Lotus Royal sur Epinal

13/02/2026: One of two Chinese restaurants in Épinal. Relatively high prices. Cuisine is more Southeast Asian than Chinese. The welcome was friendly but unorganized. I went there at noon on Friday and there were about seven tables of customers in total, divided between two waitresses. No one noticed me when I entered, and it was up to me to call out to a waitress and ask for a table. Once seated, I was left for about five minutes before being given a standard menu, the prices of which are even higher than in the Paris region. That is to say, by Épinal standards, it's really, really expensive. I asked for the daily special, and another five minutes passed before I got the correct menu. I ordered a three-course lunch deal for €18. The starter and dessert were good. For my starter, the noodles with chicken, the soup was umami, and the chicken was tender. For my dessert, the coconut pearls, the sticky rice was well-cooked, and the coconut shavings were quite authentic. On the other hand, my main course, the chicken curry, was a bit disappointing. The vegetables were fresh and the chicken was always tender, but the curry was very diluted and almost tasteless. The Cantonese rice was already lukewarm when served: probably prepared well in advance. For the same menu and quality of food, I pay around €15 in the Paris region. The price is therefore still a bit high in comparison. When I say the service was disorganized, it's not just the wait time, but also the accuracy of the order. After my main course, they forgot what I had for dessert, and they asked me if I wanted apple fritters or pineapple fritters for dessert. I actually ordered pearls! In addition, for some reason, it was really difficult to get a carafe of water from them. When I ordered, I asked for a carafe of water, but it wasn't served until my second request during dessert. The waitresses were well-intentioned. We exchanged a few words between courses, and they were quite friendly. One waitress doesn't understand French well, so she was a little nervous, but she remained pleasant. However, they really need to get organized. I worked in restaurants for years myself, most of the time I occupied 5-6 tables, doing better than them with 3.5 tables per waitress. I always gave out menus and carafes of water within a minute of the customers being seated. It was also really rare that I forgot the orders.

08/01/2026: The duck breast was boiled, not good. The pineapple wasn't deglazed, just peeled = tough meat, sweet like jam.