The Mandarin Restaurant

A couple of months ago, before, my trip to Singapore, I paid a visit to Glowing Dragon Seafood Restaurant.  A couple of readers, Ryan and Robyn, commented on it, and recommended that I try the Mandarin. 

Tonight, a couple of friends called and asked what I was doing for dinner.  I was getting ready to leave the office, and because I didn't really want to drive too far, I thought of eating at Café Imperial.  Since the Mandarin was located in the same building, I suggested that we go there. 

(Sorry for the dark picture.)

The Mandarin is one of four or five restaurants located on the ground level of the Imperial Plaza.  Not exactly a night time hot spot, but it's a nice neighborhood sort of place to go and eat. 

Entering the restaurant, there is a small seating area on the left which runs from the front entrance back to the kitchen area.  On the right, and a couple of steps up, there is another dining area and there's also a small alcove in back as well.  We sat near the entrance.

The Mandarin, according to the signage and the menu, serves Northern Chinese Cuisine.  Now, I'm not too familiar with Northern Chinese food, but from what I do know, it's normally oily and flavored with lots of garlic and vinegar.  With that, we decided to look over the menu and choose a dish each.

The first dish we selected was the Princess prawns (US$10.50).

The prawns were dipped in batter and deep fried until golden brown.  They were served topped with the "special" hot pepper sauce.  The sauce seemed to be a type of yellow bean sauce which was accented with fresh red chillies and lots of garlic.  There were also some button mushrooms, bamboo shoots and green onions in there as well.  My reaction to this dish was one of surprise.  I didn't really expect the prawns to be batter-dipped and deep fried.  I was hoping that they would have been wok fried with the spicy sauce.  While, I found the dish to be of average spiciness, I did find that it was a bit salty.

The second dish to arrive, and the one that I chose, was the plum sauce chicken (US$7.95).

According to the menu, this was supposed to have been "chicken cubes sautéed with green peppers in a delicate plum sauce."  For one thing, I didn't see any green peppers in this dish.  There were a lot of bamboo shoots and green onions in there though.  Another thing was that I didn't find the sauce to be delicate at all.  It was thick, sweet and spicy, in an "in-your-face" sort of way.  The spiciness, which was just right for me, came from dried chillies and chilli oil.  The one thing I didn't like about this dish was that it was much too oily.  I would have liked this dish a lot more if it were prepared without the chilli oil, and instead, with a few more dried chillies for spiciness.

The last dish that we ordered was from the "Special Fish Menu" tucked into one of the corners of the menu.  It was the braised garlic fish (US$9.95).

The fish filet seemed to be dipped in flour and pan fried before being covered with sauce.  The yellow bean based sauce was thick and full of garlic, chopped carrots, green onions, and red chillies.  The fish was done just right and it was still slightly crispy even under all that sauce.  The sauce was a little spicy and full of garlic-y flavor.  But once again, this dish was a bit salty.  However, I did find that there was just the right amount of spiciness in this dish.

One of my readers, Therese Dickerson, made mention of kim chee being served at another Northern Chinese restaurant in her comment to me.  Well, at the Mandarin, they also gave a complimentary plate of cabbage kim chee.  I just forgot to post the picture.  Here it is:

The kim chee was just OK.  In my opinion, it wasn't spicy enough and my preference is actually for won bok (Chinese cabbage) kim chee or cucumber kim chee.

After dinner, we discussed the meal.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't outstanding either.  I think we all agreed that all of the dishes were a bit salty, but I think that could easily be remedied on a subsequent visit.  The other thing, was the copious amount of sauce ladled over each dish.  I'm sure that the sauce plays an important part in the presentation and flavor of each individual dish, but I would definitely ask for a reduced amount of sauce the next time around.

The Mandarin Restaurant
725 Kapiolani Boulevard
Telephone: (808)593-1188

Comments

[AugustusGloop]

Hey Reid

I had to laugh at your description of Northern Chinese. I always thought I was being terrible for thinking exactly the same thing! =)

I hear you on the drowned-in-gloop moan too. Argh. Don't you hate that?

[Trisha]

I never tried Northern Chinese food either. It does look rich.

Hey Reid, FYI, there is this new Japanese restaurant on Kapiolani right next to Pietro. It's modern Japanese food and served ala carte style (sort of like Tapas). You may want to check it out. I think they open only at night though (not sure).

[KirkK]

Hi Reid - I've really been enjoying your blog. As for Northern Chinese cuisine - what type is it? Shandong(lots of vinegar)? I'm also from the Islands and had only really thought N. Chinese was oily, etc... But after having lived in the San Gabriel Valley for several years I've come to appreciate the different Chinese regional cuisines - especially authentic Sichuan. Now living in San Diego I've been over joyed that we have an authentic Sichuan Rest(light years away from Maple Garden) here - though I still miss my McCully Chop Suey, and alot of the Chinese that I consider to be Hawaiian style. If you ever have a chance Carl Chu has a book called Chinese Food Finder - though it focuses on LA, it briefly discusses the different regional cuisines from Hakka to Yunnan - only $9.95 on Amazon. I always look forward to your entries.

