Tonight my husband asked me if I wanted Chinese food. I was surprised by this because the closest Chinese restaurant that we usually go to is a bit of a drive. Then, he told me he wanted to try a new place (which was an even bigger surprise if you know my husband!), which was Orient Cafe. I hadn't ever seen or heard of this place, but I'm always up for trying new restaurants! It is somewhat hidden in the shopping center off of Grand Parkway that houses 9ers and Ruthie's Mexican Restaurant.
We went during an "off" time (around 4:30 p.m.) to beat the dinner crowds. We walked inside and we were promptly seated. The restaurant is very neat, clean, and well laid out. The decor is simple but tasteful.
I was impressed by the menu options (there are plenty) and even more impressed by the prices. There is a section called "All Day Specials." This section includes popular favorites such as lemon chicken, beef with broccoli, sweet and sour chicken or pork, General Tso's chicken, Kung Pao chicken, orange chicken, and Pepper Steak. The prices range from $7.25 to $8.75 and you get a TON of food. It includes your choice of hot and sour soup, egg drop sour, or won ton soup; an egg roll; a crab pull, and your choice of fried rice or steamed rice in addition to your entree. We decided to try the Pepper Steak and the Orange Chicken. Whenever we go to Chinese restaurants, we always share so that we can try multiple things.
I was impressed by everything that we ate! I ordered the egg drop soup and it was very good. My husband ordered the hot and sour soup and he enjoyed it also. The Orange Chicken seemed to be mild at first but all of the sudden the zip kicks in. The sauce was very good and the chicken was very tender. I thought it was very good. The Pepper Steak was good also, and the meat was very tender. The flavor was inconsistent for me. My first few bites didn't have as much flavor as I was expecting, but it might have been because I tried this after trying the Orange Chicken. We tried the fried rice and the steamed rice and both were good. The egg roll was also very good. The outside was very light and flaky and the filling inside had great flavor! I didn't try the crab puff because I just didn't have any room left. We were stuffed and weren't able to finish everything!
They also offer kid's meals, but the menu is limited to chicken nuggets, chicken wings, or chicken lomein. The kid's meals are a bit pricey when compared to the adult entrees ($4.95) and there's not all that much food. The "chicken nuggets" are two large pieces of chicken in the shape of something that I can only describe as an octopus because it was a large "circle" with eight "arms" protruding off of it. The chicken is processed and didn't look all that appetizing to me. Fortunately, my daughter doesn't discriminate a whole lot at this point.
The service was good, but I would have expected that since there was only one other table with customers that were there while we were there. It seemed like there was a steady stream of calls and people coming in and out to pick up take out. We picked up a menu as we left and were pleasantly surprised to discover that they offer free delivery!
We were both pleased with our experience here and will definitely be returning. The next time we are hungry for Chinese food, we will probably go without my daughter or order take-out. On a side note, their lunch specials are the same as the "all day specials" but they range in price from $4.99 to $6.45 so this would make a very inexpensive and filling lunch!
more