Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant is one of those hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants that at first glance you might avoid. You make excuses on why you haven't eaten there, "Oh, I don't know if it's open or not it's hard to tell..." or "It's the location. Maybe if it wasn't located in [insert rough neighborhood here. My personal favorite is China Town] I wouldn't mind eating there."
My initial excuse was that Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant has large (and I mean LARGE) posters all over the exterior (and interior) of their restaurant advertising special dishes. Now these posters weren't colorful and displaying pictures of dishes. These posters were black and white large-font print. However interesting pepper-salt frog legs may sound to me I would much rather view a specials menu than gaze around the room looking at the additions to their menu.
Golden Eagle has a number of interesting items on their menu (this much I knew without taking a glance at the actual menu). "Wallpaper Specials" as I will refer to them in the future included pepper-salt frog legs (which I hear are delicious), pepper-salt quail, honey-shrimp with walnuts, shark fin soup, pork belly with taro and so on and so forth (yes I wasn't exaggerating as to the number of these papers lining the restaurant). While I didn't try any of these specials except the honey-shrimp with walnuts, I did get to try their house special for two.
The house special for two ($29.99) included egg-drop soup, chicken with house sauce, honey-shrimp with walnuts and crispy gau-gee mein. My friend and I also ordered beef-broccoli with cake noodle to top it off.
The waitress was friendly and it seemed that she was the only one running the front of the house operations at Golden Eagle. She brought us water and tea and took our order. I noticed that the tea was slightly sweet and not the usual tea that you would find at a Chinese restaurant. But I wasn't in much of a tea-drinking mood that day so I didn't mind too much.
The waitress reappeared with our egg-drop soup and served both of us a bowl-full. There was enough left over for maybe two more bowls so the portions were quite generous. The soup was your standard American-influenced egg-drop. I noticed that the carrots and peas that were added into the soup tasted frozen (maybe canned?) but definitely were not fresh-cut.
By the time I was about halfway done with my soup more dishes arrived. First up was the rice followed by the chicken in house sauce. The chicken was stir-fried with bell peppers and onions and covered in what looked to be a blazing-hot chili pepper sauce at first glance. However after diving into the platter of chicken I found it to be mildly spicy and quite tasty.
Next up was the crispy gau-gee mein and the beef-broccoli with cake noodles. Two very standard dishes that you see in most Americanized Chinese restaurants. The reason why these two dishes were ordered were of course for comparison between other Chinese restaurants around the island. After digging into both I came to the conclusion that they were your average crispy gau-gee mein and beef-broccoli with cake noodles with one exception -- the sauce was a bit too sweet.
Last to arrive was the honey-shrimp with walnuts. If you have read my previous Chinese restaurant reviews, you know that this is perhaps one of my favorite dishes to order. When the dish arrived I started with a walnut. It was good. Crunchy and slightly glazed as it should be. I then took a bite of shrimp. The mayonnaise sauce was a bit too sweet yet it was also lacking flavor (not enough salt or MSG. Not to say that they use MSG here of course). The shrimp also tasted a bit undercooked and slimy underneath the batter. I'm not sure what to make of their honey-shrimp with walnuts. Perhaps I'll have to give it another go.
Overall, the meal was decent and the service was great. Who can complain about a lunch like that? Well, I guess I could but hey, I'm sometimes overly critical (and obsessive) when it comes to honey-shrimp with walnuts.
NOTE: About MSG in your Chinese food...it isn't the bubonic plague. I for one don't mind MSG in my food. Please check out the website below for more information on MSG.
For More Information Click Here
Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 4.25
Food Quality: 2.25
Monetary Value: 1.75
Quality vs Quantity: Tie
Overall: 2.75
2334 South King St. (The structure is located along South King however it is facing Young St.)
Honolulu, HI 96826
808-955-5080
Showing posts with label chinese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chinese. Show all posts
March 8, 2010
February 16, 2010
Chinese New Year
Since the revival of 808FS, I've been contemplating where to begin. After a few days of thinking I realized that February 14th was Chinese New Year. What better way to start off my list of long over-due reviews than start off with some of my favorite Chinese restaurants.
Duck Yun
For almost a year Aina Hina Shopping Center has been under constant renovation. Yet in the wake of it all lies one of my favorite Chinese restaurants on the island. One that I hope will not be eaten up in all of the construction.
