Super Bowl Update: Chinese restaurants

Showing posts with label Chinese restaurants. Show all posts

Pei Wei

7:36 AM | Labels: Asian, Chain Restaurants, Chinese restaurants, glendale, lunch places, Pei Wei

So, even though this place opened awhile ago right near my house, it has taken me awhile to try it—I guess partly because it is a chain, and partly because I imagined it as a fast food type of option, which is not something I do a lot. But I was in a hurry and needed to stop for something quick to go one day and decided, why not?

Well, first of all, it really isn’t fast food—in that it wasn’t really very fast. The carry out takes a good 10 minutes or so, which is fine, but just be prepared if you are in a real hurry. But it was made hot and fresh and took a bit. The interior isn’t really fast food-ish either, although it does feel very corporate (it is owned by PF Chang’s) (They also have one of those soda machines that you can mix a million different flavors of things if you are so inclined).

One of the things that had intrigued me about the place was the fact that a friend had told me he loved their hot and sour soup. So I got a cup of that ($2) as well as a couple of small portion items so that I could try several things. The flavor of the soup wasn’t bad, it had a good amount of the “sour” flavor that I like from the vinegar, but it suffered from the overstarchy consistency that really bugs me in hot and sour soup if it is overdone. You feel almost like you are eating warm savory jello or something.

black bean chicken in the box

I also tried the chicken and black bean sauce ($3.95). This was definitely my favorite of the dishes that I tried. Honestly, even though they sell these more as tapas types of dishes, one of these portions is a very healthy lunch in my opinion. There was rice on the bottom (your choice of white or brown, I got white) and the dish consisted of minced chicken, red onions, carrots, green onion and peppers with a “tangy black pepper sauce.” In theory there were Chinese black beans, but I didn’t see any. I liked this dish—it had more flavor and less sweetness than a lot of quick serve Chinese food, and I would consider getting this one again. It was a bit tangy and you could taste the garlic and soy; and the onions, while still crunchy, were sautéed enough that you didn’t feel like they were just raw. One benefit of mincing the chicken so finely, if it was a little dry (which often seems to happen with Chinese food), you didn’t really notice because it was little teeny pieces covered in the sauce.

about 1/2 of each dish on a dinner plate

The Singapore noodle dish ($3.95) wasn’t as good for me. It was sautéed egg noodles with bean sprouts, red pepper, carrots, chicken, sesame seeds and cilantro. This one had too much of that sweet and sour flavor for me (it was described as a sweet chili soy sauce) I liked the freshness from the cilantro and the crunchy veggies on top to break up all the noodles, but I couldn’t get past the overly sweet flavor. The chicken was dry as well. Although hubby came in while I was eating it and shared them both with me (all the food together was definitely enough for two people to share for lunch in my opinion), and he seemed to enjoy the noodles.

It’s an option, and it is better than actual fast food which is very prevalent around my house (as are chains sadly). It may work its way into my lunch every once in awhile, but I can’t say it will probably be a regular thing for me. But there really isn’t a lot of good Chinese around me that is relatively cheap and so I can see this being a possible option on occasion.

Pei Wei

6159 N Keystone Ave

Indy, 46220

317/205-9380

www.peiwei.com

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Tiger Lily - Revisit

3:16 AM | Labels: Asian, Chinese restaurants, Independent Restaurants, lunch places, Tiger Lily

After having a friend tell me that he really liked Tiger Lily, and since I haven’t been back since my first visit shortly after they opened, I met my friend wibia there for a quick lunch the other day. My friend who had recommended I go back told me that he really liked the hot and sour soup so I ordered that to start ($2.50). It was very good. It was very full of all the typical hot and sour ingredients (bamboo shoots, mushrooms and lots of tofu). I liked that the veggies were still fairly crisp, but not too crisp and I loved all the tofu in it. It also had a decent amount of acidity from the vinegar (sour) and just enough of the spiciness (hot). Our only complaint (we both had the same soup) is that it wasn’t very hot temperature-wise. Not cold or anything, just not hot.

