Fast friendly service. Food ready in 10 minutes on a Saturday night. They scored a 97 on their VT Health Department restaurant score in February. Crab ragoons were good but not the best. Could have been hotter. Chicken fingers weren't crispy but tasted good but again not the best. Pork fried rice was good. Could have had more taste to it though but pork portion was good. Good portion size of rice. Generals chicken was not to my liking but it wasn't bad either. A different sauce that wasn't for me but had mostly chicken instead of breading. Boneless spareribs were hot and thick pieces. Best dish was the shrimp lo mien. I liked it better than my usual Chinese spot. Tasted great was hot and good amount of shrimp. When I order lo mien that's what I want it to be. Give this restaurant a chance. Friendly service good food priced right will bring you back and the 97 score is a plus to me
(4)
John C S.
I was hungry looking for good chinese and I pass by this restaurant never try before I finally decided have a try but it was awful... The food doesn't match the expensive price,not recommended... It is very quiet when I ordered ...
(1)
L D.
We came here as it was recommended by friends. The food and service were great. It was very casual and pricing was very affordable. Will definitely come again!
(5)
Jeremy B.
Extra star for being in Essex Jct. Okay, I have tasted one thing off of the menu, which makes this review is essentially garbage...that aside, the one thing that I did eat was, hands down, the most authentic Chinese fare I've ever had in any small, crappy, suburban, dumptown, road side Chinese eatery, and certainly the most authentic tasting Chinese food I've had in Vermont. Authentic, for those of you that have a problem with that word: when you eat food in China, or even Chinatown, it tastes one way. When you eat similar food, designed for or by the average whitebread, chicken nugget American, we have here, usually, a whole different animal. Fat, wide rice noodles, in a rich broth of cinnamon, star anise, ginger and charred onions--like a creamier version of pho--filled with chunks of Chinese-cut brisket. By "Chinese-cut", I mean that is done in a way you only see in Chinese grocery stores (and Thai Phat!), and it still has some of the connective tissues and cartilage attached, for a surprising variety of textures--none of which are slimy or chewy, so give it a chance!! While this does not mean Michelin star dining, or that the place is soon to be flooded with the young, monied, tight-panted, mustachioed set, this does mean humble, affordable, and interesting food, a change from crunchy gooey slop in the box that passes as Chinese food, and seems to be lauded as "American Chinese", which is like deep frying a flavorless pizza and pouring cornstarch on it and saying "look, American Italian!" It's pruriently enjoyable, yet demeaning to everyone involved. Sorry, I think I was just having a bout of righteous indigestion, for a minute. I'm over it. Phew. So, the finer aspects of Cantonese cooking are usually showcased in the use of fresh seafood and dim sum. This state, being Vermont, has no ocean, and no large population of Chinese (or sufficiently curious non-Chinese Americans)--at least, not large enough to fill a real dim sum venue (sorry, 5-Spice, you didn't count). However, the unsung dishes of Cantonese--and often, Chinese food in general, are surprisingly accessible and surprisingly under-represented, outside of Chinatowns. Beef noodle soups are perhaps the most ubiquitous dish of China, with variations from Sichuan, to Guangzhou, to Beijing, and has trickled across the continent along with Chinese culture, over the past few hundred years (to Vietnamese "pho" and beyond). Yet, it sadly never made it to the burbs. Niu rou mian, perhaps the ultimate version and de facto national dish of Taiwan, is just as flashy and delicious as the ramen the kids are lionizing (and murdering) these days, and can be served at half the price. Of course, American entrepreneurs aren't interested in selling affordable food, and that's yet another reason I'll wait until small, family run noodle places make it to Vermont, before I set foot in a culinary artist's shop for a fancy but soulless 12 bowl of soup. Btw, I think that the soul is comprised of a fair amount of MSG, and I'm loving it.
brad l.
Fast friendly service. Food ready in 10 minutes on a Saturday night. They scored a 97 on their VT Health Department restaurant score in February. Crab ragoons were good but not the best. Could have been hotter. Chicken fingers weren't crispy but tasted good but again not the best. Pork fried rice was good. Could have had more taste to it though but pork portion was good. Good portion size of rice. Generals chicken was not to my liking but it wasn't bad either. A different sauce that wasn't for me but had mostly chicken instead of breading. Boneless spareribs were hot and thick pieces. Best dish was the shrimp lo mien. I liked it better than my usual Chinese spot. Tasted great was hot and good amount of shrimp. When I order lo mien that's what I want it to be. Give this restaurant a chance. Friendly service good food priced right will bring you back and the 97 score is a plus to me
(4)John C S.
I was hungry looking for good chinese and I pass by this restaurant never try before I finally decided have a try but it was awful... The food doesn't match the expensive price,not recommended... It is very quiet when I ordered ...
(1)L D.
We came here as it was recommended by friends. The food and service were great. It was very casual and pricing was very affordable. Will definitely come again!
(5)Jeremy B.
Extra star for being in Essex Jct. Okay, I have tasted one thing off of the menu, which makes this review is essentially garbage...that aside, the one thing that I did eat was, hands down, the most authentic Chinese fare I've ever had in any small, crappy, suburban, dumptown, road side Chinese eatery, and certainly the most authentic tasting Chinese food I've had in Vermont. Authentic, for those of you that have a problem with that word: when you eat food in China, or even Chinatown, it tastes one way. When you eat similar food, designed for or by the average whitebread, chicken nugget American, we have here, usually, a whole different animal. Fat, wide rice noodles, in a rich broth of cinnamon, star anise, ginger and charred onions--like a creamier version of pho--filled with chunks of Chinese-cut brisket. By "Chinese-cut", I mean that is done in a way you only see in Chinese grocery stores (and Thai Phat!), and it still has some of the connective tissues and cartilage attached, for a surprising variety of textures--none of which are slimy or chewy, so give it a chance!! While this does not mean Michelin star dining, or that the place is soon to be flooded with the young, monied, tight-panted, mustachioed set, this does mean humble, affordable, and interesting food, a change from crunchy gooey slop in the box that passes as Chinese food, and seems to be lauded as "American Chinese", which is like deep frying a flavorless pizza and pouring cornstarch on it and saying "look, American Italian!" It's pruriently enjoyable, yet demeaning to everyone involved. Sorry, I think I was just having a bout of righteous indigestion, for a minute. I'm over it. Phew. So, the finer aspects of Cantonese cooking are usually showcased in the use of fresh seafood and dim sum. This state, being Vermont, has no ocean, and no large population of Chinese (or sufficiently curious non-Chinese Americans)--at least, not large enough to fill a real dim sum venue (sorry, 5-Spice, you didn't count). However, the unsung dishes of Cantonese--and often, Chinese food in general, are surprisingly accessible and surprisingly under-represented, outside of Chinatowns. Beef noodle soups are perhaps the most ubiquitous dish of China, with variations from Sichuan, to Guangzhou, to Beijing, and has trickled across the continent along with Chinese culture, over the past few hundred years (to Vietnamese "pho" and beyond). Yet, it sadly never made it to the burbs. Niu rou mian, perhaps the ultimate version and de facto national dish of Taiwan, is just as flashy and delicious as the ramen the kids are lionizing (and murdering) these days, and can be served at half the price. Of course, American entrepreneurs aren't interested in selling affordable food, and that's yet another reason I'll wait until small, family run noodle places make it to Vermont, before I set foot in a culinary artist's shop for a fancy but soulless 12 bowl of soup. Btw, I think that the soul is comprised of a fair amount of MSG, and I'm loving it.
(5)