Portions small, broth is way too salty, ran out of their signature hainanese chicken at 6pm on a weekend, menu said they have knife cut noodle but when I went to order they said they don't have that. Price is fair though. read more

Short wait at 2pm on Sunday. Some were enjoying fresh Dimsum well others came for regular entrees. The interior is cozy and food is well worth the price. I ordered the Chow fun ($15), and salt and pepper fish filet ($10). Would recommend if you're in the mood for a hearty authentic Cantonese meal! read more

Garden Kitchen - Salt and pepper fish filet - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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This is my new go-to Chinese takeout because their food is simply DELICIOUS and priced very reasonably! -beef brisket noodle soup: you HAVE to get the knife cut noodles! They are so chewy and tasty paired perfectly with the most flavorful broth. Beef is extra tender and super easy to eat. -plain porridge: HUGE portions and so YUMMY. Not too salty and the perfect snack/meal for a cold day! Will always come back here to get our favorite cravings!! read more

We ordered the fish ball noodle soup with knife cut noodles, Hokkein fried rice, tomato and beef pan fried noodles, marinated tofu, and salt and pepper capelin. Everything came quickly and was tasty. The marinated tofu had great flavor without being too heavy or oily. Prices were very reasonable considering portion sizes. Service was friendly and there are plenty of tables inside. There's also a dedicated parking lot in front of the restaurant which makes things easier. They were sold out of their special Hainan chicken and char siu when we came for dinner, so consider coming earlier or for lunch if you really want to try! They only make a set number per day and don't keep any leftovers. read more

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Oh, they are back open under a new flag, popular and busy as ever, and pretty darn good! Very very importantly, they take contactless payment and credit cards. I'm guessing that is one major reason why they have tons of business. We wanted to try more, but since they were packed, I opted for the recommendation by the waitress. The Hainan chicken rice plate was a good recommendation - thanks! As you can see from the attachè, there is quite a bit of chicken. Don't let the internet image of the takeout container fool you as there are Two layers of chicken there! The taste of the chicken and rice, rice and chicken, was good. The price is also very good and highly competitive - very good for wallets these days. Hmmm, I can't wait to try their other signature dishes! The inside ambience is familiar and comforting with a full house with families chattering around the whole restaurant and waitresses running around busy. read more

Garden Kitchen - Good Hainan chicken and rice plate for a good price closer to $-$$!! - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

$10 special Hainan Chicken rice the word is out, one per person (for all of you who could eat multiple plates)! BUT, recently it's down to one per table so split yourselves up. This was during my last visit...so they changed things I guess people were overdoing it. The service for being so busy is fast, efficient, and generally pretty good. Usually a half hour wait to get a table. So the special chicken rice is decent and for $10 definitely worth it. 4/5 Roast duck: do not order this, it's super salty and cold on the inside and kind of warm as they reheat it on the outside. 2/5 The wonton noodle soup: my friends order this often--decent and fresh 5/5 Lemon tea: 5/5 just the right amount of lemon and sweet, extra charge for ice Yuzu iced drink: horrible do not order this it tastes like medicine 1/5 Shrimp dim sum 10/10 huge portions and fresh read more

Garden Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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They have new ownership here and the new owners took over around July. This place is not called Garden Kitchen and everything looks the same expect the menu and the staff. They currently have a promotion of their Hainan chicken over rice for $10.00 and it's dine in only. One table is limited to one order. The rice is so good and def one of the few places that it packed with more flavors. The chicken was tender and juicy but it came with bones . I was hoping it find a place that was boneless. We also got the house special pan fried noodles and that's was good as well. It has chicken, shrimp mushrooms and bok choy. The chicken were huge and might not be suitable for kids, unless you want to cut it up a little for them. The salty egg yolk kabocha (pumpkin) was fried a little too long as the batter looked a little dark brown but it was still good. I would say this is a good deal for the price $13.99 as most other places are like $17.00. The service was great here and the staff was much nicer than the previous crew. I would try their appetizers and drinks next time. read more

