Tasty Garden
9433 Bolsa Ave, #C
Westminster, CA 92683
714-839-8580
There is a new restaurant in town. Their menu? HK (Hong Kong) style. Tasty Garden recently opened and I hadn't been there yet but the parents had. Last night they were talking about the restaurant and we decided to make it a family dinner tonight...at 10 p.m. I usually don't eat this late but the parents do not get out of work until that late and it's been eons since we've had a chance to have dinner together. Don't worry, the restaurant stays open pretty late....until 2 a.m.
Anyhoo, the husband and I met up with ECA, PJ, and the parents this lovely evening for a HK style dining experience. Upon walking into this restaurant, I am taken back to the few HK cafes we visited while we were in Hong Kong. They have an extensvie menu selection for all to choose something from.
I started the late evening with this drink (about $ 3 a drink): red bean and grass jelly with tapicoa milk tea. Refreshing. I should have ordered it without the red bean as it is really not my favorite in a drink other than those Vietnamese (Che) desserts. Oh well but I do love those grass jelly. Yum! Yum!
The signature dish that I almost always order at any given Chinese restaurant: sweet and sour pork or Peking pork chops. Anybody who have dined with me at a Chinese restaurant KNOW that I will automatically order this dish...unless I know it's terrible at that place. Tasty Garden called theirs Country Style Sweet and Sour Pork (about $10 a plate). By far - my favorite dish of the night. Crispy battered pork chunks tossed with pineapple, onions and green pepper. The pork was not overly battered and crunchy at just the right places. I am salivating just thinking about this dish again. The sauce, tangy, sweet and colorful. Absolute perfection! 
I don't remember the name of this dish but I think it's basically Hainan chicken. My family really liked this dish. I thought it was o.k. but I've never been much of a Hainan chicken person, although, that hasn't stopped me from trying different Hainan places. Also about $ 10 a plate.
This dish was probably the least favorite of the night by everyone. Fried clams with chili pepper flakes. I don't really care if the clams are not fresh but at least not smell or taste like it! :( Unfortunately - the "unfreshness" hits your tongue immediately the second you chew into the clam. Sad. I would not recommend this dish. Also about $ 10 a plate.
This vegetable stir-fry has lotus root, snap peas, mushrooms and squid in it. This dish wasn't bad. I liked the lotus root and snap peas. I could have done without the squid. Also $ 10 a plate.
This rice dish was sticky rice fried with eggs and dried shrimp. Then they scattered some peanuts on top. I wanted to try this dish as it sounded interesting on the menu but sadly - this was a disappointment. The rice was quite dry and the dish was just o.k. 
We also ordered red bean pancakes but I did not get a chance to take a picture. Overall, there were a few hits and misses for the night. I would recommend the sweet and sour pork, Hainan chicken and maybe the vegetable stir-fry. Oh...I believe the husband, et al also liked the red bean pancake (I did not get a chance to try the dish). Would I come back? Probably. This restaurant makes me nostalgic for Hong Kong. The plates are about $ 10 a plate but it's family style so remember to share. There is always the take-out boxes for the leftovers.
No comments:
Post a Comment