Exploring the Bay Area

Panda Express I’ve been known to enjoy the authentic Chinese food served in many proud Bay Area restaurants, but authentic Chinese food just met its trendy American cousin called Panda Express. Panda Express is a chain founded in California back in 1983, and its influence has spread like wildfire through the nation. It’s famous for being cheap, yummy, and filling. It’s a restaurant that proudly does things its own way; it puts its own spin on Chinese food, one that appeals to a broader audience in the United States, and it does not apologize for having a personality of its own.   When you enter the restaurant, you will see a wide variety of entrees and sides displayed under the glass. The work of preparing these satisfying options is already done. All you have to do is pick. The sizzling woks in the kitchen behind the counter keep working all day to make sure there’s plenty of each item in the buffet for the staff to serve when ordered. The food is kept under a glass case with labe...

  Yin Ji Chang Fen I am so glad I discovered this exciting Cantonese food chain with a small shop in Berkeley, California, on Shattuck Avenue! The food here is excitingly inexpensive, but it doesn’t taste cheap, and the portions are a very respectable size. Best of all, the food comes prepared with careful attention to taste and Cantonese tradition. It’s popular here, partially because it has not yet given up on a truly unique and lovely finished product and partially because it’s affordable. Environment   When I visited, I noticed the eating area was bright and clean, creating the optical illusion of being more spacious than it is. In reality, it’s a small business in Downtown Berkeley, California. But it doesn’t feel like a small business in Berkeley. It resembles someplace bigger and gives off very Chinese vibes. Everything about the dining room was appetizing and appealing, and made me really want to sit and eat. And judging by the number of tables filled, even at odd...

Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant  This restaurant, which was established in 1989, offers a very fine dining experience that is unlike any other in the area.  First of all, this large restaurant features large windows and is situated along the shore, offering exquisite views of the bay. You can see the Bay Bridge and the city of San Francisco beyond the sparkling waves of the bay that occupy the foreground. The view is mesmerizingly beautiful.  Not only that, but the whole dining room is gorgeous. The tables are clad with white tablecloths, and the padded chairs are draped in an attractive light blue that matches the trim on the walls and the cloth napkins. Colorful flowers dangle from elaborate chandeliers, and there are more flowers in vases on the carefully set tables. In the background, you can hear some soft but nice Chinese instrumental music. Everything is picture-perfect, and the ambiance is extremely appetizing! Beyond the delightful view and the beauty of...

Seasons Noodles & Dumplings Garden Seasons Noodles & Dumplings is a medium-sized restaurant in downtown Mountain View. It has big windows that overlook the street, so (weather permitting) it is usually pretty bright and sunny on the inside. There are multiple tables arranged inside the restaurant, all spaced a fair distance away from one another.  Seasons Noodles & Dumplings Garden boasts an impressive menu of authentically Chinese options. You can choose between a variety of dumplings, buns, pies, noodle, and rice dishes, and honestly, it's pretty hard to go wrong.  I have tried this restaurant several times, and although I liked everything, I highly recommend the pork and cabbage dumplings (pictured above) if you are only going to try one dish. They make the dumplings' dough fresh at this restaurant, and you can taste it! Not only is the dumplings' thin skin the perfect amount of chewiness and doughiness, but the filling is warm and savory goodness. It melts ...

Fu Lam Mum Located in downtown Mountain View on Castro Street, this restaurant is a real find!  The restaurant is beautifully decorated with an elegant eating area that has white table cloths and Chinese-style artwork on the walls. The tables are spaced out from one another, creating quietness and privacy. The beauty and peacefulness of the inside of the restaurant adds to the ambiance and appeal of the restaurant. The food is to die for. The flavors are exquisite and fascinating. Their culinary excellence is hard to beat. I have been here more than once and highly recommend the sweet and sour chicken (pictured above), the broccoli and tofu stir fry, and the dumplings! 

Zhangliang Malatang This Chinese restaurant chain is one of my all-time favorites! I have gone many times now and hope to go many more. It is a unique concept of a restaurant; instead of making you order from a server or pick a ready-made item from a buffet, this restaurant allows you to choose uncooked items to be made into a soup or stir-fry of your liking! When you arrive, you are given a bowl and some tongs. It is your task to decide what you would like to use the tongs to put into your bowl. There is a wide selection of meats, including lamb, beef, sausage, and bacon, to name a few. There is also a wide selection of tofu, vegetables, and noodles.  You take only what you want and none of what you don't. I like to go to this restaurant with groups of friends and family because it is fun seeing how different each bowl is; in my experience, no two bowls come out identical, and instead they are as unique as the people who assemble them.  When you reach the end of the line, you...