Dim sum at Dynasty Seafood on Story Rd.

I went to Dynasty Seafood on Story Rd for dim sum and was very disappointed with what I found. The place has continued to slide downhill. I had been going to the other Dynasty Seafood in Cupertino and found it better overall, but not really that good. So, I was not sure what I would find when I returned to the Story Rd location.

What I found was not to my liking. Here's my story of tea and woe. They let a very few Mexican guys act as almost waiters ie bring tea. The nice Mexican waiter asked me which tea would I like to drink. I asked for Pu erh which is Po lay in Cantonese. My bad, I ordered using a Mandarin word in a Cantonese restaurant. I did so because that's what most people call it. Pu erh just happens to be po lay also. The Mexican waiter and the Mexican busboy had no idea what I was talking about so I had a Chinese waiter intercede, and she explained the difference. The Mexican waiter got it, he seemed like a sharp guy. He then told the Mexican bus boy to get the tea, and this guy didn't seem as bright and he promptly brought me a steaming pot of...Jasmine tea. Now, I don't mind Jasmine for sipping, but when I'm eating I find it too floral and prefer Oolong or Pu erh with my dim sum. Fine. Me being the non-confrontational guy that I am just went with the flow and did not complain. Later I had a mini conversation with the Mexican waiter and he asked about the tea and the differences in the name, I explained and mentioned that this was really Jasmine, but that Pu erh was a fine tea. He then opened the pot and confirmed that despite our opening conversation the other guy had brought Jasmine tea, and offered to replace the tea. I declined, while a bit irked, didn't mind too much. He then spoke to the busboy in Spanish and asked about the tea and the guy just gave a sheepish shrug.

Oh, what about the dim sum? Well, it sucked. To be fair I came late, about 1:30pm, so the fresh stuff was gone. Still, it sucked even for dim sum that had been in the cart for a while. The flavors were not that great and all of the dim sum was just the regular stuff you always see. The restaurant really should rotate out the stuff that gets soggy and bring in fresh food. Despite the late hour the place had a large crowd, well worth the money to maintain some level of quality. Right? I mean, I'm not going back and I eat dim sum all of the time.

Water? Yes and this place generally has decent service, but I didn't get a refill. No water refills. Actually, I am always shocked when I get a waiter who conscientiously refills my water. It's worth a big tip from me.

So what's the verdict? Dynasty Seafood on Story is bad and getting worse. I would avoid the place unless you are in the area and are really Jonesing for some dim sum and you don't have a car that will take you across town to a much better place.