Critic's Review
I've heard a lot of banter about this place, so I scheduled a rendezvous here to check it out. There's not a lot of info about it, just some of those questionable "user" reviews. Being from New York its difficult to find good chinese down here, so even though its a bit out of range I figured it was worthy of a try
The first impression is that its a very drab place; from the outside it almost looks closed and the pink vinyl booths on the inside aren't much more impressive. They bring over a menu that's a laminated piece of paper and the waitress asks us if we're ready to order about 15 seconds after receiving them. I order some steamed dumplings, because I always do, and we check out the menu.
The lunch menu is very concise; they have specials which are a pretty good deal; you get soup, an egg roll, white or fried rice and about 10 choices of entrees for $5.95 to $7.95. My companion is peanut intolerant so of course I order the cashew chicken; she goes for the shrimp with lobster. For an extra $.50 I get the hot and sour soup and she the wonton.
The dumplings are a bad start; they are doughy and wet, as if there were boiled instead of steamed. The soggy fare also lacks any sort of taste; just a waste of calories.
The soups are both good; why these wontons are so big and firm are a mystery. The hot and sour is loaded with the right stuff; its not that hot or sour but its pretty good. The shrimp with lobster includes 4 extra large shrimp, a nice change from the smaller shrimp that are usually served in chinese restaurants. The cashew chicken is loaded with cashews, mushrooms and strips of chicken; the dish gets an A while the uninteresting fried rice, served with a scoop, gets a C. The egg roll is small and just a few bites, but pretty good.
Overall, its a mixed bag, some good items and some not so good. Not atypical for south florida chinese. Its not half bad; but its only half good. And how authentic can a restaurant that doesn't even offer chopsticks be anyway?