Milpitas Buffet

Location: Milpitas, CA
Cuisine type: Chinese, Japanese, other? buffet
Atmosphere: cafeteria style, ultra-casual
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 6.5

Nina

Finding ourselves in an impasse and looking for an easy to access, easy to please place, our eyes fell on one of the most recently received bulk coupons in the mail - Milpitas Buffet. It promised an incredible variety of dishes for a more than enticing price, and honestly I wasn’t expecting anything more impressive than the common run of the mill Chinese fast food buffet.

The array of options was indeed impressive - everything from a section of seafood (giant raw oysters, mussels, conch, crab legs, shrimp), to another dedicated to dim sum (a wide variety of dumplings and steamed buns), a couple of rows with classic Chinese buffet options (think General Tso’s chicken, beef and broccoli, sauteed mushrooms etc), an array of Japanese fast food selections (teriyaki chicken, satay skewers, sushi rolls and nigiri), and finally quite a few desserts (puddings, cakes, fried options and fruit). The quality of the food was by no means impressive, which was not surprising for the cost of the meal. The meat was often chewy or dry, the seasoning was a little off (often on the side of too salty), and the ingredients were not the epitome of freshness. All in all, it was a classic example of an experience that sounds pretty impressive from afar but does not deliver in quality and execution.

In the end, I would definitely choose to pay more for a more focused and satisfying meal than to repeat this experience and be left with an overstuffed and unsettled stomach.

Food	4
Drinks	5
Atmosphere	5
Service	7
Value	8

Ben

I’ve been to many Chinese buffets around the U.S., but I’ve never been to one this large / impressive. As we basically stumbled upon it and it is likely one of many, it opened my eyes that I am a major newbie to the magnitude of Chinese buffets in the Milpitas area. To me, the buffet appeared to have everything one could think of: starting classic chinese dishes (pork, shrimp, halibut, chicken, beef … in various sauces), mussels, oysters raw and cooked, crab legs, an aisle with 8-10 soups (chinese and japanese), various japanese classics from skewers, a sushi and sashimi bar, snails in shell, octopus, various rolls, dumplings, fruits, even fried chicken, pizza, and ice cream.

Due to a large crowd, most of the food is reasonably fresh. The food was overall pretty decent-tasting for a buffet, particularly with such a large variety. The price was all pretty fair ($12 or so?), so it is a great place to stuff your face or go with a large appetite.

Food	7
Drinks	8
Atmosphere	8
Service	8
Value	9

Yank Sing

Location: San Francisco, CA (near Embarcadero)
Cuisine type: Chinese dim sum
Atmosphere: classic, ceremonious
Meal: brunch
Overall score: 8

Nina

This dim sum place came up in several “best of” lists that I glazed over, and there were only two types of complaints I read about it - one is that it’s quite expensive for the type and quantity of food it serves in each small plate (which I definitely agree with now), and the other that it’s not as authentic as other, more hidden, places (most of which are less accessible for non-Chinese speakers and more broadly to dim sum newbies).
The dining room was starting to fill up as early as 10 am for brunch/lunch, and the seating was at closely packed tables (to the point where two person tables were actually attached, so we ended up sitting right next to another couple for our meal). However, the decor was something to behold. The walls were covered in lush red and gold, there were large mirrors and paintings adorning every vertical surface, and the general atmosphere was one of glamour and celebration. The servers were all dressed up either in classic formal attire or traditional Chinese garb, and were busily milling around with carts loaded with a wide variety of dishes. We decided to forget about the prices and just get the food we wanted, it was our fun day on the town anyway.
We started with shrimp egg rolls, which looked like any other spring rolls on the outside (albeit smaller and with a thin seaweed strip across the middle for easier identification). However, the inside was a juicy and savory shrimp concoction which was a pleasant change of pace from the usual cabbage centric fillings.

Next, we selected a steamer basket with the famous Shanghai dumplings, which are these extremely delicate and light soft dough shells filled with a small pork and shrimp meatball and a small amount of savory broth. That makes them a bit more difficult to eat - you gently pick up a dumpling from the steamer, place it in a ceramic spoon to prevent it from breaking and losing the broth, then add a few fine strands of ginger and a few drops of a vinegar-based soy dipping sauce and then eat it more of less whole, with caution though since the filling is often steaming hot. All the effort is well worth it, this was probably my favorite savory dish of the night.