So after ordering what I wanted, which was a noodle dish, our (very pleasant) server came back to tell me they were out of it. I went with garlic chicken ($6.50), which is sort of a standby dish for me at Chinese places. I am bummed I didn’t get to try the noodle dish because it sounded more interesting, and honestly, I wasn’t very impressed with the chicken. It was slices of white meat chicken with water chestnuts and mushrooms in a garlic sauce. One of the things I didn’t like about either of our dishes was that there was very little of the “sauce” other than what was directly on the meat. There was steamed rice with it, and there wasn’t enough of the flavor/sauce to make it onto the rice. The chicken was also a bit dry on the inside as well and the garlic sauce a little bland. Maybe if they gave a bit more of it.

Wibia had the pork bulgogi and I thought it suffered many of the same problems—it was dry and had little “sauce” to it… in other words, just not a lot of flavor. I do appreciate the crisp little egg roll and crab rangoon they give you with your lunch. I liked the egg roll because it was nice and crispy (it is on the small side) and not overly filled with stuff. The crab Rangoon was fine, but I have rarely met one that got me excited (not my favorite thing—cream cheese just doesn’t belong many places for me besides spread on a bagel).

Anyway, it was fine, and I liked the soup, but I wish I could have tried the noodles. So far none of the rice dishes have made me overly interested in returning and I have a feeling it may be awhile again before I do. When this place first opened, there was a lot of buzz about it, but less so as of late. Are there still some of you that are regulars? Love to hear what you think.

Tiger Lily Restaurant

1146 West 86^thStreet

Indy, 46260

317/848-9077

(they’re on facebook)

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Shanghai Lil--Revisit

2:49 AM | Labels: Asian, Castleton Area Restaurants, Chinese restaurants, Independent Restaurants, Northside Restaurant, Shanghai Lil

Shanghai Lil had been a fairly regular place for us (particularly for carry out and dim sum), but for whatever reason, we hadn’t been in ages (last time I posted about it was 2009, holy moley). One of the reasons we don’t go a lot is because my son is allergic to a whole host of nuts, which pretty much rules out Chinese food because of all the nuts used-- I fear that there is a lot of cross-contamination going on with woks, etc. It is just too scary. But the other night he was spending the night at a friend’s, so we took our daughter and went.

I noticed a change on this trip—there are no longer any of the Japanese offerings that they used to have. I always wondered about this, because we never ordered Japanese, and I never saw people eating it. That has got to be expensive to keep up the fresh fish angle (for sushi) if no one is ordering it. We went with a couple of things we have had before and a couple of new things as well.

We started with the stuffed eggplant ($6) and the dumplings in chili oil ($6). The eggplant was a new dish for us—kind of interesting. It is slices of eggplant stuffed with minced pork and tempura fried. It had a garlic ginger sauce. We liked it—a lot of stuff going on here, but the more we ate it, the more we enjoyed it. It was really hot and freshly fried, so it was nice and crunchy on the outside, even with the sauce drizzled on top. It is probably really more of a pork dish than an eggplant dish though—there was a lot of pork stuffed in there. I liked the sauce—it had a nice flavor and wasn’t too sweet.

The dumplings in chili oil are an old standby (one is already missing in the photo), and I am not sure why, but they just weren’t as good as I remembered. Maybe they weren’t made as freshly as other times I have had them or something. They just seemed a little bland and the insides (that contain pork, shrimp, and scallions) didn’t seem to have enough seasoning or something. They have a “spicy sweet” chili oil that was fine, but wasn’t saving the dumplings.

For a main dish, hubby wanted to try the pepper-salt flounder ($18) to see if it was as good as some salt and pepper fish we had in Chicagoawhile back. This is a dish that doesn’t really have a sauce—the fish is just lightly fried and has a very distinct salt and pepper flavor in the crust. There are chilies and scallions chopped and served with it. It was very good. The flounder was nice and tender and the seasoning on the crust while simple, was really good (salty and peppery, go figure). I think we may have even liked it better than the Chicago version. The crust was a little crispier, and it had more of a battered kind of feel than the cornmeal crust that we had before. Not the healthiest choice, but darn good.

