One of the best traditions is family style dinner. Several dishes are ordered, depending on the number of people you have, and is shared amongst each other. We usually pick a different restaurant for each occasion, like birthday’s, gatherings, new years, or celebrations. Most of the restaurants in Chinatown, like Ping’s, have great entrees to choose from.
Entrees ordered (not the exact title on menu):
Jellyfish: served with sesame, white carrot (tastes sweet and sour), and carrots. Smooth texture and great bounce!
Ping’s famous fried rice: has slices of beans, egg, bits of crunchies that add great taste to it.
Clams with black bean sauce: came to the table sizzling
Veggies “dow miew”: one of the more pricey veggies in the market, stir-fried with broth and
garlic
Deep fried pork: breading is very tasty, however, a lot of the pieces were fatty
Roasted Chicken: skin was crispy and not too fatty, dark meat was tender, white meat was
tender but a little too bland
Each dish ranges from $12-18.
Desert is free. Usually it is red bean soup and oranges. Ping’s red bean soup also have little clear tapioca balls in it, which is distinct to other restaurants. It wasn’t too sweet, just the right amount.
Paying: Chinese tradition is to fight for the bill. This usually goes on for about 5 minutes. Usually the men gets up and say, “I’ll pay.” “No, I’ll pay.” “No, seriously, I get this one.” One of them would have to fake it and lose the bill. Whoever wins the bill wins some face and dashes to pay. He would come back with a smile and everyone would thank him. “O, you are too kind.”
This would usually happen with family.
Younger generation: Split the damn bill, because it is too pricey for one person, or take turns paying.
Tip: Do not pay with debit/credit card. Some, not all, Chinese restaurants will overtax you on the check. Pay with cash!
Positives: entrees and red bean soup were great
Negatives: Staff wasn’t too enthusiastic, pathway to kitchen can be seen
The spring rolls are very nice and crispy, especially wrapped in lettuce.
The pork chops were very tasty and tender.
The seafood rice could have been better, did not really have a Vietnamese twist too it. I felt it was far too ‘Chinese’.
Vietnamese vegetable dish was very good, the sauce was a little spicy but not overboard.
