No. 1 Express — Restaurant in Arcadia

This place was recommended by some Chinese foodie group and I decided to check it out since people were suggesting it. Well, food is affordable that's for sure. But here's the breakdown.

It looks like the restaurant may be still in soft opening stage? There were boxes and stocks everywhere, that leads me to think they're not quite ready for opening? With that said atmosphere and ambience is near hit a it seems more mom and pop shop.

Service was good. Staff was friendly and helpful. But then again, we were the only customer 😅

My friend order the braised beef combo rice (牛腩飯). It's a tad on the sweeter side but tasty. Beef was very tender and not chewy, the tendon was well cooked but still got a bounce. That's some talent.

I ordered the crispy duck which was a miss. The duck was dry, way too salty. But then again I like the Peking or HK style roast duck with moist tender meat, a bit of fat and crispy skin. This crispy duck felt like an old leftover duck that's been deep fried to be refreshed for service.

I also ordered the pan fried bun (生煎包). That's just say you pay for what you get. It looks fine but it's doughy, meat is dry, no juice flows out when you bite into it. I was given a very little vinegar, which is ok as I have a giant bottle stocked at home.

Overall, braised beef rice is good. But I'm not a fan of the crispy duck nor the pan fried bun. If I'm in the neighborhood, I would only return if I were to crave for the braised beef rice. But then again, I've had amazing braised...

I have changed my five-star review to a one-star. I don't want to be that guy but this last time I ordered there was a huge language barrier, usually not a problem but this time it was just ridiculous. It took about 5 minutes to get my order through (three items) and then when I show up the order just wasn't made at all. Wasted a whole lot of time for nothing. I like this place and I usually order from here at least once a week but that's going to be changing if this is how it's going to be. And now back to my original post...The woman Who provided my dinner was extremely nice. The food came fast.It was hot and it's delicious. I highly recommend, especially for...

I was excited to visit. Photos and reviews looked impressive. There are one questionable photo where the chicken looked under cooked. The eating area design and layout is simple but feels comfortable. However, there are clutter on bar counter and boxes piles by the far table and under the bar counter. Food was good. The smoke duck and dried green beans stir fry was well made and very flavorful. I wish service was better. The owner and his translator has no concept of giving customer a piece and quite eating experience. They talked loudly and on...