My daughter got the crispy shrimp rolls ($4.50) and chicken fried rice ($11). I have had the shrimp rolls a lot before and they are pretty basic (a shrimp wrapped in a spring roll wrapper and fried). There’s a little seasoning in their (chives I think) and they are nice and crunchy, but nothing amazing. Their fried rice is pretty good—not a ton of veggies which my daughter likes. In fact she ate it for several days after for breakfast and was very content.

I still think Shanghai Lil is one of the better Chinese places we have on the Northeast side. It isn’t cheap, but the ingredients are fresh—I feel confident ordering seafood there, which I can’t always say about some Chinese places. And they have dim sum for lunch---and now I am craving that again. But remind me again, what are your favorite places for Chinese?

Shanghai Lil

8505 Keystone Crossing

Indy 46240

317/205-9335

www.shanghai-lil.com

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Sichuan

3:18 AM | Labels: Asian, Carmel, Chinese restaurants, Independent Restaurants

I seem to be on a roll right now of working through several places that have been on my list forever. Hubby and I intended to head to the west side to try one of the great ethnic options over there, but ran short of time and decided to head to Carmel and try Sichuan instead for lunch. They have a really interesting looking buffet, but hubby isn’t supposed to eat from them (long story) so we just ordered off the menu.

We made the mistake of ordering a couple of appetizers that were just too generic and not very good—the crab rangoon ($3.50) and the dumplings ($3.99). They were certainly generous portions for sure, but pretty sure you can get that same crab rangoon anywhere (and honestly, I am not a big fan of them anyhow). The dumplings were just pot stickers that weren’t pan fried. Typical minced pork filling. I thought the skin was a little overly doughy actually so we weren’t doing that well to start. And I kept eyeing the buffet wishing I had gotten it anyway. Lots of interesting looking things.

Then we got our entrée—chicken in garlic sauce ($7.99). Wow, was it good. There was a lot of white meat chicken that was not cooked to death with various veggies—mainly celery and carrots but with a few bamboo shoots and water chestnuts mixed in. The celery and carrots were a tad too al dente for my taste, but the chicken and the sauce alone were so good—a decent spicy kick with a lot of garlic flavor—I mean look at the close up shot and you can see all the minced garlic. We both really liked this. If it were close by my house, I would be getting this dish for carry out a lot. I really liked that it was spicy enough that you could feel it too; so many times I think Chinese places around here don’t really adequately spice their dishes, even when they are designated as spicy on the menu.

Sichuan

11588 Westfield Blvd

Carmel, IN 46032

317/844-7559

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First Wok

3:28 AM | Labels: Chinese restaurants, First Wok, Independent Restaurants, lunch places, Northside Restaurant

On the recommendation of a friend, I stopped in to First Wok on the way home from downtown. I needed something fast and on the way home, and it fit the bill. Plus it was new (to me), which always makes me happy. Also on my friend’s recommendation, I got the chicken wings ($3.45) and a spring roll ($1.20)—and on my own I got some hot and sour soup ($1.85) because a girl cannot live on fried food alone, right? It’s totally a little hole in the wall kind of place, only a couple of tables inside--it is mostly a carry out place.

I was a little hesitant about the wings. I don’t know that I have ever ordered wings at a Chinese place, but am always willing to give something a try. He was right—they were really big, whole wings (not the sad little things you get at so many bars) and they were fried in tasty, crunchy batter. Basically, just some really nice fried chicken. There were 4 in an order which was pretty generous given the price and their size I thought. And I was even kind enough to let hubby eat one of them. He pretty much has been asking for them since. Every time I say, “what should we get for dinner from out?” he is suggesting First Wok just so he can get some wings.

The spring roll was just ok I thought, it was hot and crunchy, but there was some flavor inside it that kind of bugged me—not sure what it was--maybe some certain spice. It was a little sweet almost. The soup was squarely in the middle of hot and sours I have had. It wasn’t totally thick and gloppy like some are, and it had a decent flavor, although not so much heat. Lots of the usual things in there—tofu, mushrooms, egg, and bamboo shoots. I liked that they gave you a little bag of fried wonton chip to go with it (nothing like a little more fried right?)-- I like the crunchiness in my soup.