The only completely mundane dish we picked up was the shrimp and pork shu mai, which was nothing more than a cylindrical, solid dumpling with the usual mild flavor and slightly spongy filling. As a veggie side (so we would appease our conscience to some degree) we picked up green beans dressed with a thick, sweet sauce and sprinkled with small dry shrimp.

I got very excited about a strange looking crab claw dish, which looked like a big breaded and deep fried meatball with an actual crab claw shell sticking out of it. Turns out it was a partially stripped shell (the meat was left dangling from the tips of the claw), which was then covered in a thick fish/shrimp paste meatball, and indeed breaded and deep fried. After working through the thick layer of mildly flavored and not that exciting fish paste, and just as I was looking to pick out the meat from my claw, a waiter snatched away the plate to clean up our table and he was gone in a heartbeat. I complained that the juiciest part of my dish was taken away (and probably more enthusiastically than I normally would after seeing the price on it), and another server promptly replaced it with a brand new crab claw giant meatball, which I appreciated greatly.

The final two meat based dishes were a smal (*very* small) Pekin Duck sandwich - a steamed bun with scallions and hoisin sauce and sticky pekin ribs, which were very juicy and tender short ribs glazed in a sweet and dark sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Our final selection - dessert, of course - was quite possibly the most delightful surprise of the meal. Ben reluctantly agreed to picking out a pair of coconut rolls with a mango filling, but neither of us held much hope for it, probably due to a few too many tasteless, sticky and chewy coconut cream desserts. This one was quite different - the coconut was creamy and light, though it retained some of the gooey chewiness characteristic to the preparation (in just the right amounts, I should add), and the mango cream was also light, soft and bursting with fruity flavor. Overall, a perfect ending to a very meat-centric meal.

Yank Sing is an impressive dim sum place which delivers in flavor and quality, and I would probably return here especially if I was hosting someone with the aim to impress. The price point is a little too high for the authenticity and value of the food, so next time we are on our own I am thinking I might seek out one of the other dim sum gems the city has to offer.

Food	9
Drinks	8
Atmosphere	9
Service	8
Value	6

Ben

This place is almost legendary in downtown SF. It is both extraordinarily popular and extraordinarily authentic (if it’s not broken don’t fix it; they haven’t americanized too much). An upscale dim sum place with a large waiting staff moving around a larger selection of foods, it looks very nice on the inside and out and is flowing with people especially around brunch time. The prices are very high (around $7$15 for a small plate), but for the location, service, and popularity they are fair. I would guess that if I weren’t counting and just eating, I could have easily spent $70-$90 on food for myself.

The Shanghai dumplings are incredible, the peking duck was fantastic, as were the pork and mushroom shu mai (dense dumplings), and the coconut sticky stuffed roll. I did not enjoy the crab claw fish ball (a dense, dry eggy / fishy sponge around a small crab claw, breaded and deep fried). The green beans with baby shrimp was a solid (salty) appetizer. It’s definitely a fun, less intimidating Chinese Dim Sum experience than some other places in town - a Chinese wait staff with generally limited english, but clientele is not a majority Chinese by any means so you won’t stick out for speaking English. The place is relatively upscale for a Chinese restaurant and can have a decent wait time, but is overall an impressive, authentic experience.

Food	8
Drinks	7
Atmosphere	9
Service	9
Value	6

Chef Yu

Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Cuisine type: Chinese
Atmosphere: authentic, family/banquet style seating
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 8.75

Nina

We seeked out this restaurant on the hearty recommendation of a friend who declared this was the single best Chinese place he’s ever tried in the Bay Area. On first impression, it certainly looks more authentic and more welcoming than many other places we’ve tried. The restaurant is composed of two large dining areas with a few small tables and many more large, banquet style round tables (with lazy susans in the middle to facilitate family style sharing). The walls were decorated with mirrors and framed calligraphy scrolls that really gave an authentic feel to the space. When we entered, we were quickly and courteously seated at one of the small tables, and shortly afterwards we got our teapot with green jasmine tea and glasses of water.
I just had to order the Shanghai soup dumplings, and they were definitely worth it. The dough shell of the dumplings was delicate and very thin, to the point where they would break if not picked up gently enough, but that really gave them a lightness that was quite enjoyable. The broth was flavorful and savory with an earthy tone, and the pork meatball inside was tender. At this point we also ordered a carafe of house white wine (Chablis), since it was incredibly cheap. The quality was mediocre, though I wasn’t expecting anything different at $6 for 3-4 glasses of wine, and simply the mild acidity of the wine was a welcome complement to the rich flavors of the meal.

