It's a joke between my husband and I to be the first to spot THE Chinese restaurant in every small town we visit.
Every small town has one and in its name has a word like: "Dragon" or "Golden" or "Fortune" or "Lucky" or "Panda" or something along those lines. (Note: You should know that both my husband and I are Asian-Canadians...we certainly aren't making fun at these places, it's just a weird thing that some couples do. And don't lie. If you are attached, you KNOW you do something like that too!)
And so, we've been spending a lot of time in Prince Edward County in Ontario, specifically, near Picton. Picton's Chinese restaurant at 155 Main Street is called "Golden Inn Restaurant". Tonight, we decided to abandon the BBQ for one night and splurge on a dinner "in town." Of course, the first restaurant for us to try as a family would be the Chinese restaurant. Like all Asian people, we needed a noodle and rice fix. (If you're Asian, you understand)
Jeremy and I didn't expect a $2.00/plate dim sum joint, nor did we expect Chinese exotica on the menu. (I mean things like chicken feet, cow tongue and tripe) I didn't think dishes with those ingredients could possibly be popular in a small town where the Main Street is only 3 blocks long.
The place is exactly how I pictured it: Chinese lanterns, oversized fans on the wall, a painting of the Great Wall of China and the cherry on top? Paper placemats with the Chinese Zodiac! (Awesome!) By the way, there were no chopsticks at the table, nor did we even ask for any. Totally Old School and Retro. Do you kind of picture this place now?
Jeremy and I had craved fried chicken balls, fried shrimp, sweet and sour sauce, noodles and rice and that craving certainly got fulfilled at Golden Inn. Look, for my family, it's the McDonald's of Chinese Food and it was perfect. The menus told the story of how the Liang family has owned, managed and not changed the décor of the place since 1978. I'm sure the lovely waitress who served us was a daughter, or granddaughter. The other patrons were clearly regulars. It was like I was in a 1970s film. And I loved it.
We ordered the crispy shrimp and chicken balls with sweet and sour sauce on the side. I think my kid ate about 7 of each. The Cantonese chow Mein and the garlic beef were both made from the same black bean sauce, but that's only because my husband and I think of ourselves as Chinese food experts (I'm sure we're far from it). Both dishes were tasty, yet sort of tasted the same. Lemon chicken with lemon sauce on the side - also very good. (Let's face it, you really can't go wrong with anything that's deep fried)
Jeremy and I couldn't tell if Mr. & Mrs. Liang hand-breaded the chicken or shrimp, but it didn't matter, everything was freshly fried and yummy. No microwaved warm-up dishes here. After studying the menu, we decided that they were reasonably priced and you get a good portion.
We craved it. We got it. Will we go back? Sure. Everyone needs chicken balls and sweet and sour sauce every once in a while, right? read more