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Imagine the things you can do with an old Taco Bell location! Garden Kitchen is actually bringing quality authentic Cantonese cuisine made with traditional Hong Kong style cooking techniques sold at affordable prices. Located in San Bruno on the corner of El Camino Real and Santo Dominga Avenue, Garden Kitchen replaced Fat Wong's Kitchen and is the new hot spot in the relatively small community of San Bruno, and what brought us here for an initial visit and many more subsequent visits was their grand opening special. So special and real bargain was this grand opening special that every table was clearly ordering it. For just 10 dollars, you get their mouth-watering Hainan chicken dish with all the fixings - ginger scallion sauce, rice, hard-boiled egg, cucumber salad, and peanuts. The chicken is so tender and juicy, it's like your mama or grandma made it, but this time with purpose because it was this dish that sold us to make many more visits! Of course it was one of my dining buddies that heard of Garden Kitchen and their special deal so getting the word out was key as it implored two others to join us for a lunchtime meal for four. We got here early enough on a weekend afternoon that there were still tables left for us to enjoy lunch, but the place did fill up fast, as their parking lot can be a challenge to negotiate (it was a fast food restaurant after all complete with unused drive thru that serves as a nice exit from their lot). The menu at Garden Kitchen is separated into categories including Appetizer, Congee, Noodle Soup, Rice Place (where the House Special is highlighted), Chow Fun/ Chow Mein/ Fried Rice, Entrée, and Drinks. Upon this visit, in addition to the House Special Hainan Chicken over Rice, we ordered their Salt & Pepper Squid Tentacles, Beef Chow Fun, and Broth Beef Brisket. The House Special Hainan Chicken over Rice was so delicately plated with their half dome of sweet rice, quartered boiled chicken, halved hard boiled egg, and peanuts and cucumber lightly tossed in vinegar, you easily could just enjoy this dish and be satisfied. Since it was the early days of us visiting, they really were not regulating how many House Specials you could purchase on one visit so we ordered and ate an entire second entrée of the same thing and then ordered a third and took a nibble and promptly requested a takeout box because that's how we do things when the deal is that good! Another surprise was their Salt & Pepper Squid Tentacles which were a surprisingly fun take on the traditional deep fried calamari, this time with a Chinese take on the dish. We would order this entrée for a second helping as well. Our total bill came out to $92.29, which included tax but not gratuity, which for 8 dishes was actually reasonably priced as we had plenty of food to take home for a future meal. Having such a good meal for lunch, we were back a month later for dinner this time with seven other people, and they still had the House Special Hainan Chicken Over Rice, but it was one per table, and any additional orders would cost an additional $12.99 for our table. We also ordered their Deep Fried Pork Chop topped with Sweet & Sour Sauce; Stir-Fried Pork Intestines served Pickled Cabbage and Sautéed Vegetables, Pan Fried Noodles topped with Seafood, Peppers and Bok Choy, Stir-fried Water Spinach served with Fermented Bean Curd, and once again their Beef Chow Fun. With seven entrées, our total bill came to $108.71, which once again was quite reasonable and there was still a little extra food to take home because the portion sizes at Garden Kitchen are so hearty. Now we have a place to go for a quick meal before or after we drop off or pick up a party at the nearby airport, and we also have a place where we can enjoy a no fuss meal that fills your appetite without emptying your wallet. May Garden Kitchen has a long successful reign here along El Camino Real like their predecessor had, as their House Special Hainan Chicken Over Rice may be one the best versions of this dish that I have enjoyed in quite some time! read more

