Bon Chon Chicken

Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Cuisine type: Korean chicken wings/drumsticks/tenders
Atmosphere: casual, cafe style seating
Meal: late lunch
Overall score: 8.1

Nina

Couldn’t think of anything better for a quick weekend (late) lunch than chicken wings. After coming across Bon Chon online, we knew we absolutely had to try it, adding a Korean flair to an American classic sounded like a cool idea. Their restaurant is small, very simply decorated, with plain laminated tables and cafeteria style chairs. More interestingly, their menu was very simple and to the point, with relatively few choices, but a satisfying diversity for this kind of joint. Essentially, there were three types of chicken (wings, drumsticks and tenders) with two types of sauce (mild or hot) and a few different order sizes. Additionally, there were a few classic sides (cole slaw, fries, sweet potato fries) and a couple of Korean inspired ones (kimchi, pickled daikon).
We got both wings and drumsticks, with both types of sauce, and a side of both Korean and classic slaw and finally sweet potato fries. Everything was quite delicious, good flavors, a great amount of spice and the chicken was incredibly tender and juicy. If I had to pick on something, it would be the breading on the chicken which was a tad bit thicker than I would prefer, but the perfect crispiness on it made up for the thickness.
I will definitely keep this place in mind for next time we’re in search for wings, though since the atmosphere doesn’t add much to the experience I would probably just order take-out next time and enjoy the food from home.

Food	8
Drinks	7
Atmosphere	7
Service	8
Value	8

Ben

We stumbled on this place before having heard or read anything about it. I found it simply awesome. They offer only fried chicken (in “small,” “medium,” or “large” portions), which consist of varying numbers of wings and drumsticks. There are two sauces: soy garlic and spicy garlic, which are lightly applied to the breaded and fried chicken. The chicken is simply fantastic - the perfected combination of very juicy but not too greasy. We also got a generous portion of sweet potato fries which were great as well. This is maybe my favorite type of place - very simple menu that does one thing but executes it flawlessly - and after eating there I had to wonder why this model is not more common. The prices are really good: an $11 medium is enough to split between two people, sides are $3-4 and beer is ~$3-5. If you don’t want fried chicken ... don’t go. But if you do … it’s fantastic. The atmosphere is upbeat and relaxed, overall a pleasant place. After we ate there, we googled reviews and were not surprised to find that it seems to have almost a cult following.. a cult which I have now joined.

Food	9
Drinks	8
Atmosphere	8
Service	8
Value	9

Rok Bistro

Location: Downtown Sunnyvale
Cuisine type: fondue restaurant, hot rock cooking, modern American
Atmosphere: intimate, modern decor
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 8.1

Nina

I picked this place for dinner mainly because it was on my way home from work, and because fondue is always a cool type of meal to share with family and friends (and we had Ben’s sister to entertain, so perfect excuse). Their atmosphere is subdued and intimate, with dim lighting and a mix of booth and chair seating. Unlike other fondue type places I’ve been to, the general layout is quite a bit more crowded, with tables less than a foot apart along the walls (I believe there was a bit more privacy in the full booth seating perpendicular to walls, but the entire dining room was one large room).
The difference between getting an entree with cheese fondue and a full meal was small, so we had to go for it - a full spread of salad, cheese fondue of choice, entree served with a sizzling hot rock to cook it on, and finally chocolate fondue, yum! The salad was fairly simple on the surface - baby spinach topped with avocado, carrots, onions tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette and topped with feta crumbles and almond slices. However, the balance they struck was quite amazing, just the right amount of each ingredient, and the dressing was well balanced as well, I would say it was one of the best salads I’ve ever had.
For cheese fondue, we ordered the Classic Swiss since it is, after all, a classic combination - white wine with kirsch, garlic and seasonings, used to melt a mountain of sharp gruyere and fontina cheese. On the side, we were brought the usual spread - different kinds of bread cubes, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli and most deliciously, apple slices. The waitress was also careful to ask us if we wanted extras of anything as we ran out - and I got more apple slices and cauliflower florets.