Duck Yun, like most Chinese restaurants on the island, is a family style restaurant where dishes are ordered a la carte. Like most other Chinese restaurants around the island Duck Yun offers familiar staples such as beef broccoli over cake noodles, cold ginger chicken, chinese style sea bass, lemon chicken, shrimp canton and so on and so forth. However, unlike most Chinese restaurants that I have been to in Hawaii, Duck Yun actually excels in these familiar local staples. Although what really sets Duck Yun apart from most Chinese restaurants is its honey shrimp with walnuts.
Honey shrimp with walnuts. The dish is so amazing that it deserves its own paragraph. I have been to many Chinese restaurants (many popular Chinese restaurants might I add) and none have come close to beating Duck Yun when it comes down to Honey shrimp with walnuts. Don't know what it is? Let me enlighten you (oh you poor deprived...okay it isn't that great but it is tasty). It starts with walnuts that are dunked in simple syrup then left to dry on a cookie sheet then fresh shrimp (I like to think it's fresh..at least hope) dipped in a mochiko batter and wok fried and then tossed in a delicious sauce comprised of mayonnaise, honey, and condensed milk and then topped off with the glazed walnuts. Although I'm sure the recipe varies from place to place this is all that I can come up with from tasting and poking around restaurant to restaurant.
Aside from honey shrimp with walnuts, Duck Yun also makes good salt-pepper shrimp (spicy fried shrimp where you can eat the whole shrimp head, tail, shell and all) and a delicious cuttlefish with sour cabbage.
As for ambiance, Duck Yun is quite large for your typical Chinese restaurant and elaborately decorated with paintings and tables lined with your typical white table cloth. However the service can be improved on as placing an order on the telephone is a horrible ordeal and the wait staff seem a bit pushy. Price wise though, Duck Yun's daily lunch specials and dinner combinations can't be beat ($6.50-$10.00). The dinner combinations all come with soup and a variety of dishes (for one of course).
Duck Lee
If you have been my friend for at least a few months you probably have come to realize that there is something severely wrong with me. I have an obsessive habit. No, it's not drugs and it's not alcohol, it's roast pork. Recently I've been conflicted with my love of Chinese roast pork with the introduction of lechon back in late 2008. It's been a trying year but in 2010 love prevailed and Chinese roast pork is back on top. Recently I've been searching for the best roast pork on the island and what I found at Duck Lee surprised me.
Duck Lee is located in the corner of Market City Shopping Center right next to Fun Factory and has always been there since before I can remember. I remember when I was little I used to love to go to Fun Factory and I would always walk by the window with the chickens and ducks and thought, "Why would someone do that?" and "Why would some one want to eat that?". But now, there is no question in my mind that I would be the first person asking for a half-pound of the stuff. But I didn't show up at Duck Lee for the poultry, I came for pork, roast pork.
Duck Lee is your typical Chinese take-out with half-hotel pans filled with various dishes ranging from spicy eggplant to noodles to who knows what? I didn't care too much (although now that I've had the chance to come back most of what I ate was quite good). The only thing on my mind at the time was roast pork.
The roast pork was okay. Well..pretty good for island standards (and island standards are very good). It wasn't oily (which is the worst kind of roast pork) and the actual pork itself had a lot of flavor. The only reason why I say the roast pork was okay is because on my second trip to Duck Lee I experienced something much more satisfying. The second time around I (of course) ordered roast pork again but this time I also ordered some char siu. I was pleasantly surprised because up until now my preconceived notion was that char siu was a dry cut of meat when in actuality I have just been eating badly prepared char siu. The char siu at Duck Lee is moist and after it is cut up into pieces is covered with a spoonful of shoyu-colored sauce (not sure what it is but it's wonderful). As for the price, it's pretty typical and you can get a plate of the stuff over rice for $7.00.
Royal Kitchen
Being a Sunday morning church-goer I found myself with an amazing opportunity. Church service was early on Valentines Day (8:00 AM) and it just so happened that Chinese New Year fell on the exact same day this year. Being hungry at 8:00 AM on a Sunday morning isn't exactly a pleasant feeling so I was lucky that my church is located less than a block away from Royal Kitchen. And as you may expect, Royal Kitchen on Chinese New Year is a sight to behold.
Of course I didn't get to witness that sight as I got there early at 7:15 AM. It was early and there were only a few people standing around waiting for their orders. If you have never been to Royal Kitchen it is usually flooded out the door with people and their green tickets waiting for their number to be called. Royal Kitchen if you haven't heard is THE place for baked manapua.
You may ask what the difference between baked and steamed manapua is. It all has to do with texture. Steamed manapua is chewy while baked manapua is fluffy and more bread-like (if that is a word). In my opinion there is no question which I consider to be better. And at the price ($1.10 per manapua) it can't be beat.
