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wpot Apr 16, 2006 02:31 AM

Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant

anyone been to this place? another version of c-food... would like to hear a report...

  1. s
    steve31 Apr 17, 2006 06:21 PM

    Check, Please! Bay Area did a show on this place. Here is the link.

    Link: http://blogs.kqed.org/food/?p=110

    1. a
      amyd Apr 17, 2006 12:28 PM

      I'd never been until a few weeks ago, and I'd definitely go back. We had the hot pot, which is on some menus (mine had it, my husband's didn't) as an insert on the front cover. With this, you choose the ingredients you'd like to include; we had the thinly sliced lamb, spinach, and tofu, all in their house broth. The menu also mentions a warm pot; when I asked which was better (hot or warm), the waiter said "look around, which do you see everyone eating?" Thus, we had the hot pot. We also had the beef pancake (delicious) and the stirred flour balls with vegetables. Although the vegetables were a mixture of fresh and canned (baby corn was among the latter), this dish was addictive. Looking around, I saw a few orders of stir-fried lamb with scallions (not sure whether this was the one with the cumin) that also looked appealing. I think it's equally possible to have a good meal here without the hot pot, although a first visit definitely should include it. That said, I suspect that there are numerous dishes on the menu that are best skipped (some stir-fries I saw did not look appealing).

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        anna Apr 16, 2006 05:27 PM

        Only been there once, but the food was great. It's really more authentic Mandarin food, not so much the Chinese American style dishes. You'll be happy if you like spicy (hot) food.

        1. c
          CH Addict Apr 16, 2006 03:36 PM

          I will forever be grateful to Windy for introducing me to this place. Stick to the front and back side of the first page and you will dine in style. I didn't try the hot pot (not on the menu, I hear) but just about everyone around us had it. Get the "plate o' death," #29 (?) and I think really called pepper plate. So good!

          1. m
            Melanie Wong Apr 16, 2006 02:58 AM

            Here's a link to a recent thread to get you started.

            Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

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