The entree came with a spectacular presentation, and one I had never seen or experienced before. My plate had mashed potatoes and steamed veggies one one side and the other of a heavy, ultra hot slab of stone. Separately, I got a slice of buffalo (not sure what cut) completely raw, and from that point on it was up to me to cook it as I wished on the rock in front of me. I went for medium rare, since the meat was extremely tender, and it really went well with the au jus which came on the side. I wasn’t super impressed with the steamed veggies which were a little plain, but the mashed potatoes were creamy and delicious.
Last but not least, we got the Chocolate Truffles fondue for dessert. It was really the perfect finishing touch for the meal - dark molten chocolate, with dark caramel mixed in, and sprinkled with pink Himalayan salt for a nice finish. The spread of dipping bits was delightful - cheesecake bites, marshmallows, rice krispies, bananas, strawberries and shortbread. The only one that was a tad bit disappointing was something described as “brownie bites,” which turned out to be nothing more than marshmallows covered in oreo crumbs. As before, the waitress brought us extras as we ate through the initial batch, because of course we needed to sweep up the last drop of chocolate from the bowl. We left Rok Bistro well fed and quite happy with the experience.

Food	9
Drinks	9
Atmosphere	9
Service	9
Value	7

Ben

Rok Bistro is a fondue restaurant in Sunnyvale. The decor and atmosphere are pretty casual, a large and well lit restaurant with a lot of relatively closely packed tables. It has the feel of a family restaurant, but the prices of what I would expect from a more upscale fondue place. Fondue is fondue; fresh vegetables and melted cheese / wine combinations are a reliably tasty course (though the portion was somewhat small for 3 people). The salad was one of the dishes that stood out as particularly good: a fresh and light baby spinach with avocado, feta, onions ,carrots, with feta and almonds.

My main course of prawns & scallops was simple but solid, in that the scallops were large and fresh .. all cooking was controlled by us as they are served raw on a hot stone. The dessert of dark chocolate truffles was definitely a win. There is a decent wine menu with reasonable prices, we ordered a Napa chardonnay, which was a pretty solid pair for the meal as a whole. The service was a combination of overly polite and then somewhat abrupt... but generally pretty good. Overall, the place has solid - but unremarkable - food, with the real draw seeming to be the hot stones on which they are served. The restaurant is not particularly romantic and even a little crowded, which makes the prices a confusing ... particularly as the ingredients weren’t exotic and cooking efforts from the staff seem relatively marginal for most dishes. I guess the repeat demographics may be families on a special night out, or couples desperate for closeby fondue.

Food	8
Drinks	8
Atmosphere	7
Service	8
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

Khana Khazana

Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Website: www.khanakhazanaca.com
Cuisine type: Indian
Atmosphere: casual cafe style seating, limited buffet
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 7.1

Nina

Khana Khazana is one of the many small strip-mall restaurants so prevalent in the South Bay, but it so happened that it was convenient place to stop for a quick weeknight dinner on this particular day, with a nice Groupon Now deal to go along with it. As it often happens when we have these types of deals for small restaurants, we have a hard time meeting the minimum spend between the two of us. Khana Khazana had a modest buffet on display for really quick grab-and-go meals, but also a much more comprehensive menu with a wide variety of ingredients and preparations.
We ordered a meal with three curries (chicken, chickpea and paneer) with roti and chilli chicken (a Chinese Indian fusion dish), carrot pudding for dessert, and also goat curry to go. While the curries were good but not spectacular, the chilli chicken was delicious, with a good balance between sharp spice, rich flavor and moist chunks of meat. The pudding was a little too sweet for me (which is rare), but that’s not really unusual for Indian dessert from my previous experience.
Overall, this place is a reasonable choice for a quick meal in a clean and cozy cafe setting. However, due to the prevalence of small restaurants like this in the area and to the lukewarm enthusiasm I feel about their food, I wouldn’t go too far out of my way to go back.

