Miss Yip Downtown: Pseudo-Chinese Décor Better Than The Pseudo-Chinese Food
Categories: First Impressions
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| John Zur |
| Interior |
But the parking situation isn't the most accommodating and the impolite hostesses were an immediate buzz-kill. They didn't smile and ignored us until we announced that we had a reservation.
The décor is very cool and Chinatown-esque, highlighted by tiled floors, birdcages over the bar, a visible dim sum station (with a petite dim sum chef standing on blocks behind it), red leather booths, and walnut-stained wooden tables covered by paper place mats adorned with the Chinese zodiac. The indoors flows into outdoors and the lighting is just right. Unnecessary Miami flair is added with club music.
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| John Zur |
| Chicken lettuce wraps |
The crispy shrimp on skewers ($12) had a texture like shredded wheat cereal -- cough-inducing and terribly dry. But inside was a robust shrimp cooked perfectly. Served with a sweet and spicy sauce, it was a helluva starter.
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| John Zur |
| Shrimp skewers |
We sipped lychee sake cocktails ($7) with our starters, which were subtle but strong enough.
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| John Zur |
| Miss Yip's dim sum |
An even sadder entree was the Mongolian beef ($17), stir-fried with ginger, garlic, scallions, and finished with a sweet and tangy sauce. We could only get a few pieces into the crunchy, beef jerky-like meat bathed in a sauce that was too sweet. The entrees were served with a side of fluffy fried rice with not-so-discreet chunks of chicken, beef, pork, and shrimp.
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| John Zur |
| Mongolian beef, princess jade seabass, and fried rice |
None of the managers touched tables. They simply strutted around in their suits, acting important and as if they were a part of a scene. When one bumped into our table, a martini spilled, and he didn't so much as apologize. Miss Yip has got to figure out how to handle volume and get service on track.
Dessert took 30 minutes to arrive after our plates were cleared. This was surprisingly long, seeing as we ordered dessert with our meal and told our server we were ready towards the end of our entree. Then the white chocolate rice pudding ($6) was dry, dense, and overly sweet. The only harmonious note was the sweet red bean topping with fried mint leaves and dried orange zest.
It's difficult to give dinner a chance. Miss Yip turned into a lounge before 8pm. The place is not the real thing when it comes to Chinese food, but it's still a fun atmosphere with passable food. Maybe it will establish itself as a great happy hour spot.
Miss Yip Chinese Cafe
900 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
305-538-0088
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