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| - I really, really want to give this place a better rating, because by far this is one of the most authentic Chinese food place in Madison. I remember all my favorite breakfast and lunch specials back home in Shanghai, and their baked goods selection covers most everything I expect. If there's anyone who wants to know what Chinese people eat, this is the place to be. Also it's quite affordable.
Having said that, the actual taste of the food was so disappointing. I got their fish congee (it taste better than it sounds), a pastry with red bean filling, and a hot milk tea. Usually these types of porridge are very savory, because they're stewed with preserved eggs and ham, and cooked using a meat broth, but what I got here was bland and boring. Maybe they skimped on the preserved eggs, because those things are umami bombs. The bun was mediocre as well - decent filling but kind of small, and the breading of the pastry was a bit dry. I say disappointing not in the sense that it didn't compare to the best I've ever had. It's disappointing because it didn't quite reach a good enough level where I feel satisfied, and I could see that it's almost there...but not quite.
I thought long and hard about whether to cave and bump up my rating for this place in the name of supporting ethnic food, but I couldn't convince myself that the meal I got was worth anything more than an "A-OK". No matter what the circumstances, the food must stand for and by itself, and as of right now it's not quite there.
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