At Royal Kitchen there are a wide variety of manapua's to choose from including char siu, lup chong (my favorite), chicken, kalua pig, sweet potato and the list goes on. Royal Kitchen also has a roasted meats counter (roast pork, char siu, duck, etc.) and your usual take-out items. That morning I opted for two lup chong manapua's, a 1/4 lb roast pork (of course), and a mochi rice ball (mochi rice wrapped in a large pork hash casing and steamed). How I managed to get through church without falling asleep after that meal was beyond me (literally speaking).
Reviews:
Duck Yun Chinese Restaurant
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 1.75
Food Quality: 2.75
Monetary Value: 2.5
Quality vs Quantity: Quality
Overall: 2.3
820 West Hind Dr.
Honolulu, HI 96821
808-373-1303
Duck Lee
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 2.25
Food Quality: 3.5
Monetary Value: 4
Quality vs Quantity: Quality
Overall: 3.25
2929 Kapiolani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96826
808-735-5378
Duck Yun
For almost a year Aina Hina Shopping Center has been under constant renovation. Yet in the wake of it all lies one of my favorite Chinese restaurants on the island. One that I hope will not be eaten up in all of the construction.
Duck Yun, like most Chinese restaurants on the island, is a family style restaurant where dishes are ordered a la carte. Like most other Chinese restaurants around the island Duck Yun offers familiar staples such as beef broccoli over cake noodles, cold ginger chicken, chinese style sea bass, lemon chicken, shrimp canton and so on and so forth. However, unlike most Chinese restaurants that I have been to in Hawaii, Duck Yun actually excels in these familiar local staples. Although what really sets Duck Yun apart from most Chinese restaurants is its honey shrimp with walnuts.
Honey shrimp with walnuts. The dish is so amazing that it deserves its own paragraph. I have been to many Chinese restaurants (many popular Chinese restaurants might I add) and none have come close to beating Duck Yun when it comes down to Honey shrimp with walnuts. Don't know what it is? Let me enlighten you (oh you poor deprived...okay it isn't that great but it is tasty). It starts with walnuts that are dunked in simple syrup then left to dry on a cookie sheet then fresh shrimp (I like to think it's fresh..at least hope) dipped in a mochiko batter and wok fried and then tossed in a delicious sauce comprised of mayonnaise, honey, and condensed milk and then topped off with the glazed walnuts. Although I'm sure the recipe varies from place to place this is all that I can come up with from tasting and poking around restaurant to restaurant.
Aside from honey shrimp with walnuts, Duck Yun also makes good salt-pepper shrimp (spicy fried shrimp where you can eat the whole shrimp head, tail, shell and all) and a delicious cuttlefish with sour cabbage.
As for ambiance, Duck Yun is quite large for your typical Chinese restaurant and elaborately decorated with paintings and tables lined with your typical white table cloth. However the service can be improved on as placing an order on the telephone is a horrible ordeal and the wait staff seem a bit pushy. Price wise though, Duck Yun's daily lunch specials and dinner combinations can't be beat ($6.50-$10.00). The dinner combinations all come with soup and a variety of dishes (for one of course).
Duck Lee
If you have been my friend for at least a few months you probably have come to realize that there is something severely wrong with me. I have an obsessive habit. No, it's not drugs and it's not alcohol, it's roast pork. Recently I've been conflicted with my love of Chinese roast pork with the introduction of lechon back in late 2008. It's been a trying year but in 2010 love prevailed and Chinese roast pork is back on top. Recently I've been searching for the best roast pork on the island and what I found at Duck Lee surprised me.
Duck Lee is located in the corner of Market City Shopping Center right next to Fun Factory and has always been there since before I can remember. I remember when I was little I used to love to go to Fun Factory and I would always walk by the window with the chickens and ducks and thought, "Why would someone do that?" and "Why would some one want to eat that?". But now, there is no question in my mind that I would be the first person asking for a half-pound of the stuff. But I didn't show up at Duck Lee for the poultry, I came for pork, roast pork.
Duck Lee is your typical Chinese take-out with half-hotel pans filled with various dishes ranging from spicy eggplant to noodles to who knows what? I didn't care too much (although now that I've had the chance to come back most of what I ate was quite good). The only thing on my mind at the time was roast pork.