[Julia]

My knowledge of Northern Chinese food is limited to dumplings, hand-pulled noodles, and mantou (steamed buns). The excessive gravy here looks like an overkill, and the plum sauce chicken looks nothing like it sounds!

[KirkK]

Mantou, Dabing, Shaobing, and of course fried dough Youtiao. If they don't have potstickers, Jiaozi - I don't think they're Mandarin - How about Peking Duck, that's also Mandarin. The pictures look like a glopy mess reminicent of some of the Chinese Food I've had in the Southeastern US - sweet-sour gone bad....

[Therese Dickerson]

Northern Chinese Cuisine is great...You need to try the restaurant on King and Keeaumoku. I can't remember what is called but it might be Northern Chinese Paradise or something like that. The black bean noodles, spicy garlic chicken and sweet and sour pork is delicious. All very spicy and a favorite of Korean people (hence the serving of an order of kim chee with your order) as many Chinese immigrated to Korea and opened their northern chinese cuisine restaurants.

[Robyn]

awwwwww.. I'm sorry you didn't like it... :( But, the place the above commenter is referring to is Eastern Paradise..... The lady who owns Mandarin is also related to the Man (Mr. Lee) who owns Eastern Paradise... Same types of food.. I think EP uses MSG though...

[MrsT]

Hey.. Reid,
I know Northern chinese food are a bit more saltish.. because of the cold weather...?? maybe..??
too bad.. the dishes weren't better.. :(
But it sure looked appetising though.. :)

[Trisha]

Hello! I forgot to tell you Reid the name of that new Japanese restaurant. It's called Shokudo.

[pinkcocoa]

hiya Reid
Like Julia, my understanding of Northern Chinese cuisine are basically all the floury/wheat products like noodles, dumplings and bread. Chinese food can sometimes have the tendency to be overly salty. Sometimes I do think that much Chinese cuisines when exported overseas had changed quite a bit to suit the westerner's taste. This happens here in Australia a lot!

[MBS]

Hey Reid,

Sorry you had a bum meal there. Frankly, I'm kinda surprised, since I've heard a lot of good things about it.

Btw, where are the good chinese restaurants back home? I can always find a good Japanese restaurant, but Chinese has always been problematic.

[Reid]

Hi AG,

Well, it's entirely possible for us to think the same thing! I just wonder how many others feel the same way, but are just too shy to admit it? =P

Yes, I do hate that! I really dislike tons of gravy on my Chinese food.

Hi Trisha,

I've had Northern Chinese before, but I'm not so sure about the authenticity factor. Here in Hawaii, most of the Chinese food restaurants serve Cantonese food.

I think the place you're talking about is Shokudo. I heard about it and was told that it's a little pricy, so I may/may not visit. We'll just have to wait and see.

Hi Kirk,

Thanks so much for visiting and leaving me a comment. It's nice to know that people get enjoyment out of my adventures in eating!

To be honest, I don't know what type of Northern Chinese cuisine this was, but I'm not so sure about the authenticity. Some of the workers in the restaurant spoke Korean in addition to Mandarin.

Thanks for the tip on the book. I'm going to try to find it here locally first. If I'm not able to, I'll order from Amazon. It sounds like a good read.

I'm also glad that you can get good Sichuan food in San Diego, I'm not so sure about the places that pass themselves off as Sichuan here.

Hi Julia,

I think my knowledge of Northern Chinese food is about the same as yours, but I really haven't been to any places here that serve hand pulled noodles. Yes, the gravy was definitely overkill and I think I need to make plum sauce chicken at home soon!

Hi Kirk (again!),

Actually, they don't have Peking duck on the take out menu that I have here in front of me, but they might have it on the menu in the shop. There are some assorted baos (pan-fried and steamed) and a couple of different types of dumplings, but again, I seriously doubt the authenticity, especially since they serve kung pao chicken.

Hi Therese,

Thanks for stopping by and mentioning the kim chee. This place also served kim chee and thanks to you, I remembered to post the picture of it!

I'm not sure if the dishes you describe are actually Northern Chinese in origin, but I'll pass by and take a look at the menu. Thanks for the tip.

Hi Robyn,

Naw, it's not your fault. If I had known there would be so much gravy on the food, I would have probably asked for less. I'm sure it would have made all the difference in the world. I normally ask for food to be cooked with less salt and no MSG if possible. I also forgot that this time as well. Are there any dishes you'd like to recommend in case I go back?

Hi MrsT,

I'm disappointed that it wasn't better myself. I wish they would cut the gravy and the salt, I would have preferred it more. BTW...do you like lots of gravy on your food?

Hi Trisha,

Thank you! I think I figured it out. I passed by there a couple of times over the last few months, but I'm not sure if I'm going to stop by. A friend of mine was there and he said that the service was quite bad. I'll wait for a couple more people that I know to visit before making a decision on whether to visit that place or not. =)

Hi pinkcocoa,

I couldn't agree with you more about the food. That's why I loved eating in Singapore. It seemed so much closer to the original and less "adjusted" to the Western palate.