So, this wasn’t so much a meal as it was a random collection of items to snack on, but the wings are totally worth ordering, and I think it is now the closest fried chicken place to my house, even if it is a Chinese restaurant. And I am inspired to try a few other items as well. Anyone else ever been there?

First Wok

6219 Allisonville Road

Indy 46220

317/253-8448

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Long Thanh

3:26 AM | Labels: Chinese restaurants, Independent Restaurants, Long Thanh, lunch places, Northside Restaurant, Vietnamese

Some friends of mine recently challenged me on twitter about my lack of pho love and suggested I try Long Thanh to get some that I might like. I was kind of surprised that they liked this place so much because it is really super close to my house and I have never eaten there. I will admit, I went in once shortly after we moved here, and picked up a menu, but just never went back. Since then, they have classed the place up a bit with some décor (I remember it being just pretty much white all over and kind of divey) and some tablecloths. Also, the lady who waited on me both times (one of the husband/wife owners I believe) was really nice and when I came the second time remembered me and asked me if I wanted the same drink.

So I met my friends for lunch shortly after their recommendation to see if they were right. Although, on this first trip, I didn’t order the pho. Just being difficult I guess, but I haven’t found pho in Indy that I really like yet, so I wanted to try something else first and get an idea if I liked the place before I moved on to something that I am obviously kind of picky about. I had a Vietnamese spring roll (you know, the non-fried kind)($2.75 for 2) and the “grilled shrimp noodle”(#54)($6.95). So, I have to admit, those non-fried spring rolls don’t usually really get me going unless they are wrapped really tight and are small and easy to eat. And it helps if there is a fair amount of meat in them (I like to be able to see several shrimp). This one was more like a salad roll with mostly (fresh) greens—lettuce and herbs. There was a little meat in it, but not much. And it was kind of fat and messy and not my favorite thing. They were served with a thick, plum sauce with peanuts on top to dip in though which helped a bit.

I really liked the noodles and shrimp dish though—it was a bowl filled with lettuce and bean sprouts and topped with hot rice noodles, and sautéed shrimp and green onions. There were some crushed peanuts on top as well as some shredded carrots. I really like rice noodles in general—they are lighter and don’t feel so filling and the combo of the nicely cooked shrimp with some noodles and some crunchy veggies from the bottom of the bowl was good. It was served with a light, slightly sweet sauce (with a bit of chili paste and garlic it) that I enjoyed dunking my noodles into. So they were right, I was liking this place.

So the next challenge was to go back and get the pho and see how it went. I met a friend again (different one this time) and we started with the Vietnamese pancake ($6.95). I love these in general, and this one in particular. It was truly like a crepe, they way I like them, light and really thin but perfectly crispy on the edges. Folded inside were sprouts, sautéed onions, pork, shrimp, and with cilantro and romaine lettuce on the side and served with some of the same sauce I had above with my noodles. My only complaint, if I had one, is that the inside stuff was just a little oily, but not so much that it stopped us from eating ALL of it. And it is pretty generous in size. I would certainly get this again. I really really liked how crisp the outside was. Perfect.

So, I got the rare beef pho ($6.75). And guess what? I liked it. This is the first pho I have had in Indy where I felt like the dish really had some flavor. And the flavor comes from the broth—the noodles are the same rice noodles that I had had in the dish before and they are just a complement to the broth really. There are also some sautéed onions and green onions in the bowl as well as the very thin slices of beef. So, of course, there is no way the beef really stays rare in that steaming broth, but these pieces of beef were thin and tender and very good. I thought they were fairly plentiful as well as I kept making sure I got all of them. You are also served a fresh plate with bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, jalapeno slices and a juicy lime wedge. I did add some of all of this into the bowl, which more than anything added a wonderful aroma. I did not have to add any sauces to it, which I have had to do in the past at other places just to get a little flavor. The broth stood on its own and I can officially say I found a pho that I liked. Cheers to my friends who recommended it (and if you have a favorite pho location, please share!).

