I passed by Mee Sum Pastry one evening and saw a lines of people waiting for food and vowed to go back. The next morning, I decided to stop by and ordered a selection of items.
I first had a BBQ Pork Skewer. The pork was sweet and tender, but not juicy.
I then had a Steamed Pork Bun which I didn't like it. The dough was too rubbery and clammy. I also didn't love the filling, it was mixed with too much cornstarch or fat (whatever that was) and not enough meat and way too sweet to be savory.
The Baked Pork Bun fared better. It tasted like it had recently been baked. It had the right texture and that lovely golden brown crust.
I also had a Sesame Ball. The flavor was right but it was just way too greasy.
This was not food at its finest, but this is street food. It may not be the best, but it is quick and affordable.
Mee Sum Pastry
My visit to GO! Bento was an unplanned quick meal but I am glad I stopped. The only problem was that when we got there, although we were lucky and able to find parking, parking is very limited and will be an issue during busier hours and ain't nobody got time for that.
I did like the inside of the restaurant though. I thought that the decor was really cool! I liked the Japanese cartoonish artwork on the walls and the overall appeal of the restaurant. The restaurant isn't exactly suited for dining in (focus is on take-out and delivery) but there is some seating.
The menu is simple: Go! Bento, Go! Ninja, Go! Sumo or Go! Zilla. In other words a choice of entree, sushi or side depending on the box you choose to create. My friend and I both choose the Go! Zilla (1 entree and 1 roll).
She choose Honey Garlic Chicken as her entree. The chicken was a little dry, but the sauce was pretty tasty albeit a little too sweet. It came with rice that based on the the egg and some seasoning would indicate that it was fried rice, but it was very plain and all that stood out was a garlic flavor.
I had Chicken Pad Thai for my entree and I was very happy with it. The flavor was good although I doused mine with Thai chili pepper to give it that necessary spice I like. Without it, for non heat eaters, it will still be satisfying. The chicken pieces were a nice size and relatively moist. The noodles were acceptable.
Both of our boxes came with a sushi roll. She had the Spicy Tuna Roll and I had the Japanese Bagel "JB" Roll. Go! Bento's sushi is okay at best. The fish tasted fresh which is the most important part for me, but the rice could have been better.
Ordering, I thought this was going to be a small dish but it was nicely sized for the price. I was a little disappointed that it didn't come in the cute bento box (even the take-out kind) but in regular Styrofoam containers (not that it matters). Service was pleasant and quick. The girl at the counter was extremely friendly and accommodating. I probably would try it again if I'm in the area.
GO! Bento
When I first spotted Hot Wok, it reminded me of the type of Chinese take-out restaurants you would find in New York and automatically peaked my interest. After passing it quite a few times, I finally had the urge for wings and fried rice and went inside to get my American Chinese on.
The place itself has no ambiance. It's just a hole-in-the-wall, average-looking take-out restaurant where you should never take a date to sit down and eat. Just as I had expected, the place was run by New York transplants who had taken ownership of the restaurant about a year ago.
This is a pretty good place, and even ordering Buffalo Wings off of the "American food" section I was satisfied. It was obviously not the typical buffalo flavor but was good sized wings with a proportionate amount of sauce that had a nice flavor to it.I also ordered a pint of Roast Pork Fried Rice. It could have easily been a tasteless, greasy, soggy mess but it was really great rice. It tasted fresh not microwaved.
I went in also wanting to get an order of Fried Crab Stick but they no longer sell them so I settled with the Fried Crabmeat Cheese Wontons instead. They were just okay. I wish the wontons were a little crispier and that you could actually taste the crabmeat in the stuffing and not just cheese.
Regardless, prices are really good and I enjoyed the rice, so I will be back again when I'm craving Chinese!
Hot Wok901 Veterans Blvd Metairie, LA 70005(504) 831-3328
What do you do when it is one of those lazy days, the weather sucks, it is raining hard and you are hungry? I don't know what you do, but I order Chinese takeout for delivery. I did a little searching and came up with China Rose.
I couldn't seem to find a menu, so I called to see if they had one online. The person on the phone kindly gave me their website address which for some odd reason didn't pop up in the search. In any case, I scanned the menu and saw that the first three pages of the menu were pretty typical but the fourth page was listed as the Authentic Chinese Menu. I figured it would probably be best to order off this menu, so I ended up choosing and selecting the China Rose Special Duck. The duck was really good; the meat was tender and the flavor was nice (although I would have liked a little more spice). The only thing I didn't like was that the skin was still attached and I am not a fan of the fatty thick skin of duck (especially when it's not crispy and fried).
The American in me wanted to try something off of their regular menu, so I ordered the Combination Fried Rice to go with my meal. It was pretty good for takeout standards and I would have no problem ordering it again.
I was not only satisfied with the food but also satisfied with service. Ordering on the phone was easy, the food came pretty fast and the gentleman that brought the food was a surprisingly cherry fellow. China Rose was a saving grace on an otherwise lackluster day.
China Rose3501 N Arnoult Rd Metairie, LA 70002(504) 887-3295www.chinaroseno.com
