Terry P.
Yelp
My first impressions upon arrival of this fairly new restaurant: friendly, accommodating service. I was able to see the daily specials on a chalkboard near the entrance, then instructed to sit wherever I wanted. Since they had strategically placed an artistic screen between the seating area and the entrance to the kitchen where the serving station was, I chose a cozy table behind the screen. I was given both a lunch and all-day menu, and my server was more than happy to describe dishes in detail , offer suggestions, and help me with my choices. She did not rush me, which I appreciated, but nonetheless checked on me periodically. Knowing I would end up with leftovers to take home, I ordered the Kung Pao Chicken and the Sautéed Eggplant with Basil. I LOVED the fact that on the lunches they allow you to choose 2 of 3 options as your "sides": egg roll, hot &sour soup, or egg drop soup. As I'm a soup-a-holic I chose both soups. Unfortunately they do not give you a rice option so all lunch specials come with STEAMED rice, not fried. I'm sure there's some sort of an up charge for fried if you'd like, but I overlooked that until too late.
The Kung Pao was delicious and had all the veggies I like, beautiful and glistening in chunk form with white meat chicken. Carrots, green bell pepper, celery, peanuts...It was delicately balanced so it needed no soy sauce, and obviously served with love in both preparation and gorgeous presentation, plus (after discussion with my server) they gave me a side of chili oil in case I wanted to make it spicier. I saw some Yelp reviews complaining about the dishes being too mild, but the other side of the story is, the chef here is Cantonese so is expert at those types of dishes; hence, the delicate, mild flavors. So...if you are more of a Sichuan or Hunan fan, just ask for that chili oil on the side and you can make your dish as spicy as you wish! But they do, however, get high marks for their fish in hot chili oil, which I'd like to try next.
My eggplant (Asian type) was to die for--perfectly stir fried, not mushy, delicious fresh basil leaves--I would definitely recommend and I will order it again.
The soups I got were good renditions and were good portions so I took them home as well.
I guess my only petty complaint would be that (maybe due to Covid concerns?) they had their sweet 'n sour and hot mustard in packets on the table instead of house-made versions. With the quality of ingredients in their dishes I feel that they should rethink this strategy, along with the practice of closing mid-afternoon, because I guarantee that's the time that I finally get around to ordering lunch! Please stay open, at least for take-out and delivery orders!
I would definitely recommend this place, especially if you are looking for traditional Chinese dishes (think intestines, pickled mustard greens, pigs' feet, etc.) and not just the Americanized versions that we see everywhere. In this regard I think that they could give Asia Cafe a good run for their money, although their menu is not as extensive nor portions quite as giant. But the quality of ingredients, delicate balance of flavors, and care of both preparation and presentation are obvious in each dish that they serve.