My entree of choice was the Mushu pork, which turned out to be the single most delicious Chinese dish I’ve ever had - and I don’t say that lightly. At a high level, there was nothing too far out of the ordinary about it - a stir-fry of pork, cabbage, egg, carrots and scallions, served with hoisin sauce and thin, tortilla-like wraps (which they called crepes on the menu). However, the balance between the ingredients, the uniformity of the cuts, the textural variety and perfect flavor they achieved in this dish made it just divine. I finished the very last bit of food on that plate, and really enjoyed the crepe and sauce combination with the meat and vegetables.
Going back to the reason why we tried this restaurant, at this point I certainly agree with my friend that this is the best Chinese restaurant I’ve ever tried. I am looking forward to going back to try other dishes to check if this qualifier holds, or I just had a very fortunate experience.

Food 10
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 8
Service 8
Value 9

Ben

This is clearly a favorite among the local Chinese population, and is a giant, multi-room place with probably 50 tables. The whole restaurant is impressive, from the dozens of host/wait staff running around to the elegant walls decorated with a variety of calligraphies and murals. There are lazy suzan seating tables for larger groups, as well as standard tables. For how huge it is (we ate in the entrance room, which was a large room, and just saw the entrance to what appeared to be another large room) it is extraordinary how packed it is. We started out with some shanghai soup dumplings served in the bamboo dumpling steamer. They were fresh and really perfectly made, soft and slightly sticky on the outside - no chewy or rubberiness at all - and a tasty, fresh pork meatball on the inside. Nina and I shared Mushu Pork (pork, cabbage, egg, carrots, scallions) served with thin crepes and hoisin sauce, while I ordered Marni’s Chicken to try out their Szechuan specialty (spicy chicken with scallions, bell peppers, jalapenos and carrots). The mushu pork struck me as a dish I would happily eat every day for lunch.It has a light, airy feel, with all ingredients cut to about the same size and shape and a look almost like a salad, and is a really tasty, crisp, fresh, yet hearty bite with a subtle sauce with just a little acidity and salt ties it all together. It’s really a great dish in its simplicity and much better than it sounds (I don’t know what is hidden in the magic sauce) on paper. The Marni’s chicken was exactly the powerful, spicy kick I was looking for in a reputed Szechuan restaurant, and I absolutely loved it (the portion size was big enough that I had a spicy, delicious start to the next day). I found the cheap table wine (only $6 for a half carafe, about 1.5 glasses each) we purchased to be the absolute perfect wine for the occasion - a white wine (chablis) that would be nothing to rave about on its own, but crisp enough to refresh the palate, and I believe a more refined wine would really be lost next to the intensely spicy food. There’s a reason why this place is such a hit among the local Chinese, it is 100% authentic (looks, feels and tastes like restaurant I went to in Shanghai) and I really enjoyed their food and found the price was good for the quality (Appetizer, 2 entrees, 2 wine tax and tip for ~$45-50).

Food 10
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 8
Service 8
Value 9

Wang's Kitchen

Location: Milpitas, CA
Website: wangskitchenusa.com/
Cuisine type: Chinese Indian fusion
Atmosphere: cafe style seating, open dining room
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 7.5

Nina

We stumbled on this place on its grand opening day - it’s a medium sized restaurant with cafe style seating and glass walls on three sides which identifies itself as a Chinese Indian fusion. There wasn’t a big crowd as one might expect on an opening day, even though they were offering an amazing deal - 50% off the entire bill today and tomorrow to launch their new place. The down side was that with this deal they didn’t offer carryout for these two days, but we were intrigued enough to change plans and eat at the restaurant. The menu seemed more Chinese than Indian, but there were a few dishes that seemed to represent the fusion aspect nicely.
The service still needed some kinks ironed out, as one might expect from a brand new place with new staff. The waiters were a little awkward, there was a guy walking between the tables collecting dishes on a rolling cart that was a bit of an eye sore and also making somewhat arbitrary decisions on what to take and what to leave (he took away my tea cup even though I was still drinking from it, but left the dirty bowls on our table for a little while even though we were done).
My first course was a Lung Fung soup - I ordered a little bowl which was definitely plentiful. It was a garlic creamy soup with mushrooms (which seemed like they might have come from a can, but were still tasty), chicken and egg whites, and garnished with parsley and scallions. The flavor was quite a bit richer than any egg drop soup I’ve had before, and the creamy texture contrasted nicely with the crispy scallions and tender mushrooms.

