Mandarin Y.
Yelp
Came here on a weekday, I've never been before, so I was excited to get some breakfast food for lunch. The atmosphere had a cool retro vibe, a throw-back to the 80s, and had a fun, kitschy decor.
We ordered the breakfast curds to share, and I ordered the chicken fried steak as my main (with scrambled eggs, hashbrown, wheat toast, gravy on the side). The curds were pretty tasty, they had bacon in it, and it was served with a side of maple syrup. I'm not a fan of the whole sweet and salty combo, but the curds were still good on their own.
I wish I enjoyed the chicken fried steak as much as the curds though. First off, I asked for gravy on the side, but my plate came with gravy already slathered on my steak. I was willing to overlook this mistake because the presentation looked very appetizing, and I was ready to eat. Unfortunately, the steak and gravy were bland, both lacked any seasoning. The breading was way too thick for a chicken fried steak. The steak inside was a bit grisly as well, which in addition to the thick batter made it very hard to cut and eat. The steak was so dense I couldn't even finish it. My scrambled eggs were overcooked and flat, almost crepe-like. It was as if they poured the beaten egg onto a flat top griddle and didn't even bother to scramble the eggs as they were cooking. The hashbrowns and toast were standard, nothing special.
The service was casual but very friendly and portion sizes were generous. Because this place is located in downtown, you will need to find street or public parking. Weekends can get crowded, so it is best to come during the week to avoid long wait times. Overall, my experience was okay, ambiance and service were good, but food was mediocre at best.