san carlos chinese

[Mel]

so i just went through previous postings, and again, I am at a loss for any good chinese nearby.... lucky buddha is okay, been there a few times, but anything else.... i am sick and dying for some spicy hot and sour soup.

thanks

[Ronald Wong]

You might try the Hong Kong on Ralston Ave about a half block from the El Camino. It's a hole in the wall, but I love the Char Sui Won Ton, Hong Kong style chow mein, and Beef Stew Chow Mein. Three of us had that last nite, and the check was only $18 including tax. Hard to beat the prices.

[Tabetai yo]

ABC is OK. I took a couple of years off and just visited again recently. It's definitely not great but it is reasonably good. Instead of hot & sour for your cold, why not some great wonton soup or the hot pot at Broadway Bistro in Millbrae? It's goooood...and cheap.

[barbara234]

We like Yan's Garden, particularly the delivery option. Some items are better than others. I really like their Phoenix and Dragon for not spicy. Their potstickers and fried wontons are good too.
There is also a place in Foster City, called ABC Seafood, that is outstanding. It was recommended by a Chinese friend, who is a real "foodie".

[rednails]

I haven't eaten at ABC in awhile but can verify that it's a very busy place. Very popular on Sundays w/many Chinese families. I see lots of wedding parties go there.

[vwbug7]

The best Chinese place we have found so far in San Carlos is Fon Yong. It is next to the Buffalo Wing restaurant on Holly Street across from 7-11. They have a great curry beef. They use only white meat chicken in their dishes, and they use no MSG and very little oil. Their portions are very generous, and they recently started delivery service. We had Yan's delivered once, and we found their food to be very bland. But maybe it was an off night? In San Mateo, hands down our favorite is Little Szechuan, on 4th Avenue. Their Kung Pao chicken is the best we've had, and very spicy with fresh jalepenos. We had take out last night from Oxford Street on Laurel, and it was very good, and large portions.

[orezscu]

I'm glad to hear you've had good food at Fon Yong. Last time I stopped in I got some chow fun that had been boiled almost to a paste, but in the past I've enjoyed several meals there. Yes, they use all-white chicken meat, which I think is unusual, and he has some meat prep technique where the chunks have a rough-looking surface texture (but are extremely tender). The woman who runs the front of the (small) house is extremely friendly and remembered me though it had been maybe three weeks between my first and second visit. In fact, one time I was walking past with my daughter and she ran out with a fortune cookie for her. I understand they are recognized as a vegetarian specialty place, offering recreations of things like "kung pao chicken" that use wheat gluten chunks or what have you.

Yan's is clean-tasting fresh food, but not likely to turn your forehead red, no. I like the greaselessness of their broths and the clean, pure flavors of their vegetables.

[montanahans]

I just had lunch at Little Sichuan based on your rec, vw, and wow it was really good! Based on a Yelp review, I ordered the Spicy Cold Noodles with Shredded Chicken. It was delicious. First of all, it is an enormous portion of noodles for the reasonable price of $7. The lunch meal is served with a sweet and sour starter soup that has a yummy smoky flavor, a plate of sweetened won-ton chips and a pot of tea, all included in the $7 price tag. The cold dish itself (which was served in 5 minutes) was simple, and perfectly executed: two types of noodles (I think one was chow mien), flavorful white chicken, a nice spicy-hot sauce that I'd never tried before, all topped with fresh thinly sliced cucumbers. The service was excellent and the spacious venue was clean and crowded. This Chower HIGHLY recommends Little Sichuan in San Mateo. Thanks for the rec, vwbug7!

[rworange]

link

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Little Sichuan
168 E 4th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401

[rworange]

Let's see if I can get it right this time.

[rworange]

one more try

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Little Sichuan
168 E 4th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401

[bbulkow]

Nuts, Little Sichuan is GREAT. The dishes I had at first sample blew away Crouching Tiger.

Spicy Jellyfish - crunchy, numbing, and an extra kind of pepper added depth.

Twice cooked pork - a "standard dish", executed especially well. Hot enough, tasty meat. Our fallback if the other dishes failed.

Tofu flour in bamboo box - Soft tofu stewed in a peculiar sauce. Can't describe it. Loved it.

I saw other round-eye tables with General's Chicken, Dry Fried String Beans, etc. The first two pages are in a different chinese font; I just ordered adventurously from those first pages to spectacular results. I strongly suggest going beyond the average comfort zone.

The translations are worse than usual, hoewver.

And - it's in a converted IHOP!

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Crouching Tiger
2644 Broadway St, Redwood City, CA 94063

IHOP
531 Foster City Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404

[Shane Greenwood]

Since this is a resurrected thread from 3+ years ago, I'll add that nothing has improved in San Carlos for Chinese food. The closest Chinese that is good is Joy in Foster City. Lots of reviews and descriptions on CH if you follow the link.

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Joy Restaurant
1489 Beach Park Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404

[yimster]

Well for Hong Kong style home style food there is Blue Sky in Belmont on El Camino Real. Still good for homey Cantonese style food.

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Blue Sky Cafe
1625 El Camino Real, Belmont, CA

[RWCFoodie]

I'll second the vote for Blue Sky... definitely homey !

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Blue Sky Restaurant
1504 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133

[scarmoza]

Hung To Seafood Restaurant (in South City) is great for dim sum in the late mornings - afternoon
http://www.hungtoseafood.com/

[Mel]

well i ordered from Yan's last night and the hot and sour soup was good, as well as the kung pao chicken. It wasn't the best I have had, but it was definitely better than other places we have tried around here. It all seemed fresh and not overly greasy. I also think it might have been better if the delivery guy didn't get lost for 20 minutes. Next time, I would go and pick it up.