Even though it took quite a while to get the soup (almost half an hour), my entree came 5 or 10 minutes later, so I had both on the table until I was able to finish the soup. I ordered the Manchurian lamb, which seems to be one of the most representative Chinese Indian fusion flavor profiles. The dish, as most others, came with two options - dry or gravy. It wasn’t gravy in the traditional American sense, but rather a thick sauce that came with the meat as opposed to a dry rub. My dry flavored lamb was perfectly cooked and had a warm spiciness that was just hot enough to be fun, but milk enough to not be overwhelming. The Hakka noodles that we shared on the side were a noodle version of fried rice - with vegetables and bean sprouts, and a lightly oily sauce that was just enough to flavor the dish wihout making it too heavy.

Food 8
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 7
Service 6
Value 8

Ben

We were looking to grab a meal by a plaza near our place with primarily Chinese markets / restaurants, and stumbled on this place and saw it happened to be their grand opening. A Chinese / Indian fusion restaurant with locations around the world, this is their first restaurant in the in the U.S. They wouldn’t let us take food to go, since they had a 50% off special for their opening so we stayed anyway. Aside from the lack of an option for takeout, there were quite a few other growing pains (which I do find completely forgivable as it is their first night in operation, but I will list anyway). The service was a little awkward between the waiter and hostess to seat us, and they split a double table as we sat down, despite several empty tables. We ordered two soups, a Manchow chicken (which lacked the fried noodles in the description), and an egg-white chicken soup. We did wait about 30 minutes before the soup was out after we ordered. They were both very intricately flavored, served with fresh herbs and strong flavors (though with what we presumed were canned mushrooms) , definitely a full step above most soups I ever have at Chinese restaurants.

After such a long wait for the soups, the entrees were brought out only a couple of minutes later, before we were halfway through the soup, crowding the table. We ordered a manchurian lamb (dry, with the option of gravy or no gravy.. they even said they can’t serve the gravy on the side.. weird) and a blackbean gravy spicy prawn dish. They were both very generous portions and I found them to be delicious and both the lamb and prawns were perfectly cooked. We also had a good noodle dish that was randomly brought a couple minutes later. While the whole time we were chuckling at the little awkwardnesses, I have to say they had someone who knew what they were doing in the kitchen, amongst the chaos the food surprised me that it was really spot-on. They serve a fresh oolong tea with the meal, and the drink menu is pretty limited, with tea/coffee, salt lassi, sweet lassi, mango lassi, milk, and soda. The restaurant is one large open room with several tables, which gives it a little bit of an empty feel despite having a good amount of customers. The decoration is a little in-progress, with oriental panel walls along the entrance, and the rest of the restaurant sparsely decorated. The value is pretty good (even without the 50% discount), with most entrees around $10. Overall I think it is a pretty quality place, especially once they iron out a few of the small issues, and think based on the food itself, they have a chance to establish themselves among an area so densely populated with restaurants.

Food 9
Drinks 6
Atmosphere 7
Service 7
Value 8

Garden Fresh

Location: Mountain View, CA
Cuisine type: Chinese, Vegetarian
Atmosphere: plain, kitchen table feel
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 7

Nina

I had heard much about vegetarian only restaurants, but never tried one out simply because given the choice between a place that offers meat and one that doesn’t I always choose the former. However, for this double date dinner one of us was vegetarian, and she proposed this vegetarian restaurant with a large offering of faux-meats.

I was happy that we went for a family-style dinner sharing of multiple dishes, that way I could try a much wider variety of this unique style of cooking. We ordered a wonton soup, sushi rolls, broccoli beef, sweet and spicy chicken, shrimp and crispy duck with mushrooms and broccoli. The wonton soup was flavorful and balanced, but nothing out of the ordinary. However, the sushi rolls were warm, which I found a bit strange. Considering this was a Chinese restaurant, I’m not even sure whether this was intentional (since the warmth just made for a slightly moist rice, and didn’t really enhance the flavor or texture in any way).

