| rev:text
| - I'll admit I was somewhat skeptical of the positive reviews this place has been garnering-- mainly because the restaurant is "VIP Asian Cuisine" -- Asian, not Chinese or Japanese or Korean specifically, but just "Asian". To me, Asian cuisine is usually a clue for "really mediocre Americanized Asian-style food" but this was not the case for VIP.
The interior has a great vibe. Really upscale and trendy. Dimly-lit, but not annoyingly so, with really friendly servers (Gasp! yes, friendly servers!)
Prices are pretty reasonable. $14-18 for Hibachi items, $9-12 for Chinese entrees, and $7 for the Chinese lunch special that comes with fried rice and soup. Bento boxes are $10, and the typical sushi roll will run around $8.
For the food, I was generally very impressed. The Americanized Chinese food was really stellar. General Tsos Chicken and Sesame Chicken had white meat chicken, no tough chunks, and a great sauce that actually had some kick to it (along with some chili peppers).
Authentic Chinese dishes that I tried were pretty solid too. Dan Dan noodles had less pork flavor than I hoped, but it was overall quite tasty and not too oily like you may find elsewhere. The Ma Po Tofu wasn't bad. Lots of tofu, some spice, and a generally good flavor.
The Hot and Sour soup was not good, I thought. No one that ordered it in my party liked it. I'd opt for Egg drop or another soup.
I would suggest going for lunch with a few friends... Get some of the Chinese lunch entrees, maybe a Hibachi item and a Bento box and share! There are lots of options, and the quality seems very high here.
|