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Come for: decent cantonese bbq, hainan chicken rice Know that: place is small, meat quality for stir fries not the best I wish I could give this place a 3.5. But not for the mythical "bad service, good food" chinese restaurant label but because there truly were hits and misses. The service was actually pretty good! And the ambiance looked exactly like a Chinese restaurant should with the bbq meats hanging just beyond the dining room. I ordered the two meats bbq plate (roasted duck and char siu), pan fried noodle with tomato and beef, and the hainan chicken rice. The BBQ meat plate was a solid (4/5). The duck was juicy and flavorful, and the char siu had that classic sweet smokiness you want. The rice came with some sauce on it and some greens. For about $15, solid amount of food. Pan fried noodle with tomato and beef (2/5) is where things went wrong. The pan fried noodles were good and crispy, and the sauce was a balanced sweet and sour. The meat is where things went wrong. Very, very chewy to the point where it was inedible at times. They also marinated or rubbed it with something (maybe cooking wine?) that seemed to give the whole dish a bad flavor. Would not get again. Hainan chicken rice (4/5) tasted so similar to Special Hainan Chicken just a stones throw away. Their ginger/scallion sauce paired really well with the chicken and the oil rice had that deep chickeny flavor. Peanuts were good too! My party also ordered a porridge I did not try but everyone said it needed A LOT of salt. Overall, not the worst option for cantonese food especially in the San Bruno area but dishes could be hit or miss. read more

Garden Kitchen - Roast duck and char siu rice plate - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

Came for the $10 Hainan Chicken deal, left happy. Been meaning to try this place given the grand opening sign, but have been seeing the long lines. Dropped by Sunday for lunch ~11:20am and the place wasn't packed... yet. Parking is nowhere to be found, so we parked in residential. What we got: - Salt and Pepper Capelin ~ Crispy. Not oily. Served with fried garlic bits and bell peppers/peppers. So good! Not for the faint of heart as these fish are whole and full of roe. But if you bypass that fact, each bite is a burst of crispy, umami, hearty flavor. - Hainan Chicken ~ Solid. Rice was soft and moist. Soft and succulent chicken paired perfectly with the rice. Ginger Scallion sauce was the cherry on top! Served with roasted peanuts and cold cucumber salad. - Spare Rib with Black Bean Sauce Chow Fun ~ Spare ribs were soft and juicy. Dish was on the heavier side. Perfect for sharing. All in all, decent start to their grand opening. Place is family friendly, with high chairs available if needed. This place offers a wide variety of classic dishes with a decent price point. Would return to try other things on the menu! read more

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Checked out Garden Kitchen in San Bruno, which was formerly Fat Wong's Kitchen and what appears be a former Taco Bell. I believe the owners of Fat Wong's Kitchen retired. The interior has been refreshed with new paint, tables, and chairs with the new management. We ordered the Hainan chicken rice during their $10 grand opening promotion. The chicken was very tender and came with ginger scallion sauce, half of a hard boiled egg, and cucumbers on the side. At the regular price of $14, it still brings good value. We also ordered the beef chow fun, and pork organ congee. The pork organ congee had a good texture, but needed a pinch of salt and some pepper powder for flavoring. Everything tasted fresh, clean, and well prepared. It was noticeably better than the food quality under the previous management. There was a short wait for a table during lunch, but service was quick and friendly once we were seated. Staff was professional and spoke fluent English, which made the experience smooth and easy. In addition, they also take credit cards, which was a huge plus and convenient. There is plenty of parking in their lot or on the street nearby. Overall Garden Kitchen is definitely worth a visit and will return to try their dim sum options. read more

Garden Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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Braised beef noodles was my fav dish to get from the previous location, Fat Wong's. Seemed like they kept the same noodle chef other reviews had said. The taste was about the same, however the they were skimping out on the meat. 7/10 Hainan chicken rice was ok, went when they still had the $10 deal. 8/10 Spare rib noodle was not quite there. It seemed like noodles were not done cooking yet, left bunched up. Didn't bother to take a picture since it didn't look too appetizing. 3/10 Milk tea was ok, didn't taste super authentic though like the ones from Hong Kong cafes. 5/10 read more

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Beef brisket and other items still as good as Fat Wong. I still need to try the hainan chicken. Service is good with familiar faces. I ordered for delivery once and found the beef brisket noodle soup container to look smaller than I was expecting, but it was still filling nonetheless. The soup and the noodles/brisket were packaged separately as they should be. Four pieces of brisket in the to-go order. read more

