Pennsylvania
China Garden (Erie)***/$-$$
It seems these days that a Chinese restaurant or buffet is as easy to find as
convenient store that sells milk. Trust me, there are a lot of them! Erie, PA
is no different. But, there's something about China Garden in particular that makes
it stand out from the crowd.
I've noticed a trend developing in recent months for Chinese buffets. Some
of them are very good, but the one thing that I've noticed is that they all seem to have
"cheap" Chinese food...like fast food chains have "cheap" burgers.
But, not China Garden. The quality of the food that they serve in entrees or
on their lunch buffet is the best that I've had anywhere in town.
The service at China Garden is also very good. While it's not the service
of your five star restaurants, it's quite friendly and very prompt. I've NEVER had
to wait for a table at this place, nor have I ever had a problem obtaining what I've
wanted in terms of food or drink. The hosts and servers are polite, and if you go
there often, they'll even remember your name.
China Garden offers both full service dining for lunch and dinner, as well as a
very nice all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. I've experienced both.
The lunch buffet is relatively small when compared to other establishments that
specialise in large buffets. However, I find that the selection is still sufficient
to find what you like and to have your mid-day fill. It is competitively priced,
and, as I mentioned before, is stocked with a higher quality selections, which I believe
makes up for any lack of size. The only other drawback is that they don't include
Wonton Soup on the buffet, which is one of my favourites. And, China Garden's Wonton
Soup beats ANY other Wonton Soup that I've tasted!! However, you may request it at
the cost of an additional $0.25 per bowl.
For dinner, the restaurant offers a wide range of appetisers and entrees.
Their menu also includes a variety of combination platters, which include your choice of
soup, rice, teriyaki chicken skewers, egg roll, entree, and desert. I cannot
distinguish between the portions offered in combination platters and the normal entrees,
and all of the extras cost only a dollar or two more. It's a great bargain!
I ordered a combination platter with the Sesame Shrimp entree accompanied by
wonton soup, fried rice, and a 7-Up. The 7-Up came first. Everyone knows what
7-Up tastes like, I hope. The wonton soup followed soon after, and it was the best
version of this soup that I've ever had. The broth was very flavourful, and the
noodles were very tender with a sweet-tasting filling. The teriyaki chicken skewers
were marinated in a very good sauce, and the rice was average, but not spectacular.
The egg roll was disappointing because it lacked any substance, with a filling dominated
by cabbage. The Sesame Shrimp, however, was very well prepared. The sauce was
sweet and spicy, and the shrimp were coated in a crisp, light batter, providing a
complimentary texture along with the onion and lettuce with which they were served.
The meal was rounded off with some very good sugar-topped fried cakes. Everything
was served with good timing and fairly average presentation which met, but did not exceed
expectations.
I recommend this restaurant to anyone seeking very good quality Chinese cuisine
at very reasonable prices. It is located just off Rt. 19 amidst a heavily
commercialised area of large shopping plazas just south of the Millcreek Mall.
Enjoy!
CONTACT:
China Garden Restaurant
6801 Peach Street
Erie, PA 16509
Tel: (814) 868-2695
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