Microsoft Cafe 9

Redesigned, looking nice but it’s not great value for money. Mediocre at best for a fast food type food options. Prices should be reduced and quality need to go up

Ah, yes — another one of my favorite spots on campus. The lovely Café 9.
Like a lot of the great cafes on campus, Café 9 has a lot to offer. There’s Indian food, a delicatessen and other places.
But above all… There’s the dim sum kitchen. The beauty of this is that it’s SO QUICK. I got my order in probably a minute.
Portions are pretty good. You’ll want to share in true dim sum style :) Food is tasty too. I may avoid the vegetable meatballs for next time, but everything else — the mushroom shrimp, dumplings, honey BBQ ribs — was great!

Having read the reviews about this Microsoft café offering dim sum piqued my interest in checking it out. I have a couple good cafes down the street from my building, but I decided to drive up the street to the main campus to Café 9 to see what they have to offer.
I recall visiting this café a long time ago and based on what I see, it is clear that this is one of the cafes was renovated recently. In front is a cashless convenience store in which you find snack offerings and quick meals to go.
The rest of the café is filled with plenty of meal options for your picking. They have a coffee bar, a deli sandwich counter and a Neapolitan pizza station to name just a few options. But the main attraction for me is their Chinese food station.
The Chinese food station is divided into two parts. On the left side you will find fried noodles and noodle soups which use fresh noodles that are made in-​house. The other side is filled with dim sum and Chinese appetizers which could combined to be made into a meal.
I have worked at MS for many years and found the Asian offerings at the cafes to be underwhelming. Until now. I have ordered chow mein here a couple times and it is really good. Restaurant quality for sure and the price is cheaper than what you would pay outside. The noodle line tends to be long, so make sure to get here early. And if you need to order from another station, put your order at this station in first.
As for the dim sum, I thought it was decent but not as good as the noodles. But it is authentic in that they use steamers. Selection is limited. I wish they would serve XLB. The gyoza here is alright, though a little tiny. I would recommend the salt & pepper prawns here which are served fresh off the wok. Though it could have used a mayo sauce on the side.
And I thought it was surprising that they sell egg tarts here. They are cheap at 75 cents each. It seems like they are refrigerated before serving, but it tasted how it should.
If you are looking for Chinese food on the Microsoft campus, I would recommend Café 9. The noodles in particular standout.

In context to the other Microsoft café’s the sandwich counter here is pretty good. The ingredients are fresh and you can get foot long that are either cold or toasted. I’ve not checked the rest of the counters in this café, but from the crowd this one is pulling customers from the other cafes.

I love the dim sum counter! And the dumplings are actually decent! It’s no Din Tai Fung, but it sure hits the spot when a dumpling craving arises!
This place can get busy, messy and confusing, so try to get there before noon.