Hi MBS,

It's unfortunate that this place was bad because both Robyn and Ryan recommended this place. Perhaps it was an off night, or perhaps I ordered the wrong dishes. In any case, less gravy would have been very nice.

I'm not sure what kind of Chinese food you're looking for, but I find that the quality of the food at Chinese restaurants here is OK for the most part. What I think is really a shame is that we don't have more variety. The Chinese food landscape here is dominated by Cantonese food which is pretty sad. Having tried a few Hokkien and Teochew dishes in Singapore, I wish there were places like that here. The only places that I would recommend are small, hole-in-the-wall shops run by Taiwanese people.

[MrsT]

It depends on what food though.. Reid.. :) But i do like loads of gravy on my rice..hehe!! donch ask me.. why.. but i just can't eat plain rice dry.. ;)

[Ryan]

I haven't ordered those specific dishes, but they look more or less like what I'm used to seeing there, so I don't think it was necessarily an off night. Sorry you didn't enjoy it; I guess it's just a matter of our tastes not agreeing in this case. No big deal.

So when are you going to try 12th Avenue Grill? Then we'll see if you and I are just way out of sync or if the Mandarin was a glitch.

I found a link you might be interested in. It talks a bit about "Northern Chinese" food, with some examples from On Dong and The Mandarin. The picture of the spicy fried garlic chicken is lighter on the gravy than the things you ordered and is basically the same as the dry fried spicy beef that I usually order.

http://forums.egullet.com/lofiversion/index.php/t42104.html

[Robyn]

Reid, Try ordering the House Special Noodles (eat w/vinegar) and the Garlic Schezwhan (sp?) prawns.. The mongolian beef, or the lemon chicken... I like their lemon chicken.. It doesn't have a strange taste like other chinese restaurants....

[Reid]

Hi MrsT,

I'm quite the opposite, the less gravy the better. I like to actually eat jasmine rice plain as I love the wonderfully fragrant aroma and delicate flavor.

Hi Ryan,

Thanks for the link to that post on e-Gullet. I remember reading that a while back and my only guess for not enjoying the food at the Mandarin was the fact that there was just so much gravy on everything...and I'm just not a gravy person.

I actually tried to go to 12th Avenue Grill a couple of times, but it's been too crowded. In fact, on the two ocassions that I did try to go there, I also tried to get into C & C Pasta with no luck. I was planning on making another attempt this weekend. Wish me luck.

Hi Robyn,

After looking at the menu further, the Mongolian beef was one of the dishes that I was considering for my next visit. =)

Thank you for the recommendations, I appreciate it! =)

[Kirk]

Reid - I just noticed the addition of the pickled cabbage - this is a standard Northern Chinese pickle = I can't remember what the name of it is - my Mother In Law makes it. What happens is in the days before refrigeration food had to be pickled - and there was tons of Napa Cabbage....Usually it's more sweet and vinegary than "kimchee". In some "Chinese" restaurants here and in LA you can tell how things are going when you sit - the "gringo's" get Won-ton chips, and the ones considered as "in" get pickled cabbage!

[Reid]

Hi Kirk,

LOL! For some reason, this reminded me of the kim chee they serve at Kim Chee II. And you're right, this was sweet and vinegary.

[John]

This restaurant is known for their jajyun myun, which is korean noodles with black bean sauce. I love theirs!

[Reid]

Hi John,

Thank you for stopping by my blog!

I don't recall seeing that on the menu. Do you think that it might be called noodle with hot sauce on the menu? If so, I see it here on the take out menu that I have. If I'm in the area, I'll make an attempt to try that.

Thanks for the recommendation.

[rebecca]

Yup... Eastern Paradise after the corner of King and Keeaumoku is the best. I've been going there ever since I was little. And pretty much the only place I go when craving for chinese.

[Reid]

Hi Rebecca,

Thank you for visiting my blog.

I haven't been to Eastern Paradise before, but it's now on my list of places to try. Thanks for the tip!

[Isabella]

I think their chef makes the best fried dumpling (potstickers) outside mainland China. Even within mainland China, you need to go to a 4 star Northern Chinese restaurant that is specialized in dumplings (Chinese dumplings may have 30 types of fillings).

After traveling in many countries, I have to say that Americans don't spend much efforts on food like people in other countries.(maybe that's why Americans are the best in science and many other fields?)

Chinese Food in Canada are generally much better than US. Chinese Food in LA and NY are much better than other US cities. No one should eat any Chinese food in Chicago - those dishes should not be called Chinese food.

If you want the best Chinese food, go to Hong Kong, Canton and surrounding towns, Shanghai and other eastern cities, then Beijing. Then go no further.

Surprisingly, I found the best potstickers in this small restaurant in Hawaii.

You know, most of the best Chinese chefs immigrate to Vancouver, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto, L.A. and New York.