok, it's definitely Peter Chan in the kitchen after my skepticism in previous update. I know this…read morebecause first, a regular customer came in and called out "hey Peter how you doin?" Second, because the hard working chef is once again quietly exerting his authority with small acts of independence. He brought out my lunch special himself but declined to give me a dinner plate (needed because the serving entirely covers the oval plate it was delivering on) and, once again, my pork with pickled cabbage had no pickled cabbage. Touche, Peter. The regular customer ordered items I would never consider, like walnut shrimp and egg foo young. But I'm sure it was still great, as was my no-pickles pork, as is everything Peter cooks. The guy is a gem. And he looks to be in good health after that mystery hiatus so I hope he'll be around awhile.

I remember reading that Ocean Palace was closing for months to renovate. I was happy to see the…read moreresults. The entrance looks a lot better. Instead of picking up takeout at the front door, customers can now make their way to the counter. I'm glad to see them reopen. I had a lunchtime craving for Cantonese style curry chicken. It was a favorite dish growing up and it brings back fond memories. Another favorite is Roast Pork Lomein. I also bought a shrimp stuffed eggplant appetizer. It was pretty good. There are also new lunch options. Instead of a free can of soda, I was offered soup. I chose Hot & Sour Soup. It was good. This is one of the few local Asian restaurants that offers brown rice which is a healthier option. I always make a point of calling ahead so the food order is ready by the time I get there.

Northeast Chinese Restaurant II is one of my favorite local Chinese restaurants. All of my favs are…read morenorthern Chinese. That means they can serve up some deliciously spicy dishes. But if you're looking for something milder, they're great at that, too. I think the large menu has been updated since my last visit. The first few pages include dishes that I would describe as "soul food." There's frog, beef tripe and pork intestine-- you get the picture. I never really got into that. On this visit, my friend and I picked Stir Fried Spicy Squid, Crispy Chicken with Crunchy Red Pepper and Bok Choy with Garlic. We were hungry. The veggies came out of the kitchen almost immediately. Crazy fast. We were grateful. The other two dishes took a bit more time. When you see all of the ingredients in those dishes and how finely sliced they are, it's no wonder. I loved the chicken dish. The chicken was a little crunchy but the red peppers were super crunchy. It was a bit spicy but deliciously so. I liked the peanuts and what looked like slivers of jalapeño peppers, too. The squid was also great. Here, I think they used more jalapeño peppers and spices. There was more heat to this dish but it was deceptive. The more I ate, the more I could gradually feel the burn. By the time we were full, I could feel my face starting to sweat a little. That was fun. The restaurant is clean and attractive with a remarkable amount of seating. The back portion is reserved for hot pots which I have yet to try there. The staff is friendly, helpful and bilingual. They will make suggestions if you'd like. This restaurant generally gets a bit noisy because it's where large Chinese families gather when they want to go on the town. That's a good thing. There's also a large screen tv that plays cooking shows. With so much going on, the customers seemed pretty happy.

Been here a bunch of times now and they never disappoint…read more The review is really that simple. It's going to be really good every time. Order something spicy and get excited. Also get the ribs!!!

I love getting the beef noodle soup. So good. Have eaten in the restaurant once and the restaurant…read moreis clean and the service is great.

The stewed beef chuck, which is really beef noodle soup, was ok. Good portion size, good amount of…read morebeef and bok choy. If you get it to go, they put the noodles and stuff on a tray that sits on top of the broth, which is really cool. The broth was lacking in flavor, very bland. Their lo mein looks like it would be good, but it tasted really strange. Broccoli and beef were good though. The beef was very tender and flavorful.

OUTSTANDING! My daughter told me there was an authentic Chinese restaurant in a mall…read more Impossible I said. I was wrong. The menu which comes on a tablet is formatted in a way that is a bit foreign but if you are able to stick with it you will find the Chinese specialties Americans are used to under American Style and Staples. My daughter and grandkids ordered from those 2 sections I ordered from Sichuan and Liaoning and made converts of the rest of the table. Dishes we ordered and devoured: Steamed as well as as fried Pork and cabbage dumplings: Plump, not doughy, delectable. The youngest got some pineapple chicken ting that she devoured. Daughter ordered Beef & Broccoli and a rice noodle dish with chicken. The broccoli was tasting, the noodles were not over cooked, the plate was cleaned by 3 at the table. Grandson ordered General Tsaos chicken. Looked good, he ate 90% of it. Thy other Grandmom and myself ordered the Eggplant with minced pork, stir fried cabbage and Mapo Tofu. INCREDIBLE. Daughter and Grandson reluctantly tried the 3 dishes and tucked into them like they'd never see food again. Lastly, I ordered the tea. A small pot with a loose mixture of high quality leaves that you can keep refilling from the carafe of hot water. We pried the mix they use out of one of the waiters because we need to have this again and again!

Not sure about all the hype - this place is simply ok. Food was fine - good not great - but the…read moreservice was awful. Two of us dining, each ordered an app and entree. One entree came out first, followed by second entree at least 10 minutes later. Then the apps. Not happy.

