Mandarin

Rich flavors. Large, thoughtful menu selection. Not your typical neighborhood Chinese American fare. Eaten here a few times now. We had both vegetarians and meat eaters at our table. We love Chinese food, but have become bored with most local Chinese restaurants. The service can get a little slow when they are busy, which is often. But the food has been consistently excellent. We will be back!

Food: 7/10 Service: 10/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Value: 6/10 (definitely on a pricy side) My family had a rather pleasant dining experience here two days ago. The place looked quite odd outside because a big storage building right next to it. But once you push the heavy door, you would see a totally different world. I liked the simple traditional elements all around. From the China red columns to traditional wooden engraved tables and chairs. They reminded me the Forbidden City. The most beloved 8 Treasure Manchurian mini sweets by Empress Dowager, elegantly lying in this exquisitely made gift box ( see my photo attached). I think I was sold just buy this setting. Lol! Now food. The place offered mixed styles of dishes, Sichuan mostly, traditional Beijing and American Chinese. The steamed fish: 9/10. I requested no oil pouring on the fish as the final touch, which it is considered as the most key step of this dish🤣. I personally just never found that was necessary nor healthy nor pretty. Not that I did not respect the chef’s expertise (my husband often warns me I would be kicked out in Europe when dining in. lol). The Peking Duck: per my son 10/10🤣 however don’t go buy this. Because he has never had a real Peking Duck in Beijing yet. But judged from this presentation, the skin looked thin and crispy. The color looked nice n rather atttactive in its red brown, that was most appealing. However, the duck meat was so thickly cut under the pretty skin. The wrapping pan cakes were nicely warmed and a bit challenging to seperate them. One order of wrapping cake wasn’t not enough so we ordered another set. Salt & pepper pork ribs: 8/10. Surprising not greasy and very nice flavor. Not of the bone so it was fun to work on it a little bit. Bean sprout in garlic: 8/10. It would be so much more enjoyable if less oil. Again, the Golden Rule is, the simpler the better. Beef with Napa cabbage and Chinese asparagus in chill oil: 8/10. The flavor was great. MSG of course but not too crazy. What a pity the cut of beef was too thick. Silky tofu with thousand year old egg in chill oil: 8/10. Very good in terms of flavor. I know it was diodes to enjoy with a heavy chill oil. This dish was in a beautiful cold metal bowl on a traditional engraved metal stand. If the chops of garnish more refine, this would be 10/10. Dan Fan noodles:6/10. Very average. The noodle was too soft for Dan Dan. Lacking of chewing sensation that traditional ones requires. The topping missed finely chopped preserved Chinese cabbage, as well as crushed peanuts. But it was very popular on the table. The final and the highlight of the brunch was the 8 Treasure old Manchurian mini sweets! 11/10! Yes, you heard it right! 11/10. lol! I was a snub when came to sweets. But these from here I could eat them every day. There well fresh out of making and extremely light in taste. I honestly felt like the Empress Dowaher for a moment. Thank you chef, as a Manchurian, I was ecstatic! Service: 10/10. Our waitress Nook was very pleasant and sweet. Constantly checking with us if things were needed. She wore a day time makeup and very much respect her job and the guests. The girls at the front door needed to be seriously trained to be the front face of the business. They had no smiles nor warmth. I almost mistaken them as two Egyptian mummies. lol.

It’s an ok place. Food is good but some options were average. The fried rice is great though. Place is cozy and quite beautiful, well decorated. I didn’t like the fact they don’t make reservations for parties smaller than three so we ended up waiting forty minutes to be seated (party of three). So definitely a place to think before going if you are in two or three or try to go during the week and not during busy hours. Staff is kind.

Despite having one of the waitresses deliver other patron's food to our table, my fellow dinner-goers and I seemed to enjoy our meals at this establishment. The atmosphere was a warm and welcoming scene. For this experience, I decided to get the Peking duck which was off the charts!! Be expected to pay a bit more on the pricier side but given the location it's not a surprise. I give this place four stars for the great food but lesser than average service.

Outstanding contemporary, dare I say "hip" Chinese restaurant. Yes, you can get General Tsos chicken if you must, but there are many other unique dishes prepared in a more modern way. I started with the more traditional egg drop soup, but it was rich, and simply delicious. I then had a braised beef dish, but its chinese spices created a wonderful tangy flavor that I am still marveling over. Service is attentive and friendly. Easy to see why this place is so popular.