Tribeca Citizen | New Kid on the Block: Upon the Palace

New Kid on the Block: Upon the Palace

December 13, 2024 • Community News, Restaurant/Bar News

There’s been a lot of restaurant news lately! Trying to catch up to Forge, to Casa and this: Upon The Palace, the highly anticipated (at least for us locals) Chinese restaurant that opened in early November in the former Salaam Bombay space on Greenwich.

It is absolutely worth a visit, and as many commenters have already noted, don’t be put off by the prices on the menu — or its Greek-diner proportions. There’s a big range in both price and offerings, including sushi and dim sum.

The space — 7000 square feet on two floors, with 90 seats in the dining room and a lounge on the lower level (I will go back for that) — was completely gutted and made much warmer than what you may be picturing from years ago. The walls are largely hand-carved wood and the upholstery is red, of course, with deep booths on the north side and two bars near the front. (Ask for the booth farther from the kitchen.) Plus there is plenty of space — the tables are almost *too* far apart, if that’s a thing. We were there on a Tuesday in mid-November, and there was a good crowd and a nice buzz.

The head chef is Xueliang Yu, who formerly ran the kitchen for Uluh, the “sleeper hit teahouse” on the Lower East Side. There’s a stir-fried 1.5-pound whole lobster ($68), grilled sea bass with brown sauce ($42), pan-seared foie gras with roasted pineapple ($32), and the more typical dishes you’d expect: sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, Peking duck. They will add an ounce of caviar to any dish for $18.

I would go back for my sizzling tofu with mixed vegetables, especially for the $20 price. It’s not a rare treat, but it’s reliable. (But I hope they will stop serving it on the cast iron cow plate — I am not a vegetarian but that still turned me off.) I would leave the rock shrimp tempura to Nobu, but definitely add in the cucumber salad, the crispy golden rice balls and the walnut prawns.

They also serve a selection of baijiu, the distilled Chinese liquor, including one that is reportedly hard to get your hands on: Maotai. The “Below The Place” speakeasy downstairs is open Wednesday through Sundays, and they have plans for live jazz.

While I still don’t get the grammar of “upon,” the palace refers to the Epang Palace in Xi’an, from the Qin Dynasty. And the restaurant is part of a group run by restaurateur Li Du Fan — Mogao Hospitality — which also includes Uncle Ted’s Chinese Cuisine and Bar in the Village; The Corner Chinese Cuisine in Hell’s Kitchen; Pekin Pavilion in Monmouth County; and the corporate dining for the branch of Bank of China in Bryant Park.