Overall Review: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘
Dixon's Fooday mouthpiece food diary has been updated! #194
What I want to review today is the well-known Yakiniku brand, Lao Gan Pei.
Under the Lao Gan Pei Group, besides Lao Gan Pei, there are also other Yakiniku brands, like the regular Gan Pei.
Compared to Gan Pei, Lao Gan Pei is certainly a more upscale brand.
However, Lao Gan Pei has numerous branches in many places.
Dixon has been to the Xinyi branch of Lao Gan Pei several times and is quite satisfied with the dining experience.
Since I am a bit lazy, I really appreciate it when a Yakiniku restaurant offers grilling services, especially if they grill it well. It definitely adds to the quality of service!
This particular Lao Gan Pei is located on the upper floor of a department store in the Xinyi area, so it has a pretty good location.
Therefore, if you want to dine here, it's advisable to make a reservation in advance. Otherwise, if you come without a reservation, you might have to wait outside for a while to get seated!
Like other high-end Yakiniku restaurants, you can choose between a set menu or à la carte here.
I personally prefer the set menu and have chosen it during my two or three visits.
I think the portion size of the set menu is quite generous—two people can really fill up comfortably with the double portion set!
The overall quality of the meat is also quite good.
Additionally, the presentation and flavor are handled very well. It's a great place for mid-to-high tier Yakiniku.
Regarding the set menu, in addition to the basic meat platter, there are other sides to pair with it.
So if you order a set menu here, you'll not only enjoy the Yakiniku but also have a complete meal with the main dish and dessert!
In my opinion, Lao Gan Pei is relatively stable in quality.
It won’t be particularly stunning but certainly a quality Yakiniku restaurant.
If you want to enjoy some upscale Yakiniku but can't think of a place to go last minute, Lao Gan Pei is definitely a solid choice!
Food: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
Drinks: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
Atmosphere: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
Service: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘
Price: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
Location: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
⭐️ Food
On that day, I came with a friend, so we ordered the double serving set.
Craft Japanese Wagyu Double Set $4580
👉 Three appetizers: fresh tomato yam noodles, cold mixed tripe, crab meat chawanmushi
For the appetizers, the tomato yam noodles were quite refreshing.
However, since I’m okay with yam, I found it decent—if everyone else enjoys yam, they’ll like it!
I highly recommend the chawanmushi.
Although the portion isn’t large, it’s very substantial.
👉 Japanese Wagyu Sushi
This Wagyu sushi is also a very famous dish from Lao Gan Pei, and I personally recommend it a lot.
Even though each person only gets one piece, the beef on top is grilled to perfection.
It’s very delicious, and I personally really love it!
👉 Chilled Beef Tongue
The beef tongue was well handled, with thin, slightly chewy slices.
It tastes pretty good, okay, okay.
👉 Meat Platters
Next comes a whole set of meat platters, including pork, beef belly, assorted veggies, etc.
This part is more of a premium meat platter, and the staff will specifically come by to grill it for you.
They kindly ask how well you want it cooked and if you have any special requests.
I think the cooking skills of the Lao Gan Pei staff are quite good, and the meat they grilled came out delicious!
If you want it less or more cooked, just inform the staff ahead of time, and they'll take care of it for you!
👉 Wagyu Dumplings
👉 Colorful Crispy Tofu
The dumplings and tofu are more like a transitional dish in terms of flavor.
The dumplings are cute and small, but I found the taste just okay.
As for the tofu, it really offers a flavor transition, giving a sense of a refreshing change.
👉 Japanese Wagyu Steak
Of course, the staff will also come by to help you prepare the Wagyu steak.
I personally thought this steak was quite nice with great quality meat.
After being cooked by the staff, it turned out tender and delicious.
👉 Little Happiness Special Curry
Next, they serve the curry, and it truly lives up to its name: it's really just one bite.
The portion served is quite small—if you want to finish it in one bite, that’s perfectly fine.
But I have to say, it's genuinely quite delicious!
Though it's really just one bite, if they could serve three or four bites, I’d find it even better! 🤣🤣🤣
After all, shouldn’t it be considered a main dish?
👉 Accompanied Tea-Pickled Rice
This rice is also part of the main course, and it has more rice than other parts of the set.
When it arrives, it’s dry white rice with some condiments on top.
Next to it, there are additional toppings you can use as you wish, along with a small bowl of tea for the guests to enjoy with it.
I personally really enjoy this mixed rice!
👉 Handmade Ice Cream
The ice cream is pretty good, but nothing particularly memorable.
After so many oily dishes, it’s nice to have a dessert to help cleanse the palate!
