Tag Archives: Chinese

Administrative, Healthy, Informative, Main Dishes, Review

Restaurant Review: Wang’s Chinese Food in Cromwell, CT

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For those unfamiliar with my system of reviewing food service establishments, I use three areas, with a scale of 1-10.  The Budget Epicurean has not been compensated in any way for this review, and all opinions are my own. For reviews, preference will be given to unique, local, family-owned establishments. Food locations will be evaluated based on:

  • Taste: 1 (wet toast) – 10 (your taste buds have died and gone to heaven)
  • Atmosphere: 1 (gas station bathroom) – 10 (Buckingham Palace)
  • Value: 1 (not worth it) – 10 (super duper deal)

Today’s restaurant review is for Wang’s Chinese Restaurant in Cromwell, CT.  A small home slash business building tucked just off West Street (Route 372) in between Route 9 and highway 91, I have passed this place countless times on my way to work.  And every time I think, hm I should go there sometime.  Somehow I just never got around to it… Then I found out a friend of mine just so happens to know the owner, and so we decided to take a trip for lunch.

Wang chinese restaurant outside

Upon parking, the first thing I noticed was that it is actually quite larger than I had thought, since the entire left side of the building was a large dining area which can be rented out.  When we walked inside, it smelled immediately of those delicious umami smells of soy sauce, bubbling soup, and stir frying vegetables.

Wang chinese restaurant inside

There is a fully stocked bar, so you can have traditional sake right alongside a Cosmopolitan if you so desire.  There is ample seating for both tables and booths, in a nice dark cherry wood, and white linen table cloths.  Some very quiet, soothing music was playing in the background, nonintrusive enough that you forgot it was there.

Wang chinese restaurant owner

As soon as you are seated, the waiter immediately brings over a bowl of fried dough pieces and sweet and sour dipping sauce.  It is like the Chinese version of chips and salsa.  The sweet and sour was so delicious, I could practically drink the stuff, and the dough chips were the perfect level of crispy.  Somehow, it all disappeared very quickly…

Fried dough and sweet and sour sauce appetizer

The next endless part of the experience is the hot tea.  Every lunch special (and dinner too) includes bottomless pots of hot tea.  I love that, because tea is the best.  I’m pretty sure I had at minimum nine cups.  Good thing the cups are so small!  We also had soup included in our lunch orders, I chose won ton while my friend ordered the egg drop.  The soup was so tasty I wolfed it right down, and didn’t even get to take a picture… oops.  Sorry, not sorry.

Wang chinese restaurant hot tea

With menu items ranging from $1.50 to nearly $28 for the Peking Duck, there is something for everyone’s budget.  Their lunch specials are quite reasonable at $6.50 or $6.95, and includes all you can drink hot tea, soup (won ton or egg drop), egg roll, and entree.  Lunch is daily from 11:30 – 3:00.

I ordered the shrimp and broccoli, and funny story, my friend ordered the same thing.  She got veggie fried rice, while I stuck with the included pork fried rice, and you can also choose steamed white rice.  When the food came out, it smelled absolutely wonderful, and was a very generous portion size.  You can see the plate was pretty much overflowing.

Shrimp and Broccoli with Pork Fried Rice

The brown sauce was perfect, lightly coating the shrimp and veg but not overpowering.  There was a ton of flavor, but I didn’t feel as if I had licked a salt shaker while eating it, which is a good sign.  The rice was springy and flavorful as well.  The broccoli was steamed just right, soft enough but still with a slight crunch.  And the shrimp were gigantic, with 5-6 big pieces per plate.

The owner came over to say hello while we were there and asked how our meals were.  We of course said ‘absolutely wonderful’!  My friend introduced me as a new frequent customer, and I have to say, she was right.  With a distinctly mom-and-pop feel, attention to detail and attentive staff, very generous portions for a reasonable price, and amazing food that actually tastes like food and not something frozen and microwaved or doused in chemicals, I will definitely be returning here often!  I’m glad to have finally given this hidden gem a try, and so should you.

Overall, I’d rate Wang’s Chinese Restaurant:

  • Taste: 9
  • Atmosphere: 8
  • Value: 9

 

You can read other reviews here:

 

Comfort food, Healthy, Main Dishes

Better than take-out Beef & Broccoli

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Ever want the addictive taste of Chinese take-out, but not want the MSG, additives, preservatives, sugar, salt, and calories??

The answer of course is, duh! Yes!

Good news! Making your own Beef & Broccoli at home is super simple, cheap, and nearly as fast as dialing and waiting for delivery. Try this easy weeknight favorite for yourself, and save the tip for a treat for yourself.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound beef cubes (can use chicken or tofu too)
  • 1 bag frozen broccoli cuts (or 1 head fresh broccoli chopped)
  • 1 cup rice
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • Dash garlic
  • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, or 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • 2 tbsp sriracha, or to taste

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Step 1: Mix all but first three ingredients in a small bowl. If you have time, marinate the meat for 1-6 hours in refrigerator.

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Step 2: Cook the beef in a frying pan 5-10 minutes until browned but not completely chewy. Meanwhile, use a sauce pot to boil rice, or a rice cooker.

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Step 3: Add the sauce to the meat. Microwave the broccoli 3 minutes, or cook in the frying pan, covered, for 5-7 minutes.

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Step 4: Mix beef and broccoli, serve over rice with extra sauce.

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You can add cornstarch or a little flour if you like a thicker sauce, or add more water/fish sauce/vinegar for a thinner sauce. I added a little extra sriracha with servings because I like a little kick! Enjoy never having to stop for take-out again.

 

Vegetarian

Vegetarian Stir Fry

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This is one of my favorite go-to meals because: 
a) it is quick
b) it is easy 
c) it is cheap
d) it is different and delicious every time! 
Stir fry is great because it is so versatile. Basically it’s rice and whatever else you want to put in it! I’m sure I will be stir frying a LOT this summer, because I’m working on an organic CSA farm (http://www.facebook.com/schoonerfarms) and will have a ton of fresh veggies once the growing season gets into full swing. Also, I’m trying to eat at least 2 full days a week vegetarian, for health purposes. So anyways, here is the stir fry du jour.
Ingredients: 
1/2 cup white rice ($2 for 24 oz)
2 large baby bella mushrooms ($1 for the pack)
Handfull snow peas (Free from the farm)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped ($1 for pepper)
1/2 large carrot, shredded ($1 for 1 lb bag)
1/2 cup small broccoli pieces ($1 for a head)
1 stick celery (~1 for 2 lbs)
2 tbsp each soy sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce
Garlic salt
Total cost: ~$2
 
Step 1: assemble ingredients, put oil in a frying pan on low. Boil water for the rice.

Step 2: Dice up all the veggies while the rice cooks.

Step 3: Begin cooking veggies, toughest one first. I put in the broccoli for about 2 minutes alone, then the celery and peppers, then the carrots and peas, and finally the mushrooms. It helps to add a few tbsp water and cover tightly to steam them for a few minutes.

Step 4: Add the cooked rice and sauces, fry everything together for a minute or 2, and enjoy! There are endless variations of this, you can add as much sauce and different kinds or none at all, you can scramble an egg or add meats if you like. This is also very frugal and budget-friendly because you can use up all the odds and ends of vegetables in your fridge before they go bad!