The roast pork was okay. Well..pretty good for island standards (and island standards are very good). It wasn't oily (which is the worst kind of roast pork) and the actual pork itself had a lot of flavor. The only reason why I say the roast pork was okay is because on my second trip to Duck Lee I experienced something much more satisfying. The second time around I (of course) ordered roast pork again but this time I also ordered some char siu. I was pleasantly surprised because up until now my preconceived notion was that char siu was a dry cut of meat when in actuality I have just been eating badly prepared char siu. The char siu at Duck Lee is moist and after it is cut up into pieces is covered with a spoonful of shoyu-colored sauce (not sure what it is but it's wonderful). As for the price, it's pretty typical and you can get a plate of the stuff over rice for $7.00.
Royal Kitchen
Being a Sunday morning church-goer I found myself with an amazing opportunity. Church service was early on Valentines Day (8:00 AM) and it just so happened that Chinese New Year fell on the exact same day this year. Being hungry at 8:00 AM on a Sunday morning isn't exactly a pleasant feeling so I was lucky that my church is located less than a block away from Royal Kitchen. And as you may expect, Royal Kitchen on Chinese New Year is a sight to behold.
Of course I didn't get to witness that sight as I got there early at 7:15 AM. It was early and there were only a few people standing around waiting for their orders. If you have never been to Royal Kitchen it is usually flooded out the door with people and their green tickets waiting for their number to be called. Royal Kitchen if you haven't heard is THE place for baked manapua.
You may ask what the difference between baked and steamed manapua is. It all has to do with texture. Steamed manapua is chewy while baked manapua is fluffy and more bread-like (if that is a word). In my opinion there is no question which I consider to be better. And at the price ($1.10 per manapua) it can't be beat.
At Royal Kitchen there are a wide variety of manapua's to choose from including char siu, lup chong (my favorite), chicken, kalua pig, sweet potato and the list goes on. Royal Kitchen also has a roasted meats counter (roast pork, char siu, duck, etc.) and your usual take-out items. That morning I opted for two lup chong manapua's, a 1/4 lb roast pork (of course), and a mochi rice ball (mochi rice wrapped in a large pork hash casing and steamed). How I managed to get through church without falling asleep after that meal was beyond me (literally speaking).
Reviews:
Duck Yun Chinese Restaurant
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 1.75
Food Quality: 2.75
Monetary Value: 2.5
Quality vs Quantity: Quality
Overall: 2.3
820 West Hind Dr.
Honolulu, HI 96821
808-373-1303
Duck Lee
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 2.25
Food Quality: 3.5
Monetary Value: 4
Quality vs Quantity: Quality
Overall: 3.25
2929 Kapiolani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96826
808-735-5378
January 22, 2009
Kin Wah
Today we have a special post sent in by one of my close friends. This will; be the first of two special guest posts (the second should be posted within the next few days). -The Chef
Kin Wah
When it comes to Chinese food, one restaurant comes to mind: Kin Wah Chop Suey. My mother ate there when she was pregnant with me, I had my graduation party there, and I eat there every so often with my family. Kin Wah has been a tradition for many years. Situated on Kamehameha highway in Kaneohe, Kin Wah has a large menu specializing in food made from the Canton region of China. Their menu is very large and covers both authentic Chinese items as well as local favorites such as Lemon chicken, Crispy Gau Gee Min, and Kau Yuk (pork belly simmered in a red sauce and served with buns)
As stated earlier, the menu is very diverse. Even picky eaters should be able to find something on the menu that they enjoy, if not palatable. If one can list all the Chinese foods they know, all of them will be on the menu. Food is served family style with plenty of rice and tea on the side. Being with a large group at the time, I was given the opportunity to sample many of the dishes. Ranging from Crispy Chicken, Mongolian beef, to Walnut Shrimp, most of the dishes on the menu are less than ten dollars. Each of these dishes are what many eaters come to expect from the dishes. There are no frills or excitement here (except for the occasional sizzling dishes here and there), just food that is tasty and delicious. The dishes are generous, and will feed a bunch of hungry men and women.
A personal favorite of mine is the Taro Duck. This dish consists of duck which is placed on the bottom, then covered with Taro, and then deep fried and cut. When biting into this item, one can taste the taro and the duck together, as well as the crunchiness from the outer piece. This dish usually vanishes quickly, even amongst newer eaters to the restaurant. Going there, I suggest that one go with a large group, and each person order something on the menu. Kin Wah has been staple for a many years. Its large menu allows for those who want local favorites to have it, and if they want something different, they have many choices from there.
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent) [Note: This was a guest rating and was not rated by The Chef]
Service: 2.5
Food Quality: 3
Monetary Value: 3.5
Quality vs Quantity: Quantity
Overall: 3
Contact Info:
45-588 Kamehameha Highway, Kane'ohe.
Phone: 247-4812,
10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.
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