Philippe - A New Restaurant in West Hollywood - 8284 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Prominent chef Philippe Chow (of Mr. Chow fame) has opened a new restaurant on trendy Melrose Ave in the space previously occupied by Aston Kutcher's Dolce Restaurant. The newly decorated space is stark black & white accented with red booths and bar stools. The menu is Chinese cuisine, similar to the Phillipe restaurants in Manhattan and Miami.

So after reading the great reviews for Philippe's newest restaurant we were expecting an extra special dinner .... Instead we had a very ordinary meal and an extraordinarily large bill.

We started with Shrimp Toast which was totally bland, and Chicken Lettuce Wraps which were uninspired and tasteless. We tried the Crispy Beef which apart from a tangy sauce, could have been anything in fried batter. The Green Shrimp was equally unexciting. The Dessert Tray was unimpressive and appeared tired.

For a fraction of the bill, takeouts from PF Chang's would have been far more satisfying!

In my opinion this place won't survive unless the quality of food improves substantially to justify the high priced menu.