Very good bowl of ramen. Tasty broth, lots of noodles. I had with grilled shrimp that were nice…read more Came at a quiet time and service was fast. Pleasant, professional young man working the tables. I like it and will return when I'm on the area.

This is just the best thing! Spicy Cucumber Garlic. That's it. That's the caption. Marinated…read morecucumber, peanuts, fresh cilantro, with reeeeally nice sweet, spicy, & garlicky notes that just make you SMACK! It's so damn good with so many textures and FLAVOR! The first time I had it there was some sort of delicious spicy green sauce for the marinade, but they have since changed the recipe! IM NOT MAD AT IIIIITTTTT!! Big bonus note: they're kindest people! I've never dined in, but the atmosphere is very inviting! Get there people!

Stopped in for some soup, dumplings, and spring rolls. The amount of food I got for the price was…read moremore than fair. Couldn't finish it all. This is a beautiful sitdown, Chinese restaurant with an old-school feel. Two older gentlemen were the waiters and I believe one of them may have been named Simon. He could not have been nicer and more accommodating. I overheard some regulars talking to him, and they definitely felt the same way. I saw several of the dishes that other people were eating, and they all looked delicious. I really like this area of Albany with all the old buildings right by Washington Park and I plan on making Rain part of my regular routine. 100% recommend.

I ordered takeout so not sure about the inside ambience and facilities. Service was very fast but…read moreagain I ordered takeout out so not sure about wait staff. The food was ok, but not particularly more special than my local place I love. The egg drop soup was yummy and smooth. I thought the shrimp and broccoli would be a little more spicy than what I received, but it still tasted great.

My grandson invited me to one of his favorite restaurants for a 19th birthday dinner. It was my…read morethird time here, but the best dining experience because we were five adventurous adults. We shared family style some memorable food choices which were all enjoyed. Our order: *Seaweed Salad with chili pepper in a toasted sesame oil dressing *Jellyfish app - "oohed and ahed" over it *Vegetarian Dumplings - with dipping sauces, tasty *Four Season Buns - Five colorful, tender dough buns enveloping flavorful fillings *Sea Cucumber with Beef Tendon - I preferred the sea cucumber over the tendon. *Chicken with Snow Peas - melt in your mouth chicken *Vegetarian Tofu with General Sauce - excellent! *Hu's Seafood Hot Pot - squid, flounder, shrimp (I did not like the green pepper, but someone else did.) *Crispy Shanghai Duck - sliced table side and amazing! Enjoyed with accolades. Brown Rice for all... Service was excellent; it was experienced, skillfull, and courteous. Kudos! Hu's is in a class by itself for gourmet Chinese cuisine dining. What a GEM! P.S. My grandson is interested in Marine Biology, so he was delighted with the variety of our seafood edibles. He provided interesting background information as we dined.

During the first Covid lockdown in 2021, we isolated in our Catskills home. The infection counts…read morewere low in Greene county New York and nobody knew what would happen next. TV news broadcast dire predictions during every 24 hour news cycle. So of course, cooking and acquiring food while binging movies and TV shows on cable became the obvious means by which to deflect attention from the rising COVID body counts world-wide and dire predictions. High anxiety was the order of the day, and tippling, cooking, take outs and eating became a reliable means to blunt it. Between TV binging we continued our years long, fanatical search for Xiao Long Bao -- or anything Asian to cook of takeaway and eat TV-side. HU's is a small Chinese joint in Albany, near where we received our Covid vaccines, and a good 90 minute drive from our home. There was nothing that vaguely resembled a good Shanghainese take out joint any closer - so when we didn't care to cook Asian, we made the trip to Albany for takeaway. As it turns out, HU's makes some authentic and delicious soup dumplings, and other dim sum like shrimp har gow, perfectly seasoned sweet/sour soup and some very tasty Scallion pancakes and Peking style duck. It was well worth the 3 hour round trip to take away -- or even eat in. The restaurant enforced social distancing making the eat in experience feel safe and authentic. I dunno. It's been a while since our HU's excursions in 2021, but I think in hindsight the food is truly a solid 4 stars good. I can't get to 5 stars because I could not rate the service due to pandemic restrictions in restaurants. Service was diminished due to social distancing during Covid times - but the restaurant was sparkly clean everywhere we looked. I imagine the same is still true today. So if you find yourself craving Shanghainese when in Albany, NY - HU's is a solid choice. The fact that their food selection and quality was high during the worst pandemic in the last 100 years speaks volumes about HU's food cred. Top tip: Even though the dumpling skins are bit on the thick side, stick with XLB and dim sum. They are NY Chinatown worthy. The usual Cantonese dishes like egg foo young, chow fun and ribs are serviceable too.