Moving on to the “meat” dishes, I was a bit surprised by the beef and broccoli - mainly, the light color of the tofu bites and the meat-like but non-specific flavor did not really say “beef” to me, they might as well have called it chicken or pork and I would have been just as convinced. The sweet and sour chicken was ok, nothing out of the ordinary but a convincing enough imitation that I didn't miss the meat. The shrimp dish put up a surprising effort in being more convincing, and came with a variety of vegetables, which was refreshing after all the broccoli. The tofu mix had a mild seafood taste, and on top of that was shaped and colored like whole, deveined shrimp - quite a nice touch. Last but certainly not least, there was the Peking duck - and I saved the best for last. The meat was not imitated by some variation of tofu, but rather a mix of mushrooms consisting primarily of shiitakes. The “meat” part was covered in a delicious and perfectly crispy skin that make the dish taste even more authentic. Even though the “duck” was served with even more mushrooms as a side, I did not find it too overwhelming and I really enjoyed both the flavor of the dish and the savory sauce accompanying it.

Disappointingly, they didn’t have any dessert on the menu, but then again I was pretty full after trying all these dishes. I’m not sure that I would go back often since I generally don’t pick vegetarian restaurants over others, but if I even find myself back at Garden Fresh I will definitely be ordering the crispy duck (and most likely I’ll be looking for the same dish at other vegetarian restaurants just in case I get lucky and find this again).

Food 7
Drinks 5
Atmosphere 6
Service 7
Value 8

Ben

This the first restaurant I have seen specifying itself as vegetarian only, with the stated intention of imitating meat flavors. I actually enjoyed it much more than I would have guessed, particularly the amazing crispy “duck” with broccoli - a dense mushroom meat imitation that I thought was spot on. The other dishes were all pretty good - wonton soup, “sushi” rolls, broccoli “beef,” and sweet & spicy “chicken.” While there are a decent amount of soy - based “meats,” they do a good job of mixing it up and the dishes are flavorful and well beyond the lightly disguised tofu atrocities I was expecting.

It’s a little austere place, a single room with full window wall facing the parking lot, and maybe 10-15 tables. The service is polite, the prices are pretty low (~$8-12 / entree), and overall the place has a pretty lively feel and seems to get a good amount of business. I would say this place is definitely worth a try.

Food 8
Drinks 6
Atmosphere 6
Service 8
Value 8

Old Mandarin Islamic

Location: San Francisco, CA
Cuisine type: Chinese, traditional Mandarin
Atmosphere: plain, crammed cafe seating
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 7.25