Coming to order to go, restaurant changed name but decoration and inside looks the same as before. We ordered four items and 2/4 Milke tea is good it's strong but not too sweet. House special Hainan Chicken rice is good, chicken is soft not chewy, rice are flavorful, peanut and cucumber as side and ginger sauce with over loaded green onions. Beef brisket over rice - a lot of rice and beef brisket on top looks kind of sad. Only a few pieces and few bak choy. The brisket tasted good it soft and not chewy Half roasted duck is very sad, not fresh, it has no meat, skin chewy, very fat and a lot of bone read more

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Updating my review as of 8/24/2025: I went back for lunch today and I was told that the $10 promo for Hainan chicken rice was over. It's back to the original price $12.99 (plus an extra $1.5 for dark meat) and it's still good for value. The grumpy waiter was out of sight during my last two visits and the current crew is pretty attentive/efficient. read more

If you are expecting the old Fat Wong quality, you will be disappointed. Garden Kitchen was recommended by a friend telling me they had a good experience. They said they saw a long time Hispanic waiter working there. He wasn't at the new Fat Wong's before. My experience was meh. It wouldn't be fair to compare the new restaurant to its old owners. On the bright side, service was excellent. They now have three waitresses. Food was meh. The beef brisket appetizer was my starter $13. It was similar to the old Fat Wong taste but it was missing the Chinese spring onions to cleanse the palate. This was OK. As for the wonton lo mein $14. It is a very basic Chinese HK style dish. Again, it was meh. I ordered lo mein, but they gave me regular wonton noodles in soup. Either the waitress put it in wrong, the kitchen got it wrong, regardless, the waitress should have checked before it went out to me. They fixed it within minutes, which was good. If you compare it to the original Fat Wong's recipes, the wontons aren't as big, missing that plump texture as well as flavorful shrimp and pork taste. To Garden Kitchen's credit, there was a slight hint of sesame oil taste in the wontons. The noodles were a bit springy with a good stiff texture. It came with oyster sauce and two pieces of choy sum. The side of soup was bland. Tonight, I did notice older chefs working in the kitchen. Previously at the new Fat Wong's, it was a bunch of kids. One of the guys in the back looked a lot like the owner of the new Fat Wong's. Perhaps this is just a rebrand? The restaurant was 3/4 empty on Sunday evening's dinner service. read more

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Great dim sum and good Hainan Chicken, but the fish was only average and the duck was just OK. The food could still make this a solid spot, but the service hurts the experience. One waitress, possibly the owner's wife, comes across stern and unfriendly, making diners feel unwelcome. Come for the dim sum and chicken. Don't expect a warm welcome. read more

Garden Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

When your signature dish is Hainan chicken rice and you can't get the ginger sauce right , what can I say? And the soup is not authentic to the dish ... seaweed and tofu ? And the rice does not taste of the chicken? Yes I am very disappointed.. as were my two other friends . Portions are generous. read more

Garden Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

We arrived around 5:20 and went to some plentiful Friday night parking. Order a few items like the Hainanese chicken with rice, pork chow fun with sauce, and a vegetable dish. Food came out hot, and the chicken was excellent. The price was reasonable, and we also bought food for Togo. The service was good, but I would suggest that if you notice a disabled person, don't look for a table on the far side of the restaurant. The ambiance was no different than the old place. I would recommend this place if you are in this area. It was busy when we were leaving, and the lot had no parking. read more

Garden Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

We were seated right away for dinner. Restaurant is clean. Staff is nice. We ordered the $10 Hai Nan chicken dinner. We got a lot of bones. Not a chicken breast in sight. The table next to us knew the chef and got all the breast meat. So unfair. Also ordered the seafood pan fried noodles. Noodles are crispy but it's not seafood. We got a lot of chicken and BBQ Pork. They should rename that to combination. False advertising. The chow fun was pretty good. Portions are just right. No leftovers. Don't bother with the skimpy chicken dinner. I don't think we will put this in our regular rotation. read more

Parking is limited with a small lot. The food was inexpensive, but the flavors didn't really stand out. Portions were decent and everything came out quickly, but overall the dishes were a bit bland and off. For a table of 4, we tried chicken over rice, tomato and pork over noodles, beef chow fun, and salt and pepper tofu. It was fine for a quick bite, but probably wouldn't return. read more

