Lapple

We have been wanting to try out Lapple for a while based on reviews from friends. It was wonferful! The food was delicious and our waitress was super sweet. We split dumplings, the fragrance chicken hot pot, and general tso’s chicken (wanted to try a variety). The spice in the fragrance chicken slowly builds up with each bite, but the flavor makes it worth the heat. The last thing on my mind was the interior once the food arrived. We will definitely be back.

I had high hopes for this restaurant as an «authentic Chinese» place. It is authentic, just not very well prepared. They were out of a lot of things I wanted but most disappointing was the mapo tofu – which was a watery flavorless mess. The bokchoy in garlic sauce could have been good but they overlooked the vegetable to the point that it was pile of sloppy mush by the time it hit your mouth. I prefer my bokchoy to have a slight crunchy texture to it (you know, so you know you’re eating a vegetable and not applesauce). My boyfriend ordered the fragrance chicken. He had no complaints and said it had a nice hefty kick to it. So props to them for the spicy chicken. I plan to go back to at least try the dried fried green beans and maybe a hot pot dish. But overall, disappointed.
Oh, the other plus they had was that they have a Vegan Menu. So, kudos there.

We got the fragrance chicken & asked for them to tone the spiciness down. Had we not done that I believe the dish would have been unenjoyable.
All said and done it was still too spicy but it was so delicious that we ate through it.

Really authentic Szechuan food. It’s a small place so it’s hard to find a good table during dinner time

Sigh. I want to like it more. I really do. But each time I’ve ordered from here for takeout it has been mediocre. Portions are small for the money and, though the taste is good, isn’t anything that stands out. Waiting for something on the menu to convince me otherwise… But have already tried six dishes. Also, the rice in the take-​out boxes was only halfway full. Don’t skimp on the rice, please.

I usually just order General Tzo from Chinese places, but the menu was different than most Americanized Chinese food. So glad I didn’t order the General Tzo, I instead opted for the «bloody henry» it was BOMB. Spicy deliciousness, with some wood ear mushrooms. The steamed rice was perfect when I need to cool down the heat of the dish. It was so good. I’m salivating just thinking about their food.
If you want Chinese food in Richmond lots of options where you can get traditional American Chinese food. I would recommend you venture away from those choices when you are at Lapple. Be adventurous try the Fragrance Chicken, Cumin Vegetable or any of their Hot Pots.

Wow, this food is delicious! We started with Green Tea, Fried Eggplant, Spring Rolls and Crispy Tofu (I don’t know the exact name of the menu items). They were all so good! Our entrees were General Tso’s Tofu, Orange Tofu, Lo Mein, Crispy Green Beans and the Mushroom pot. Excellent! The restaurant is clean and they make you feel very welcome. I’m glad we decided against the lower star places that deliver and ventured out of our hotel to eat. (I hope they decide to expand to delivery soon!). The area the restaurant is in is quaint to walk around and there is a parking garage on the next block. We highly recommend this place!

Woah!!! One word: DELICIOUS. Just tried lapple for the first time and I have to say it is not only the tastiest but also the most authentic Chinese food I have eaten in the city. I got the fragrance chicken and my boyfriend got a dish called the «bloody Henry» both were yummy and fresh tasting. Be wary though because they certainly know how to bring the heat, both of us broke a sweat and were sniffly on the walk home from the chilis and jalapeños. So worth it, can’t wait to come back.

Lapple is hands-​down, THE best asian restaurant in Richmond. The owners are so kind and enthusiastic about having their own restaurant, and it really shows in their cooking and service. Their tofu is cooked perfectly, and the eggplant in garlic sauce is melt-​in-​your-​mouth amazing. The prices are pretty reasonable, too.
I prefer take out, as the ambience could definitely use some improvement – it’s pretty run-​down. While I’d like to see them improve the physical building, I’m glad that they’re focusing on the food more, rather than what their restaurant looks like.
I’m a bit confused on their hours, because when I tried ordering take out a few times, they never picked up, but I’m sure this will improve as they continue to grow and improve their business.