Nina

With my brother visiting, we found a good opportunity to try out something new - and to expand his palate on the way. Old Mandarin had been on our todo list for a while due to a friend’s enthusiastic recommendation, but it was too far on the west side of San Francisco for us to make our way to it on a casual day out on the town. This time, it worked out that the shortest way from Half Moon Bay to Marin County passes very close to this restaurant, so we decided to stop by for dinner. It turns out not only is it a highly appreciated spot, but it was voted in the top 100 Chinese restaurants in the US, which I think is saying a lot since there must be thousands and thousands of them across the country (not sure how much the large Chinese population in the SF skewed the popular voting process, but it still gives this place bragging rights). They display a poster that says "Top 100 Chinese restaurant" which makes them look even more popular, though we later realized that in fine print it encourages customers to vote for them so that they can be named among top 100. Tricky fine print...
The first minute we walked in we were impressed at how busy this place was - we were the second group in line waiting for a table to open up and every table in the restaurant was packed, even though it was already 8 pm. The aromas in the air were intoxicating, the decor was traditional and the table setup was plain and functional, like most SF Chinese restaurants. Then we had a moment of realization - this restaurant is actually really tiny. There are three rows of maybe 5-6 tables each closely packed together, and the initial impression was due to (very clean) mirrors lining the walls giving the impression of a much larger space. While in other places this might have meant having to wait longer for a table with fewer tables to open up, that was not the case. The servers seemed very efficient in urging customers to finish up and pay for their meal, so we were seated within 5 or 10 minutes of walking inside. We quickly received our drinks (water and hot tea), though our order of beers seemed to get lost somewhere between our table and their fridge and we never got it.
There was a large number of lamb dishes on the menu, which is something I haven’t seen before in a Chinese restaurant; pork was also notably absent. The name of the restaurant provides a simple explanation immediately - the owners are from a Chinese Islamic background, which influences the choice of protein in their dishes. I was intrigued by this twist in the traditional Chinese fare, and I went for one of the most exotic dishes on the menu - the lamb soup. It was not just a plain lamb soup, but rather a concoction that used the whole lamb, and the server dutifully warned me about it. I say, bring it on! When we placed our order there was a little bit of confusion due to the server’s poor understanding of English and our poor understanding of her English. Ben’s order (spicy beef of some sort) was translated into Mandarin lamb, and she enthusiastically endorsed it, so he decided to go with that instead of his original pick.
My soup was served in a huge bowl, and looked like everything I expected, and I was enthusiastic to discover the different meat cuts, some of which I recognized (heart, kidney, liver) and some of which were foreign to me. They brought in smaller bowls and three spoons so we could share it, but I was really the only one interested in the lamb innards so I was left to deal with it on my own. However, the broth was quite plain and mild in flavor, so I grew quickly tired of it, and resolved to mostly pick through the meat and veggies (the usual suspects, water chestnut, sprouts and the like).
When we got the bill we were in for a surprise - it amounted to about twice as much as we expected. A quick inspection revealed the reason - our server had written down everything we ordered (including the beer and a couple of dishes that she misunderstood before we set things right), and the cashier put all of them on our bill. They were very quick to correct it and apologized profusely for the mistake. Even though the broth in my soup wasn’t a big hit, the flavors in some of the other dishes on our table were amazing, with generous portions and just the right level of spice and perfect doneness without being too greasy or heavy. This place has rightfully earned its name for good, tasty food within a unique niche of Chinese cooking.

Food 8
Drinks 6
Atmosphere 7
Service 6
Value 8

Ben

A small place (8-12 tables) in west San Francisco. It is a local favorite, so be prepared to wait some time for a table. The service staff was very lively and (for lack of a better word...) sassy. The menu is and food are very authentic (be prepared, choose carefully if you're not feeling explorative), and offers several hot / cold plates as well as a popular hot-pot option. We ordered a lamb soup, which came with literally all pieces of lamb, from leg, to organs (including liver, heart, kidney.. wonder what else) and heavy cartilage and a lot of bone. It was a subtly flavored broth and I eventually got burned out picking through it, as I am generally not crazy about organ meat (though Nina seemed to quite enjoy it). We also ordered Mandarin lamb, which was a salty, spicy lamb dish again with a good amount of bone and cartilage, but overall very good. The hot and spicy chicken was a good dish, only slightly breaded and with a good amount of flavor (though I also found it a bit salty), with a lot of water chestnuts, onion, and celery. The service was pretty entertaining. First they urged us to order more and more, and when we relented and ordered some beers, they never brought them out though they made it to the bill. The prices are reasonable, ~10-$15 entrees. Overall, I would say it is definitely a place worth checking out, a great way to get acquainted with Islamic Chinese food, which is a real twist on the ubiquitous Chinese classics, and it offers some unique flavors and very authentic dishes.

Food 9
Drinks 6
Atmosphere 7
Service 6
Value 7

Hunan Home

Location: San Francisco (Chinatown)
Cuisine type: Chinese
Atmosphere: family style, authentic decor
Meal: early dinner
Price range: $4-$6 appetizers, $9 soup to share, $10-$15 most entrees
Overall score: 8.17

Nina

After a nice, long walk through San Francisco, and a light snack at Tartine Cafe in the Mission which served as lunch, we were starving for dinner by 3 o’clock. We refused to be fooled into going to the most shiny, expensive restaurant operating as a tourist trap like we were our first time in Chinatown, so we did our homework. From cuisine type to review scores, we were drawn to Hunan Home, a nice restaurant with a cozy and authentic decor, though unassuming from the outside.
Since the menu seemed reasonably priced, and since walking by all the different grocery stores that line the streets of Chinatown only increased our interest in trying a variety of flavors, we decided to share a three course meal. They don’t actually offer multi-course fixed menus, but we chose a nice appetizer, a soup and entree that spanned across different cooking styles, flavor profiles and textures, perfect for the curious palate.
For an appetizer, we got Xiao Long Bao, or in other words broth filled pork dumplings - a variation on the classic which not only contains the flavorful meat mixture, but also encloses a small amount of broth. I can never tell if they are made with so much care that liquid is actually trapped inside the delicate wrapper, or if the shell is more porous and thus allows the broth to be absorbed during cooking. Either way, they were quite delicious, to the point where I found it difficult to wait long enough for the broth to descent below boiling temperatures before digging in.

