Damien J.
Yelp
When I lived in the New Orleans Westbank, this place is very popular when it comes to Chinese food. My girlfriend and her family live near where they can order takeout if not choosing to dining in. Even when we moved to Virginia, we would stop by during each Christmas visit and eat there and most of the time the food was top notch from service to quality. This visit however posed a big difference.
As like many restaurants across the country, they're doing strictly takeout due to the pandemic. Upon entering inside the building, they have signs requiring face masks and hand sanitizer stations. Also, the entrance to the dining area is blocked by chairs. So, we would have to go on the right side of the bar to pick up your order. There were a bunch of orders showing that the community was still supporting the business. One sign on the door says 5 people can enter at a time. When we got there, it was slightly more than 5 people, even though they were wearing masks. And it looked like there was some confusion with one of the orders that was placed by another party where they requested for a refund (another story).
Once we picked up our orders, we headed back to my girlfriend's childhood home. Now remember when I said the food was top notch? Well, not this time. I ordered a boneless chicken combination lunch plate (all-white meat) with fried rice, veggies and an egg roll. Unfortunately, the chicken didn't have much flavor. The fried rice was light in texture and color, was bland and the shrimp looked like it was processed rather than shrimp you would see straight off the Gulf of Mexico. The egg roll itself was more like a kitchen sink with veggies, meat and gravy mixed inside, which was odd. On every visit, my meal would be so big that I would save the rest for later on in the night or the next day. But I ended up throwing it all away :(
As for China Doll, I'm sure they are struggling mightily during the pandemic. The reason for the quality of the food is maybe the result of vendors not being able to supply the usual fare which might have them 'cutting corners' just to get food out to their usual customers. Again, just speculation, not fact. I just hope that once this pandemic clears up, they'll be able to function on a normal basis. And we'll be there to support them as much as we can.