Extra order:
👉 Japanese Wagyu New York Fried Sandwich $880
I noticed they also have a Wagyu fried sandwich, so of course, I wanted to try it.
However, I was a bit disappointed when it arrived.
For this price point, I expected something truly impressive.
Unfortunately, it didn’t stand out from Wagyu fried sandwiches from other Japanese restaurants.
The beef didn’t have a special texture combined with the sandwich.
So, if you’re thinking about ordering this, from my perspective, I wouldn’t recommend it. 🤣🤣🤣
Overall, I was quite satisfied with the food.
The quality of the meat and the cooking methods are good because the staff grilled it for us.
It’s definitely tastier than if someone inexperienced like me were to grill it!
Whether it’s about the meat quality or the overall presentation, I think it’s of quite high caliber!
And the portions are generous.
If you ordered the double-serving set with a friend, you might find yourself quite full by the end!
One thing I think is a bit unfortunate is that at the beginning, the flavors were quite stunning.
But as you keep eating, you might start to feel a bit fatigued.
Although the later meat quality and taste are still great, you might just feel a bit overwhelmed.
So it may also require a sense of flavor transition; even though the meat is delicious, you might experience taste fatigue! 🤣🤣🤣
⭐️ Drinks
The set menu also includes a drink, which can be upgraded to alcoholic beverages at an extra cost.
I remember the drinks here being quite good, switching to other alcoholic beverages or sparkling drinks feels quite satisfying!
⭐️ Service
Since this is quite a high-end Yakiniku restaurant, table service is included.
The staff is very attentive, grilling according to different types of meat and asking about any special preferences beforehand, like how well you want it cooked.
I believe they've received professional training because the quality and flavor of the grilled meat were quite good!
Each time a type of meat was served, they also took the time to explain the dish or suggest how to enjoy it.
So overall, I found the service to be very good—well looked after!
However, if you and your friends are in a hurry to chat, discussing more private topics might end up being overheard by the staff.
Sometimes the staff might even chuckle! 🤣🤣🤣
⭐️ Atmosphere
This Yakiniku restaurant gives off a very glamorous vibe.
The space is quite large, and there are also seating areas with sofas.
I’ve been here two or three times, and every time it felt quite comfortable.
The overall atmosphere is also nice, and there isn't a strong smoke smell after eating, which is a great plus!
⭐️ Price
For typical high-end Yakiniku restaurants, the prices are slightly higher.
But I personally think their quality is quite stable, positioning itself in my book as a reasonably priced safe option.
You definitely won't regret coming here!
You can fill up quite well at this price, but if you’re looking for something even more impressive at this price point, that’s also an option.
⭐️ Location
Because this restaurant is located on the upper floor of a department store in the Xinyi area, it has a very good location.
It’s perfect for stopping by after a movie or shopping, making reservations for a great dinner!
So regarding location, I find it wonderful!
It’s great for transitioning from other activities to continue your date here for a meal and maybe head for drinks later!
⭐️ To sum up
I think this place serves as a very safe and reliable mid-to-high price Yakiniku restaurant.
It’s suitable for multiple visits, even if the menu is somewhat fixed.
The flavors, taste, and atmosphere are all great.
So if you suddenly feel like having Yakiniku and need a place to gather with friends in a mid-high price range, and can’t think of a good option last minute, then I think you should definitely come here!
After all, the food is good and the atmosphere is nice—there’s really not much to complain about at this price!
🤪 Dixon’s Mouthpiece Zone 🤪
When the Mid-Autumn Festival comes, and you’re not sure what Yakiniku to have with your girl,
those Yakiniku places outside can be very expensive, while the ordinary ones might just be too casual.
So I think you should consider Lao Gan Pei!
After all, it’s a well-known brand with stable quality.
We just want to have a smooth and pleasant Mid-Autumn Festival, and Yakiniku is a must-eat.
So why not head to Lao Gan Pei for a relaxing meal?
Yakiniku is just part of the process;
the date for the Mid-Autumn Festival is the main focus!
During the Mid-Autumn holiday, why not catch a movie in the Xinyi area first?
Then, hang out nearby, enjoy the air conditioning, and do some shopping.
We’ve already made a reservation at Lao Gan Pei.
In the evening, we can take the girl out for Yakiniku, and later, we could go to nearby bars for a couple of drinks.
Or we can go to an outdoor bar and watch the moon in the sky.
Look at this quality date itinerary!
Isn’t it bound to bring us closer to the girl? 😍😍😍😍
Dixon’s Mouthpiece Zone, see you next time! 🥰