rev:text
| - I specifically came in for their lunch special (available until 4pm daily) because I was not in the mood for AYCE. With the previous management, you were able to order Shabu items a la carte, now for lunch it is AYCE shabu. For dinner, the grill is a choice and you can order specialty cooked items.
I ordered the Kung Pao Shrimp and it was more just the shrimp with veggies and a bowl of rice...it came as a bento with fried rice, edamame and fried vegetables! Was not expecting that combo and was pleasantly surprised. Oh and then a couple minutes later, a small bowl of westlake soup came out! I love soup! How did they know it was the key to my heart?!
The food was good. The shrimp was small but I was expecting big anyway; they were about an 1 to 1 1/2 inches when curled up. Flavor was not spicy enough but at least it wasn't a salt lick like some other Chinese restaurants. The edamame was warm and cooked al dente. The fried vegetables were not tempura style, as I think they used rice flour so the fried batter had a rice cake consistency. The vegetables were broccoli, carrot and I think strips of potato. Fried rice was normal but the rice was not that day old crap. Westlake soup was yum and freshly made.
Since I didn't order Shabu and the person sitting next to me did, let me tell you about what I saw. The server explained the menu, how to cook, where the sauce station was and where to grab more food to cook when ready. I thought the server was helpful to the newbie and that's cool. The guy called his friend to tell him he is trying a new restaurant where he cooks food in soup, blah, blah.
Like I said the last time I was here, I hope they make it. I really like this place but I alone can't keep this place afloat.
Last note, in addition to the pop and top 40 music they play, they mix in with the pop Chinese Cantonese and mandarin music too... which is awesome.
|