I usually think Thai food is much more interesting and tasty than Chinese, but wow! is the food good here. Others have praised the spicy fried eggplant appetizer, and I concur. Their Sour and Spicy Napa Cabbage is something I normally would skip right over on a menu, but the waitress recommended it, and I’m glad I accepted. Delicious and not like any taste I’ve ever had.
The dining area could seriously use a make-​over, but when your food comes you won’t look past your dinner plate. Service was cheerful in spite of a *very* busy Christmas day crowd.

WOW. Our experience at this restaurant was amazing. We came upon the reviews when we were 2 hours away & already hungry. We decided to hold out & try this new Szechuan joint in Richmond.
When we walked up, there was lots of construction going on just outside the door, and the «open» sign was off. The construction worker tried to open the door for us, but it was locked — and we were so disappointed. Then, the construction worker said, «Wait, someone is in there,» and Apple came to the door, opened it, and said to come on in. We explained that we had discovered them on Unilocal,and were so excited to try their food. They opened the restaurant for us!
We ordered the hot & numbing deep fried eggplant as an appetizer. DELICIOUS. The eggplant was cut in small pieces, and was extra crispy on the outside; soft & silky on the inside. The flavor was intense and well-​balanced — not too salty, not too spicy (although we LOVE heat). The scallions & crunchy chili pepper pieces were perfect.
We ordered the Lapple Combination Hot Pot as our meal to share, which was the perfect amount of food for the two of us. It came with white rice, and featured chicken, beef, shrimp, fish (our favorite), baby bok choy, cabbage, wood ear mushroom, snap peas, broccoli, and white mushroom in a perfectly spicy/​sweet/​tangy/​savory broth. We devoured every morsel.
To top it off, the service was fantastic. Apple and Adrian just had a baby. They are working so hard at their new restaurant, and it shows. Apple apologized for the décor, which we read about in the reviews prior to getting there, but we agreed that the food speaks for itself. Eventually they will be able to update, but for now, it’s not necessary.
As touring musicians, we will be back every time we come through Richmond. So much heart in this little place! Yum!

Delicious authentic Chinese good, love it! It’s small, but the young couple owns the restaurant are super friendly. Will eat there again next in town.

Certainly better than average Chinese.
No ambiance but quite decent food.
Would definitely go back.

So after reading the reviews about this place I have to say I was a little disappointed. It turned out that is was pretty much the norm. Except the portion was a little small in my opinion for $ 8.99 at lunch. (On line site says only 7.50 for chicken)
I ordered the kung pao chicken. Good flavor, not to spicy but not the best in town. The young woman that took my order was very friendly and helpful. Other than that it was your basic Chinese take out. Not to mention trying to find parking and then paying for it didn’t help the experience.

Fantastic! And after living in China for 3 years our family was delighted to get a taste of authentic Chinese food. So thankful to have found this gem!
Everything was good (and spicy) but we loved the fragrance chicken and the cumin beef.

If this place were close to me I would probably get takeout from here every day. Seriously, the food here is authentic, unique, and downright delicious. It’s so flavorful that you wonder how they pack all of that in 1 bite.
I got the fried eggplant app and the fragrance chicken. The fried eggplant was so heavenly — tender chunks of eggplant lightly battered and fried with five spice flavors and spicy red peppers. It was absolute perfection. The fragrance chicken makes mama very, VERY happy. It’s a huge portion-​like you’d have to have a gargantuan appetite to finish. It’s spicy, savory, rich, chunky — just wow! It transports you to the heart of the Szechuan province in China. You’d never expect such an innovative dish found on a corner in richmond near VCU.
Coming to a random chinese restaurant in Richmond was such a great decision. I’m definitely addicted to this place. Thank you for restoring my faith in Szechuan cuisine. Do yourself a favor and get there right now.
Tips: they are fixing their AC, so it can get really hot in there. But it’s seriously worth it!!!