[Mel]

I ordered Yan's last night and they didn't get lost and were at my house within 20 minutes, food pipping hot and very delicious. I think this might be the best in SC that I have found.

[orezscu]

There are so many Chinese restaurants on Laurel St in San Carlos, particularly south of Arroyo. Has anyone tried the string of little hole-in-the-wall places -- Flower Drum, Oxford St., Amazing Wok, New Canton, etc.

Yan's delivery is very fast, had it twice now.

[Mel]

amazing wok is marginal at best

[plainjane]

I think that Flower Drum is owned by the same people as Lucky Buddha. We get take out from there often because it seems like the best choice out a mediocre bunch. Their Walnut prawns are good but their hot and sour soup is bland.

[yimster]

The choices in the is mostly limited to American Chinese. You will need to either head North (San Mateo) or South (Moutain View) for better Chinese.

I was told Lucky Buddha has recently changed hands and may not be doing Cantonese/Macau style food. If it go more Northern Chinese it maybe what you may want.

[K K]

My brother who used to order catering from LB for work in San Mateo directly from the owner, told me that the ownership has not changed. In fact the same people also own a restaurant somewhere in San Jose (near where my brother works now, who still frequently puts in catering orders through the same owner who spends time between LB and the SJ restaurant - sorry don't know the name right now). The latest news is that the owner also recently bought Jade Palace at Stanford Shopping Center, so not sure where you heard LB changed hands...

[PekoePeony]

I went to Lucky Buddha for the first time this past weekend, for take-out. The restaurant is changing its name to "Henry's Garden Restaurant", but it's under the same owner. I'm not sure if the menu is changing.

We ordered standard dishes but nothing was very good; perhaps the white board items would be better. The kung pao chicken was probably one of the worst renditions I've ever had. Also we had a discomforting experience when one of the items was missing and tried calling the restaurant about it. The result was weird and I wouldn't order from them again.

[yimster]

Well, I was told by someone who knows the owner of LB and I guess I will have to go and try it myself soon.

[K K]

OK so another version of the story I heard tonight during dinner at Chef Wai with family is that Jenny (the Vietnamese Chinese owner of LB) did sell the LB location in San Carlos. The original LB chef is headed for the newly bought Jade Palace at Stanford Shopping Center, supposedly same food. Not sure if the restaurant will now be LB or Jade Palace. My brother said the San Jose restaurant that Jenny owns is so so. If this is all true, then perhaps Jade Palace is the place to go next (assuming the chef from Macau that was a LB will be at JP). We'll see. The part about Jenny buying JP is true though.

[Humbucker]

Where is Jade Palace? I wasn't aware that there was a Chinese restaurant in the Stanford Shopping Center.

[Melanie Wong]

Stumped me too. Here's the listing of restaurants at Stanford Shopping Center.
http://www.stanfordshop.com/Dining.aspx
We can only hope that the horrid Long Life Noodle is kaput. But there is a Jade Palace on California Avenue in Palo Alto, maybe that's the location?

JADE PALACE
151 S CALIFORNIA AV
PALO ALTO, CA 94306
Phone [phone]

[Melanie Wong]

Any updates on Jade Palace/Lucky Buddha in Palo Alto?

[doc]

If Jade Palace is the place in the condo complex on California Avenu near the railroad tracks, it is pretty bad. Nice people, good service, but on the basis of my 1 visit, I wouldn't return. I had the dish I usually order to test the freshness of ingredients in new places -- some variation of crispy noodles with seafood -- typically scallops, shrimps, and calamari. I smelled the dish before it hit the table, and clearly some of the seafood was off. A couple of the scallops were grayish, so that may have been it, but they also served the rubbery/preserved calamari which I'm not a fan of. This location has been a death trap for restaurants ...maybe they'll get their act together, but it's a "no" for now.

[Melanie Wong]

Sorry to hear this, sounds pretty icky. How recently was this?

[doc]

Recently ... I think about a month ago.

[AnnCw]

I went to eat at Jade Palace once and I will not recommend anyone to go there. Three of us ordered black pepper cubed steak $19.95 ( recommend by the waiter). Thai style fish, less than a pound, $25.95 on our check, the price written on the board is just $19.95, Jenny told us the price difference is because the chef use a better kind of fish instead of the catfish. It's a rip off. Lastly we had a clay pot of 3 cups chicken. The food is all very bland with MSG and it's not worth for the price.

[orezscu]

Sorry, it's a mailing list, not a website.
Is there anything in closer towns, like San Bruno (larger Asian communities, I believe) that is more legit?

I think the only live seafood tank I've even seen in the area is at Lucky Buddha.

[orezscu]

Yan's Garden on Laurel is getting really good reviews by the local parents' online group. I've eaten there and found it fresh, hot and better than many of the others in town.

http://www.yansgarden.com/v3/

Also highly recommended is a more upscale place in Belmont called Gin Mon.

[gourmetwannabe]

After being spoiled eating SF Chinese food, i've sadly come to the conclusion that the chinese restaurants in San Carlos/Belmont aren't up to snuff.
Out of curiousity, can you post the link to the "local parents' online group"?

[peppatty]

Have you tried Yan's garden? I'm curious if this could be a new find since I'd love a local dependable chinese food place and it looks like the prices are reasonable.

[RWCFoodie]

China Village on Ralston in Belmont is probably your best bet though I can't recall having their Hot & Sour soup specifically...