Long Thanh

5707 East 71^st Street

Indy 46220

317/842-6499

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Szechwan Garden

3:26 AM | Labels: Chinese restaurants, dim sum, Independent Restaurants, lunch places, Szechwan Gardem, Westside restaurants

I have been wanting to try out this place for lunch ever since I heard they have dim sum on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. I have been nagging hubby for a Friday lunch over there, and he finally gave in. I love dim sum, and while I enjoy the dim sum lunches at Shanghai Lil’s, variety is the spice of life right? And it is always nice to find something a little cheaper. Szechwan Garden is set in what looks like an old family style restaurant—it is quite large. When we got there, there weren’t many people in there and the menu they gave us was not the dim sum menu, so make sure if that is what you go for, that you ask. They brought us one, with pictures and everything. So we ordered the standards for us—the spring rolls, the shrimp dumplings, the sui mai, as well as a few other things—the fried dumplings and the scallion pancake.

Probably our favorite thing was the fried dumplings ($3.95)*—they were sort of like pot stickers in flavor, but the dumpling skin seemed less doughy and had amazing crisped edges. The inside was a pork filling but there were fresh bits of green onion in there as well that kept it from tasting like the filling of every other dumpling. But the skin was what really made it special. They were delicious.

The spring rolls ($2.65) were also quite good (4 come in an order, hubby had already taken one). They were the deep fried type, and filled with your standard cabbage type filling, but the wrapper on the rolls was more like a super thin type crepe—it had a great crisp texture, but with just a tiny bit of sponginess if you know what I mean. They were crazy hot when we first got them, and actually benefited from sitting a bit. We both enjoyed the second one better than the first. But they were also quite good and I liked that the insides weren’t all stringy like some are.

The shrimp dumplings were your standard shrimp dumplings ($3.95)—just the dumpling skin stuffed with shrimp and nothing really else. I always have to have an order of these when I have dim sum, and this time was no exception. They were probably middle of the pack for all the ones I have had. The scallion pancake ($2) was pretty good as well—a nice additional filler thing. I like to balance my steamed things with crunchy items and this served as a good crunchy item. However, this was not a dish that was served well by sitting around at all, so eat this one quickly if you get it. After a bit, it started to lose its crunch. It had a decent amount of scallion flavor.

By far our least favorite thing was the sui mai, ($2.95) or steamed pork dumplings. Honestly, as soon as I saw them, I had my doubts. The pork filling was dense and tough, like a bad meatball. The dumpling that the meat sat in just didn’t seem as fresh as everything else—actually the dish on the whole just didn’t have the freshness that everything else had. It tasted like it could’ve been made a few days ago. I like sui mai that taste like they have some other ingredients in them (they are sometimes made with shrimp as well as the pork) but these dumplings just tasted like pork to me.

All in all, it was a good experience, and I am intrigued to try the regular menu as well. There were several groups of people who came in for lunch and ordered communal dishes that all looked quite tasty. I was really eyeing the sautéed eggplant at the table next door. And I am hoping to get better about trying more places on the west side. There are so many options over there. What other Asian places do you like on that side of town?

Szechwan Garden

3649 Lafayette Road

Indianapolis, IN 46222

317/328-2888

*note that I may have reversed a few of the prices-- on my receipt a couple were in English and a couple were in Chinese. I made my best estimate, and the total bill including two drinks was right at $20 if that is helpful.