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Such a steal! They had a grand opening promo for $10 hainan chicken rice set that was thoroughly impressive for its price. This place also used to be a chinese restaurant, now revamped. The interiors look quite the same as before. We tried a variety of stuff on their menu and really liked how things weren't too salty or oily. I would come back! Parking is not hard. read more

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It looks like new owners took over what use to be Fat Wong. There were things I liked about the old place and a lot that I didn't, so the change is welcomed. The first thing I noticed was that the place felt cleaner. There are a few things I did like about the old place that I'm glad stayed on the menu and one of them is the beef brisket and it's pretty good now. Another popular dish is the Hainan Chicken. First time I was there, I'm sure every table had an order. My parents love Hainan Chicken so they ordered it and it has become one of their favorite places to go for it. The prices are relatively inexpensive compared to other places and the food is on point. This has become a regular spot for me again. read more

Good service, food is good but I can taste the MSG. Expected though. It feels authentically Cantonese comfort food that I grew up eating. I will be back with my mom. read more

Garden Kitchen - Hainan Chicken with rice noodles.. - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

This place was packed when I visited on Sunday around 1pm. Ordered the $10 grand opening hainan chicken special. Very good deal. Food was tasty. Ready another review that the taste was bland but my dish was well seasoned with salt. Love that there's a little variety on the plate. Service was nice. Doesn't look like they changed much in regards to the decor of the place. Same layout as Fat Wong's kitchen basically. Need to come back to try their noodle soups. read more

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Things like porridge, hainan chicken dishes are quick, everything else is slow. Just wished the waitress would have told me in advance like she did for other guests. Wife ordered the hainan chicken noodle soup; I had some and it was pretty good. I ordered the spareribs with black bean sauce chow fun and finally came after 30 minutes. Both dishes were good to be honest. 4 stars if it wasn't for the wait. read more

Garden Kitchen - Spareribs with black bean sauce chow ho - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

Hainan chicken is the specialty here. Other customary Cantonese food items are available, Wonton noodles and porridge (gook 张) for example. Cafe style. The staff is nice and quick. The food comes out quick. My expert, mom, verified the Hainan chicken was tasty, fresh, and tender. Go for the food. Great comfort food place. Easy to order if you're not Chinese. Menu has English and pictures. Staff also speak English. Yelp Grading This is my rating system to help you gauge my rating. It is a disservice to over-inflate ratings. I don't want you to be disappointed with your experience. Ratings are based on the kind of business and expectations. A business will be rated in consideration of its intended clients. A To-Go shop or hole-in-the-wall will be compared to similar businesses and rated thus. Anything rated three stars or lower is not worth mentioning. Meh. *** stars - Good overall. Some aspects are above the notch: food, service, and/or ambiance. Worth your time. **** Stars - Exceptional, short of perfect. ***** Stars - Perfect in all aspects. Food/Product Quality, Service, and Ambiance read more

Surprised to get seated pretty quickly with a party of 9 at 12p on a weekday. We were lucky that 2 parties left withing 5 minutes of us getting there. There is a notepad to write your name and party size, but we also flagged down a waitress to check in. I had the shrimp and dumpling noodle soup which instantly brought me back to me the same dish I had in China - clean and healthy. I added a little bit of chili oil and now I'm craving it again just thinking about it. You know it's authentic when the staff looks like they're deep in the hustle and the floors have that slightly slippery sheen from a busy day lol. The $10 chicken special looked so worth it too. Lunch under $20 in this area?! Practically unheard of. I think the deal ends this month. Go get yours! read more

Garden Kitchen - Complimentary tea and shrimp and dumpling noodle soup - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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Been here several times, solid food here. My moms favorite is the haianese chicken. Can't go wrong with anything here. Tried several dishes from chow fun, mala tripe, jook, minced beef and egg over rice, mala soup noodle, curry beef (on the sweet side). All reasonably priced. read more