I had two friends visiting from Taiwan so I decided to bring them along to try a new restaurant as I had wanted to try Lapple ever since I heard about it during the last international supper club meeting at Peter Chang. It is located in the heart of the VCU undergrad campus near several dormitories.
The interior is somewhat small and very basic. It does look a little worn, but acceptable. The waiter was friendly and conversed with us in Mandarin. He recommended a chicken salad appetizer, and we also ordered two hotpots (fragrance chicken and cumin beef). We thought one of the hotpots at least might be wet/​with broth, but they were both dry pots. Also, even though the dishes came in hotpots, the fire at the center was lit in neither of the two pots, so the container was really more for show in this case.
The chicken salad appetizer was pleasantly tart and had some nice chopped chilies tossed in. The two hotpot dishes were tasty and paired well with our steamed white rice. One of my friends wasn’t a fan of the cumin beef dish, but that was just a matter of personal taste; the other friend and I enjoyed it.
Overall, I had a pretty good meal and the food here is generally more authentic than the Americanized Chinese offerings in this part of Richmond, although prices were moderate and the menu isn’t all that big. I think my expectations might have been a little too high based on how much another Unilocaler raved about this place during the international supper club meal, but I would still consider returning to try some other dishes.

Very big disappointment, while looking at their ratings as a five star restaurant. My husband and I was looking for good food at downtown Richmond, caught our eyes on this authentic Szechuan cuisine.
First of all, if you are looking for anything authentic, you will have real disappointment like we are. This place is a dump, the server told us that they have been opened for four months and they do not even have the AC installed. (Today is 95 degrees and my sweat is definitely from the heat inside the restaurant, not the spices in the dishes)
Oh the restrooms, i wanted to have my hands washed before meal, I couldn’t find the restrooms, asked the server to lead the way, ah-​ha… He led me to the very end of the hallway, after two turns, and there is a «employee only» sign on the left, and completely darkness on the right, Mr. Server turned the light on and there they are — the restrooms… «The women sign» fell and he has to pick it up, sticks that back on the wall. (I do find that hilarious at first)
Onto the foods, I could not possibly label them as authentic like other customers, they are somewhat Americanized. To be honest, I believe the chef /​owner can be a better chef in good authentic Chinese food, just too afraid the general public (aka college students) would not like it.
After all, they locate around VCU, they target college students as customer base, perhaps that could come in some take out business when school starts.
Nevertheless, fix the AC and at least please try to make the place look decent and clean.

Lapple may be in need for a serious face lift, but they are cranking out some seriously delicious food. Everything we ordered was very fresh, flavorful and spicy (which I am sure they will tone down if requested). My boyfriend and I tried 2 of their appetizers and shared the fragrance chicken. The fried eggplant app is downright addicting – biting into crispy exterior immediately exposes the melt-​in-​your-​mouth center and the peppers added just enough heat. The lemon chicken salad was pretty good as well. It was very fresh but was a little on the watery side which made us wish that it came with rice or something to help sop up the extra liquid. The fragrance chicken had a very unique flavor in terms of what I’m used to for Chinese. It was almost curry-​like in flavor but nonetheless very good.
What makes this place really special is its owners. The wife genuinely wants everyone to love the food as much as she does. She spent the time explaining to us how the flavors in many of their dishes were unique to her provence in China and how she and her husband wanted to represent it in the best way that they could.
Don’t let the look of the restaurant sway you away from trying this place out. Lapple is definitely the spot for fresh and truly authentic Szechuan cuisine. They do serve some the «typical» Chinese takeout dishes which I think I shall try next time I visit so I can taste how they put their Lapple spin on them.

This is in the former Panda Garden spot.
The chefs had worked at Peter Chang’s and can definitely see the influence and it’s hard not to compare it to that restaurant.
The food to me was really good and I appreciated the waitress’s recommendations. We tried the combo hot pot, fragrance chicken, and the beef and onions. Friends I went with really liked the hot pot and said the fish was really good. The fragrance chicken had a lot of flavor and was not too too spicy (still drank a lot of water). The beef and onions was tender and good although not as full of flavor as the other dishes. We also had the fried eggplant which was cut in small cubes making it different than the one at Peter Chang’s but tasted about the same (i.e. delicious fried spiciness).
Peter Chang’s is not that «nice» of a place but unfortunately Lapple makes it look like a 4 star restaurant. The door was open and there was no A/​C (looks like there was a unit on the ground so hopefully it will be fixed soon) and thus flies were going around. My friends with a child did not seem to pleased but we stayed for the food. The place in generally is not that clean and I’m pretty ok with hole in the wall places but it may detract from pretty good food. This is something they can definitely work on. Also place is not that big maybe 8 tables.
The food was 4.5
The place was 2