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Naisa -- Revisit

3:22 AM | Labels: Chinese restaurants, Downtown Restaurants, Fountain Square Restaurants, lunch places, Naisa

Recently I stopped into Naisa for a follow up lunch. I couldn’t believe how long it had been since my last visit. I hadn’t been to Fountain Square in awhile, and I really like this part of the City. Recently, I have also been reading articles about Fountain Square’s struggles with the construction in the area and I wanted to make sure to support the area. Indy has a lot of really great restaurants in this area and I would hate to see any of them lost because of the hassle of the parking and traffic in the area. Getting over there was a bit of a challenge because at the time, there were several roads closed into Fountain Square (which look like they have since re-opened), and you just have to plan on parking off the main streets, but if you go in knowing that, it isn’t a really big deal to just park on a side street. Wow, though, you had to feel for Naisa, they don’t even have a sidewalk in front right now, just a bunch of crushed gravel right up to the door. But once I was in, I was happy to see that pretty much every table was full. I also saw a lot of people coming and going in Siam Square across the street. These are two of my favorite Fountain Square places so I was glad they seemed to be doing okay.

Anyway, I wanted to get something different than I got the first time we were there, so I started with the hot and sour soup this time. I quite enjoyed it. It was your traditional hot and sour soup with lots of stuff in it—bits of egg, tofu, and bamboo shoots. The broth was a little thicker than is my personal preference, but I thought it was good. It wasn’t super spicy (some I have had other places gets me in the back of the throat) but it had a nice peppery flavor. I also always like the little fried wontons on the side to throw in and add a little crunch.

For my entrée, I tried the chicken with garden veggies. It was all white meat chicken pieces sautéed with lots of different veggies—broccoli, snow peas, mushrooms, cabbage and carrots. On both my visits, I found the chicken to be well cooked—nice and tender. The veggies were nice—still crisp and fresh, but still cooked enough that you don’t just feel like they are raw. The soy-based sauce was pleasant, although I can’t say the dish overall had a ton of flavor. There was a little seafood fried wonton on the side. It wasn’t overly cream cheesy, and was a nice variation of flavor. These in general don’t tend to be my favorite thing but I enjoy one or two with a dish. The meal for lunch (including the soup) is around $7.50 (sorry I lost my receipt).

Overall, this is a place I enjoy. I don’t find it amazing, but compared to a lot of casual Chinese lunch places, the food is much fresher. It tastes like they are making an effort in the kitchen to put out high quality, fresh dishes. If I was downtown a lot, I would probably frequent this place. But now that I think about it, are there other good Chinese places for lunch downtown? I am down there about once a week for lunch, and I would be curious to know if you can recommend other downtown Chinese places.

Naisa

1025 Virginia Avenue

Indy 46203

317/602-3708

www.naisacafe.com

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Happy Dragon

4:00 AM | Labels: Chinese restaurants, Happy Dragon, Independent Restaurants, lunch places

So I have to say I sort of have a bad habit of judging Chinese restaurants by their “cover.” Well, by the way they look outside. Happy Dragon is a place I drive by at least once, if not twice every day, and I often shop at the Kroger next door. Honestly, I never thought I would step foot inside.

I was having lunch with a friend on a very limited time frame in the area, and for whatever reason, we decided to try it. It is a small place, with maybe 6-8 booths and a little counter where you order. Interestingly they bring you your food served in take out containers, even if you are eating there, which I guess is convenient if you are going to take the leftovers home, and saves them from having a dishwasher I guess, but I tend to prefer to sit and eat a meal on actual dishes. But maybe I am too high maintenance.

The prices are reasonable for lunch. For around $5, you get the entrée and either fried or steamed rice and a choice of soup, egg roll, or a can of soda. I splurged and got the soup and a can of soda (my meal was $4.95 plus the soda). I started with the hot and sour soup because I had just had such a good one at Sesame the other day, and was in the mood. So the thing about the soup, there was lots of good stuff in it, tofu, wood ear mushrooms, button mushrooms and bamboo shoots. It certainly had the distinct sour flavor and a little bit of the heat. But my problem was that it was really over-starched for me. It came across as too gelatinous which is something I really don’t care for. For me, I like this kind of soup to be…well, soupy. A thinner broth, rather than something this thickened.