The choice of soup was influenced by the barrels upon barrels of very expensive dried scallops that we saw in every neighborhood grocery store. I couldn’t think of a way that extremely dehydrated seafood could transform into something edible, it looked rock hard and potentially very salty. The dried scallop soup we ate proved me wrong - the concentrated seafood flavor of the scallops really came through and the minced pieces of scallop in the soup, while a bit on the chewy side, were a burst of added flavor. It also helped that the soup was dressed with egg, since I am always a fool for egg drop soup.
The slight disappointment in this meal came from the entree. We ordered sizzling prawns, and in my head I saw something similar to the way some Indian restaurants serve tandoori chicken on a bed of onions in a hot cast iron platter. The platter part was right, but the preparation was not even close - the shrimp came in a glaze-like sauce which at first glance looked like a pre-packaged sweet and sour sauce reminiscent of Chinese fast food. However, it was less sour and more sweet, and the spice that the chili flakes warned of remained absent. I also noticed the stark absence of vegetables, which is ironic because at most Chinese restaurants I have the opposite problem to complain about. Even so, the rice worked as a great vessel to soak up some of the sauce on the serving platter.
To finish our meal with a truly authentic touch, a parade dragon entered the restaurant to greet customers in honor of the Chinese New Year, and fire crackers were being fired outside at the same time.

Food 8
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 7
Service 9
Value 8

Ben

A highly authentic (what else would you expect?) restaurant in the middle of Chinatown. A perfectly sized menu (good selection but not overwhelming as many chinese restaurants) and friendly staff. The feel, decoration, and utensils reminded me of some of the restaurants I went to in China. I'm not usually crazy about egg-drop soup, but i actually really enjoyed the dried scallop egg-drop soup (we were tempted after having seen dried scallops sold in several shops throughout Chinatown). The dumplings were subtly tasty and not too greasy/fatty. The sizzling shrimp entree was pretty flavorful as well (slightly sweet for my taste but overall delicious). The restaurant has a pretty cozy and pleasant feel, and I would recommend it as the best restaurant I've eaten thus far in Chinatown.

Food 9
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 9
Service 9
Value 8

South Legend Sichuan

Location: Milpitas, CA
Cuisine type: Szechwan (Chinese)
Atmosphere: austere, family style seating
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 3.5

Nina

Ben got home very excited that he found a great online deal for this restaurant with rave reviews. To make things even better, it was a Szechwan restaurant, and given how much he likes spicy food, that in itself was a compelling reason to try it out.
The prices were very low, which wasn’t entirely surprising given the level of competition among Chinese restaurants in this part of Milpitas. Feeling at ease, we ordered an appetizer and two entrees to fully enjoy the offerings - we got a rabbit cashew appetizer to share, and I ordered a chicken mushroom entree (mild spiciness, I didn’t want to risk it too much). Of course, like with every other traditional Chinese restaurant, hot green tea was a given - however, we were not offered water and looking around the restaurant no one else had a single water glass on their table either.
The raised expectations and high level of anticipation for this food made the disappointment that much more bitter once we were served the food. The appetizer was flavorful, though not as spicy as advertised, but it was very hard to eat since it consisted of little more than cashews, scallions and rabbit bones - it almost looked like they put a whole animal through a wood chipper and fried it that way. My entree came before I even had a chance to get a good taste of the appetizer, so our table quickly got a little crammed. My chicken pieces were lost in a sea of long celery pieces, and again not even close to the level of spiciness I was hoping for.
But I’m not done! I could have probably overlooked some of these issues - I’m used to having way too many crunchy vegetables in my Chinese dinners (so I usually just eat a part of those and all the meat to find the right balance for me), and I might even be ok with chewing through bones to get to small pieces of rabbit meat. The main problem which could not be overlooked was the insane, no, *inhumane* level of salt in these dishes. If it were only the appetizer, or only my entree, I would have dismissed it as a slip or a blotched batch of sauce. But all three plates on our table were impossibly salty. It quickly saturated our taste buds and drowned all other flavors of the food. We asked the waiter if they usually make their food extremely salty, and he said no, they never do. At this point we were too disappointed to even try anymore, we let them take away most of the food and didn’t ask for to-go boxes either. I guess the sane thing to do would have been to order a new set of dishes to replace the unedible ones, but at that point, having all three in that state, we were unsure asking for a new plate would fix anything and too hungry to wait for another round - instead we just headed home and snacked on things we already had in our fridge (cheese and crackers has never tasted so good).
We will likely go back to this place (not before our year of unique restaurant visits is over, of course) to see if this was an isolated incident or common practice.

