It was a busy week for sure at the office. No major projects, just lots of little things here and there. It was nice to get out of the office on Thursday and have lunch with Tim. He doesn’t work in the IT deprtment, he’s an Account Supervisor with my agency.

Today, I drove us to Quail Hill in Irvine. We decided we were going to the Chinese place next to Lucca’s Cafe and Market, Crystal Jade. During our meals at Lucca’s I always noticed the amount of people walking into Crystal Jade. Now it was our turn.

The interior was nice decorated. Dark greens, light color woods. Not over the top. They also had a nice outdoor seating area. When we were seated we were handed lunch menus and a clip board with a form on it. Much to my surprise, they serve Dim Sum for lunch! I may be back here often.  Tim and I ordered a few dishes and one dish. We ordered BBQ Pork Steamed Buns, Fried Shrimp Dumpling, Beef in Rice Noodle, Shiu Mai with Pork and Crab and a dish of Sauteed String Beans. They offered White and Brown Rice so we opted for 50/50.

Our meal started with Hot & Sour soup. Good taste, but just warm to the tongue. I wish it was hotter. Nice pieces of tofu and bamboo. Then the Dim Sum started to arrive. First up the Shiu Mai with Pork and Crab. These definitely weren’t like the ones I made earlier this week. These were juicy, full of flavor and that mix of crab with the pork was awesome. Tim and I actually got two orders or it and we both went thru it pretty fast. 

The BBQ Pork Steamed Buns, Fried Shrimp Dumplings and the Beef with Rice Noodle were next. The buns were perfectly steamed. The bun part was moist but the filling was the best. The BBQ Pork was minced and the sauce was sweet – just the way I like it. Oh..don’t forget to take the paper off the bottom before you bite into it! :) The shrimp dumplings were crispy, but average. Tim ordered the Beef with Rice Noodle, but I didn’t get a taste. We also ordered this dish that was crab/shrimp stuffed into a red and green pepper wedge. It was pretty good, but it looked like it was “warmed” up and not fresh. The Sauteed String Beans came and that was the highlight of my lunch. Served with fresh rice it was perfect. The brown rice never showed up, but shame on me for not mentioning it. The green beans were cooked thru and still had a crunch with each bite.

All in all it was a good lunch. I’ll have to come back for dinner to try out some of their menu items.

Crystal Jade
6511 Quail Hill Pkwy
Irvine, CA 92603
(949) 725-3368