As for my entrée, I went with one of my standbys, garlic chicken, because I am now determined to find a really good one. And it is sort of nice to compare the same dish from place to place sometimes. Unfortunately, this is not going to be a repeat dish (or most likely a repeat restaurant). There was a generous amount of chicken and veggies (a lot of broccoli, some mini corn, green bell pepper, and water chestnuts). Again, though, my biggest problem was with the overwhelming amount of starch in the sauce (and maybe even corn syrup?). It was sticky and gloppy, and this is not how I like my Chinese food (or anything else). It reminded me of the stuff you can buy in a bottle that is supposed to replicate Chinese food at home. You needed a wet wipe after you ate it. The chicken was all white, and while not exceedingly tender, wasn’t bad. The veggies were certainly on the crisp side, but everything was so coated with the sauce, that honestly, I didn’t eat that much of it. And, hello, can I please get a garlic chicken with some garlic in it?

So, I guess maybe I should listen to my instinct more about judging a place by its appearance. At least in this case, anyway, because it turns out I was right. And when I compare this meal to my recent pretty much identical one at least in name at Sesame (which wasn’t perfect), but was so much better, I know I will not be walking through the door of this place again. So, come on people, let’s hear your suggestions. Who has the best Chinese in town?

Happy Dragon

5868 E. 71^st Street

Indy 46220

317/570-8888

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Taiwan Tea House -Reopen

3:10 AM | Labels: Castleton Area Restaurants, Chinese restaurants, Independent Restaurants, Taiwan Tea House

I was quite happy to see Taiwan Tea House return after quite a lengthy absence. It has been quite a few months since they had to move one strip mall down (I assume because of the new Nordstrom Rack and Container Store going in). The sign was back up almost immediately, but it took quite awhile for the place to actually get running again. But I am happy to say it is—it is quite near my house in an area that is somewhat lacking in good lunch choices (it is right next to the Barnes and Noble at 82^nd & Dean), so it was missed when it was gone. The new interior is remarkably similar to the last one, clean and simple.

Although I really enjoyed my Mapo chicken last time, for the benefit of variety, the BFF and I both got different things. And you know I was really glad I did, because I really liked the things we got on this visit too. We started with an order (6) of “boiling dumplings” ($4.55) which were nice and light (and pork filled). Your classic dumplings, much like I recently had at Saigon, but with a sauce that was a little more unique. It had the soy flavor as well as the slightly sour vinegar taste along with lots of chilis. They were good, but not amazing. I have yet to have an appetizer here that blew me away.

We were also brought a bowl of soup (comes with the entrée), which I liked a lot more than the one I remember having before. This one tasted like a light miso soup with large pieces of tofu in it. It had more depth of flavor than what I remember having there before, which I remember to pretty much just be a chicken broth. We both commented on liking it (don’t get me wrong, it isn’t life altering or anything, but mild and comforting).

I ordered the “family tofu with meat” for my entrée ($6.95). The dish consisted of lightly fried cubes of tofu, chicken (you have your choice of meat), and lots of veggies (broccoli, onions, carrots) in a rich brown sauce—it wasn’t overly sweet l (yea! finally) and had a nice flavor—tasted like it had soy and maybe some oyster sauce in it. The ingredients are exceptionally fresh, and the more I ate of it, the more I wanted. The chicken was also properly cooked, and was a slightly firmer texture than went nicely with the very soft tofu and crunchy veg. I really enjoyed the combination of different textures—you don’t often see tofu and meat in a dish, and I liked it. They also give you a couple of crab rangoons with each lunch, which while the aren't my favorite, are a nice change from the egg rolls you get everywhere else. And they are small and very crunchy adding a nice crunch to the meal.

I had a couple of bites of my friend’s Lo Mein as well (which was enormous by the way). There were lots of nice pieces of chicken as well as the pile of noodles, and the flavor was interesting. It had a brownish sauce as well, but tasted as though it may have some sesame oil in it as well, and possibly some vinegar (in addition to soy). It did have a slightly sweet flavor, but that was set off nicely by the other things.

All in all, I am glad to have Taiwan Tea House back in business, and judging by the people who kept slowly streaming in as we ate, I am not the only one.

Taiwan Tea House

3746 E. 82^nd Street

Indy 46250

317/598-9733

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