Food 7
Drinks n/a
Atmosphere 6
Service 9
Value 8

Ben

An Indian fast food place, with 6 dishes on the bar which can be purchased right away in combinations of 2 or 3. We ordered the combination of three curry dishes (chicken, chickpeas, paneer) with roti, and they were decent. The chili chicken (a fried, Chinese/Indian dish) was flavorful, but the best dish I had was the freshly prepared goat curry. The carrot dessert was also decent. The place is pretty small and narrow, and is really more built to be a take-out stop as they don’t really have any service but a water pitcher and self-serve plates / silverware. The value is decent, and (surprise) the freshly cooked food was a lot better than on the bar. However, for what it is - it is a good quick stop for some decent, low cost and fast indian food.

Food 8
Drinks n/a
Atmosphere 5
Service 5
Value 8

Gobi Mongolian BBQ

Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Cuisine type: Mongolian, stir-fry
Atmosphere: casual, austere
Meal: dinner
Price range: $10
Overall grade: 6.9

Ben

A highly efficient mongolian grill. A basic selection of ingredients, including meats: chicken, beef, pork, lamb, shrimp. Good looking cuts of meat, though pork and lamb were frozen while on the buffet. Additional ingredients included fresh looking: broccoli, corn, carrots, bean sprouts, zucchini, chinese noodles. About 6 sauces with suggestions for mixtures. Cooking was done very quickly, with no wait time at all. Chef pours water over hot plate to simultaneously steam ingredients while grilling.  Served with options of egg drop soup and rice, and soft ice cream dessert at no additional charge. They offered a limited selection of bottled beers including domestics, Heineken, and Tsinghua. 

The selection of ingredients and sauces was much smaller than other Mongolian grills I have visited. Additionally, the environment is efficient and cafeteria - like. The servers will respond promptly to requests but will not interact with you otherwise. What the restaurant lacks in flash and romance, it makes up for in excellent food at a great value. I made a dish with lamb, chicken, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots and chinese noodles under their "Spicy" mix (a mixture of oil and chili, soy, bbq, kung pao sauces) and found it to be the best tasting mongolian grill I've had - I did not miss the more obscure ingredients. The chef does not dance or sing, but has mastered his timing and technique. The high temperature grilling / quick steaming combination was perfectly executed: meat was very tender and not overcooked, vegetables were perfectly heated through while remaining crisp. Gobi Grill is not a place for birthday parties or romance but is an excellent choice if you are looking for a quick stop for a delicious meal using fresh ingredients, in an unimposing atmosphere and at a very reasonable price. 

Food            8

Drinks          4

Atmosphere   5

Service         7 

Value          10

Nina

Tonight was the first night we spent in the Bay Area, after concluding our month long, cross country road trip. Tired from the drive and the hot sun at Lake Tahoe, we decided to begin our food adventure at a low key, no fuss restaurant close to our hotel. We chose Gobi Mongolian BBQ, since we always enjoy a good stir-fry and  the liberty of assembling our own plate from raw ingredients. After a quick stroll down the street we walked into this small, minimally decorated restaurant, that got right to the point: a buffet line starting from the door and ending by the hot plate, where a chef was waiting to cook each customer's order.

When it came down to the food, it was quite amazing - exactly what a Mongolian BBQ should be. The selection on the buffet line was extensive, with several types of meat (chicken, beef, pork, lamb and shrimp), many kinds of vegetables and a good variety of sauces. The food was cooked on a screaming hot plate with the sauces I selected (garlic with a splash of spicy cooking oil) and an addition of water which created a flash-steaming effect. As a result, my food was done much faster than at any similar restaurant I've even been to, and the end result was a juicier, more tender dish than I expected. We had steamed rice on the side, though it wasn't really necessary as the stir-fried food with noodles was both rich in flavor and filling on its own. The restaurant also offered vegetable egg rolls along with the dinner, which were good (though greasy, as expected) and came with spicy mustard (mustard with wasabi) and sweet and sour sauce. The egg-drop soup was served with tofu, though it didn't impress - too watery and lacked the richness that I appreciate in this type of side dish. 

Food             9

Drinks           3  

Atmosphere   5

Service         5

Value           10