Food 1
Drinks 4
Atmosphere 5
Service 5
Value 1


Ben

We stopped in with a groupon to check out. In a predominantly Chinese plaza in Milpitas, it has a very pleasant and inviting feel and the area is interesting to walk around. The service was a little scarce, but prompt upon ordering.  We started with an appetizer  order, rabbit cashew. I found the appetizer to be pretty unpleasant (basically a rabbit chopped up whole with the bones, making there a lot of irregular shards and difficult to pick through, and served cold with celery andn uts) to being something I just wasn't used to. For the entree, I asked for a suggestion and ordered a spicy beef, which was served on a hot platter above a candle to stay warm. The presentation was appealing, and was served with a warm and flavorful green tea. The beef was fried and stewed in a sauce which looked appetizing and spicy, a good-looking platter of Chinese food - not too breaded and not overly greasy.  Upon tasting it, it was the most bizarre experience I can remember at a restaurant. The food was the single saltiest thing I have ever been served in my life. This is not just my dish, but also Nina's and the appetizer as well. I couldn't shake the thought that the dishes were meticulously prepared, and then a full cup of salt was poured over and shaken through each dish (and I am not one averse to fried, salty foods). I tried to taste through it to see the flavor, but it was difficult to see past. The only explanation I could think of was that this was simply a mistake (the chef used soy sauce instead of vinegar? A cup measure instead of a teaspoon?). The whole experience was simply bizarre. We weren't able to work through more than 10% of any of the dishes (each bite tasted like gelified seawater), and just discarded the food and walked out extremely disappointed as I had high expectations from some decent reviews. I am curious to try it again just out of sheer disbelief from the food I was served. 

Food 0

Drinks 7

Atmosphere 6

Service 5

Value 7

China Delights

Location: San Ramon, CA
Cuisine type: Chinese
Atmosphere: plain decor, family style dining
Meal: dinner
Overall grade: 7.5

Nina

It’s not often that we make it all the way to the far East Bay, and especially not on a week day. This was a special occasion - someone we knew (however little) was being sworn in as a city official of San Ramon, and we were invited to attend the ceremony. The long trip to San Ramon and the ceremony (which only took place at the end of a city council meeting) left us starving in a part of the bay unfamiliar to us. The logical next step was to find the nearest restaurant with reasonable online ratings and go for it - this time, it happened to be a Chinese place.
We ordered the dumplings which were repeatedly mentioned in reviews, and were shocked at how large they were - probably 4 times larger than any other dumpling I’ve ever eaten, and unfortunately with a skin proportionally thicker. The inside was flavorful, though nothing striking - reminding me more of a meatball then a fresh, tender dumpling filling.
Even though the owners were Chinese and it seemed like the restaurant was family-run, the food was closer to main stream Panda-Express fare, nothing I’d feel compelled to drive all the way to San Ramon to eat. Plus, why would I? Between San Jose and San Ramon (much closer to SJ than to SR) there is the whole area of Milpitas filled with authentic Chinese restaurants, so I knew where I’ll go next time I crave Chinese for dinner :)

Food 6
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 6
Service 8
Value 8

Ben

We stopped in for a pretty late dinner. The restaurant was entirely empty but we decided to give it a try. The service was prompt and friendly. We started off with some dumplings (a legitimate almost 2 full meals .. 6 fist sized dumplings for ~$7) that were huge, had a lot of thick wonton but the filling was delicious. I had a spicy beef, which was a little greasier than I would like but overall pretty tasty and freshly prepared. We went with a house white wine which was a pretty nice price ($4 / glass) and complemented the spicy food well. 

Food 8
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 7
Service 9
Value 8