We found this place by accident. Growing up in the south end, we had been spoiled by some of the great Asian restaurants there like the Hunan in Rainier Beach with their incomparable hot and sour soup. When we moved to Ballard eight years ago we were sorely disapointed by the lack of good ethnic food. Sure, we found good Thai (Thai Ocean at Green lake) but where was that good, consistent, cheap and plentiful Chinese food? Well, we tried everything from Ying's to the Snappy Dragon but there was a problem at every restaurant. Either the potstickers didn't rate or the menu was too pricey, you know, just something.
Well, while searching for the Mandarin Bean Sprout or some such thing on Aurora, we walked into this place by mistake. It was kind of divey with very few patrons except for the bar. You know the professional alcoholics gravitate to the Chinese restaurant bars because the drinks there are generally stiff and cheap.
We ordered a couple of "B" dinners and were pleasantly surprised. Good, plentiful dishes with lots of meat, tasty, cheap, and consistent visit after visit.
We generally do take-out at this place as the bar is pretty noisy. Give it a try and don't be turned off by the shabby look of the place.
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