Louise L.
Yelp
As a Jax native, I've had my fair share of visits to this strip mall throughout my childhood. It used to house one of the last Jax Blockbusters and the dying Food Lion grocery store. When I learned this restaurant was tucked away in the same strip, I felt a wave of nostalgia mixed with skepticism about its quality.
My brother and I went anyway, and we were super surprised by how packed this tiny place was! Despite the crowd, we were immediately greeted by two young men who cleaned off a table as soon as one became available. The menu was a paper checklist, and we marked our choices with a pencil (like a sushi menu but for the whole of offerings). I tend to avoid sodas because I find soda guns unclean and fountain sodas prone to bacteria, but they offered canned soda, so I got a little treat and it was refreshing to have the option.
The whole restaurant was being run by just the two young employees, who couldn't have been older than 18. There was a whole bunch of cooks in the back, barely covered by a curtain, but they never left the back. The two handled everything from serving to bussing and hosting, and they did a great job! Because of the heavy foot traffic and the small staff, there were moments when we felt a bit neglected, but we obviously were understanding. And, whenever they did attend to us, they were super polite and helpful! SO no complaints!
The food is made fresh, so we waited about 30-45 minutes after placing our order, but it was well worth the wait. We had come specifically for the cute buns, and they were amaze-balls! They were much sweeter than other taro and red bean buns I've tried, but still soooo delicious. I'd recommend getting multiple savory items along with the buns, as the sweetness can be a bit overwhelming. My brother ordered a bowl of fried rice and pork dumplings (not pictured), which he said were to die for.
All in all, our meal cost us about $20, which included 4 buns, 4 shrimp dumplings, 4 pork dumplings, and a HUGE bowl of fried rice! In today's economy? YES PLEASE! This small, clearly popular restaurant offers fresh food, great service, and a cozy setting that's sure to impress! 10/10 would recommend and so excited to go back!! :)