Been wanting to try this location ever since my sister in law was raving about their Hainan Chicken over Rice. She was right! I tried their Hainan Chicken over Rice and mom tried their Shrimp with pork wonton noodles soup. Awesome. I also tried their milk tea and coffee hot. It was also good. Would I go back, yes. I haven't tried anything else so not sure but I won't try anything else since the chicken was delicious. The service was good and there was plenty of street parking. read more

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Fav new place! Pork liver congee 5/5: over 10 pieces of liver, roasted duck with egg noodle soup 5/5: plump duck and not overly sauced, clean broth with crisp noodles, beef brisket with char sui egg noodle soup 5/5: beautifully roasted pork and good brisket (next time just char sui for me) and came with 2 pieces of gai pan. Only meh was the salted egg pumpkin 3/5. Not enough yolk flavor, fried fine. Clean place, nice service, easy parking. When we let by 1145 on a Sunday, it was 80% full. Def coming back to try the other noodle and rice dishes. My new go to instead of driving to sunset. read more

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Saw the sign said Grand opening. Went to try on Sunday Lunch that is very busy. No parking available at all and no available seat that's showing some good sign. Waited just few minutes to get seat. Promotion discount on Chicken Hainan and rice only $10 , I saw every table ordered so I ordered 1. Ordered homemade roasted duck appetizer which is great potion for $8.99 got a quarter. The skin is so crispy and tastes good !! I like it. Ordered dimsum to try but had to wait 20 mins and thought it ok but too long lol end up full from others food. All in all is good service and good food. I'll go there again read more

The restaurant was packed, the food was delicious. Just gotta find parking unless you arrive early The chicken was tasty also read more

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Very authentic Cantonese foods, we ordered hainan chicken, pepper pig intestines, tofu, wonton and thousand-years egg porridge. They are all delicious, the hainan chicken is their specialty. The service is good and the waitresses are very attentive. The ambiance is nice. read more

Garden Kitchen - 1/2 Hainan chicken . - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

Dine in here since they changed ownership. Price and portion are reasonable. Foods came out hot and tasty. read more

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I used to come here once in while when it was Fat Wong's. They didn't change the place that much, pretty much the same. Decently clean. The service was fine and people were friendly and attentive. Finding parking could be still challenging. Food we ordered was all good. The Hainan chicken was very good. The wonton/beef stew noodles (清湯牛腩麵) was also very delicious. The noodle were very crunchy as I was expecting for HK style. One of the best I had. They used beef stock for the soup, which was pretty good. Wonder if they would use the HK style soup for the Wonton only noodle soup. Their congee was also quite good. I have the assorted port organ congee (及第粥), I was impressed by their thick cut pork liver. Again, it's one of the better ones in the bay area. Their congee could be smoother, but it's definitely better than a lot of places. Overall, we were quite happy with the quality and the variety of food, definitely will come back to try out other dishes. read more

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We had dinner at Garden Kitchen and tried the wonton soup, salted fish fried rice, fried fish, tomato beef, and pan fried noodles. Every dish was fantastic, and my favorite was the fish. Service was quick and courteous. This used to be Fat Wong's and the decor is still the same, which brought back good memories. The food is just as great, but they don't stay open as late as Fat Wong's, which is the only thing I miss. read more

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Decided to give this a place a try. Had tried it once years ago when it was Fat Wong's. Since they closed Mings, I was looking for a decent priced Chinese food place with good portions and good food. On a Saturday night they were packed with some people waiting. Counted about 9 tables or so. Took about 25 minutes for my orders. Ordered 3 dishes. On the menu they only had the salted fish chicken fried rice. Ordered it without the salted fish. Asked about beef dish and they only had a beef brisket. They suggested beef with string beans. The last dish was fish, tofu, mushroom that is on their menu. The chicken fried rice didn't have enough seasoning. The other two dishes were tasty. Portion size for take out was not enough. Three dishes totaled about $50. read more

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Tried their laksa, and let me just say it's the first time in my life I need to add salt and soy sauce to my laksa .

Hainan chicken and milk tea were excellent. Laksa noodle was a little under spiced. Overall very good. Will definitely return to try other dishes! read more

Garden Kitchen - Hainan chicken rice - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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