I eat here about once a month. They do have an outdoor patio which is nice…read more Food is always incredible! I like the curry chicken. I do it without vegetables and I add shrimp with House rice and my mother got steak and mushroom combo with House rice, roasted pork wonton soup and everything is just incredible and she brought it out to us on the patio. Wonderful late lunch/dinner

Food was very bad, and the portion size is very small compared to many Chinese restaurants in the…read morearea and they only give you a very tiny portion of rice that's bland. The general tso's chicken was very disappointing, even though I was hungry, I didn't like it which tells you how bad the food is . Will never come back .

Went for lunch with my sister-in-law on a Wed. arriving at 12:15. Parking lot was almost full, and…read moreit had just opened at noon. Walked in and almost EVERY table had diners. By 12:30, every table was occupied. What? Great reputation! We were seated at a small but nice window table right away. Immediately, we received a pot of tea. We placed our order since I had to be home by 1:30. Turned out we were served quickly considering how busy the kitchen must have been. Our Hot and Sour Soups came within 7-10 min. followed by our lunch choices. Hot and Sour Soup was outstanding. My go to anytime it is on menu, so I compliment from experience. It had a flavorful base that was perfectly sweet and sour. The tofu was sliced small, and the mushrooms had a pleasant texture and taste. Delicious! Sesame Chicken was with a sweet and tangy sauce that hit all the right notes. It was made with nice size chunks of white meat. Broccoli was not over cooked. Pork with Garlic Sauce was a great choice. Tender strips of pork covered in a good sauce that was perfect on the rice. We each took a portion of our lunch home so we would have "room" for ice cream. Homemade Ice Cream! Two scoops for each of us: Too delicious to share plus a real treat! *Green Tea/Matcha was deep in color and the flavor--superb. *Red Bean was sweeter, and my taste buds enjoyed every spoonful. Enjoyable lunch at a restaurant where you can count on food being well prepared plus get experienced service. A true GEM.

For dim sum dining, this is the place to go in the Capital Region. For those of you who don't know,…read moredim sum is comprised of small plates of food perfect for sharing. It is mostly eaten for brunch and or lunch. I ordered many small plates but the ones that stood out most were the pork soup dumplings, crab and pork soup dumplings, seafood shumai (a traditional small cup shaped steamed dumpling) the wontons in spicy chili oil, and shrimp dumplings. Additionally I also enjoyed their General Tso's shrimp and Peking Duck. Service here is on point and the waitstaff is attentive. They checked on our table a number of times and the pot of hot tea and iced water with lime wedges did not go unnoticed. Also the ambiance here is nice and the interior space is well maintained and inviting. I highly recommend eating here as the food is authentic and delicious. An exceptional dining experience awaits you!

Owner was very kind and sweet with excellent service despite us coming in shortly before closing!…read moreGreat food and good service, Thank you!

On a cold, windy day there is nothing like a bowl of piping hot soup. Absolutely nothing. On this…read moreparticular day, the wind gusted nearly 20mph and the temps hovered above 30 degrees. It felt brutal as the wind pierced through my coat. Winter still had us in its icy grip even if the calendar said that Spring was only days away. I was alone and I was happy to take refuge in the warm restaurant with its welcoming decor. There are pretty Chinese lamps at each booth as you enter. In the back, the large round tables were filled with families who appeared to be throwing a party. The server told me I could sit wherever I'd like. I chose the first booth. I was only too happy to come in from the cold and sit. Oh, the bowl of soup that I ordered turned out to be a dream come true! It wasn't just any soup. It was the Wonton Noodle soup lunch special at Shining Rainbow on Central Ave. in Albany. The menu is in both English and Chinese. After looking at the description, I thought I had an option to add some meat to the soup. So I asked for some roast pork. After I placed the order, a young man from the kitchen staff actually came out to ask me what kind of noodles I wanted in my soup: skinny, medium or wide. He spoke to me in Chinese. I must have really confused the staff because a second staffer also followed him out and he asked me exactly the same question in English. I was really surprised. I said to them in (Mandarin) Chinese, " Don't you usually use the thin noodles for this soup? I'll take what's easiest for you to prepare." So I realized later--after they'd gone--that I didn't actually answer their questions. I must have added to their confusion but they were so very nice and polite. About 10 minutes later, a server returns with a huge steaming bowl of soup. I'm still so cold and when I see the steam rising in the distance from the soup bowl, I'm smiling. He places the soup in front of me. It's a thing of beauty. It also had vegetables that I didn't ask for, but that's not a bad thing. I took one look into the bowl and expressed my shock, "Wow. It's huge." The server looked satisfied and walked away. Underneath the roast pork and bright green veggies, there were thin noodles swimming in soup. It smelled divine. But there were no wontons. Should I say something? No. Because this meal looked perfect. Despite the confusion that I might have contributed to-- I wound up with what I really needed--a delicious and healthy hot meal. I almost finished it, too. The servers packed the rest up for me. When the bill came, I wondered what it would be. The lunch specials which are offered Monday- Saturday are just over $10. Almost $11. Sure enough, that's what they charged me. I gave them a large tip. I think $5 or $6. They were just so nice. Perhaps I looked so cold and pitiful. Whatever the reason, it was an awesome meal that didn't break the bank and I hope I can order it again sometime with or without wontons.