Chef's Express — Restaurant in Castro Valley

This breaks my heart to write this since I've been going here for the last 10 years, through highschool, covid, all of it. I loved this place, but after today I dont think I'll ever come back. The food has completely changed, as well as the quality. I noticed the second i walked inside and was told many people have been asking if the recipes had been changed. This could've come from the safeway Chinese bar and I wouldn't have noticed, not to mention the price has gone up more, which if the food was good and they hadn't made the portion size smaller I wouldn't have minded. It's bland and overcooked. The potstickers are gummy and thick, the chicken dry inside with barely a whisper of flavor, and the noodles blander than I thought possible. The employee who was working there (very nice) said a couple months ago there was a change in ownership. It's ashame that this what they chose to do with the restaurant. If it ever gets better or goes back to the old recipes I'll maybe go back but for now, just go somewhere else or...

Came by around 7:20pm. Got a 3 item combo. Total was $15. Got orange chicken, sweet sour pork and broccoli beef. Half fried rice, chowmein. Orange chicken was super salty and tasted like they added way too much soy sauce. Didn't taste any orange at all. Sweet and sour port had a correct flavor, meat was hard, outer was soggy. Broccoli beef was the best of the three. Beef was chewy and broccoli was cooked and crunchy. It tasted fresh. Fried rice tasted like soy sauce flavored rice. It was obvious they just cooked white rice with soy sauce and added chicken bits. No char flavor at all. Some of the rice was hard and undercooked. Chowmein was tasteless.

They served me the night's leftovers. Everything, except the broccoli beef, was soggy or hard due to sitting out.

I knew but took a chance....

Today is the first time I ordered from here and most likely this will be the last. I ordered Szechuan Fried Shrimp without rice. They charge extra for not adding rice. Explanation was the whole order would be shrimp but when I opened the box it was not my order instead it has Shrimp Kung Pao. The box is full with vegetables and a few shrimp, not fried just watery sauce. Also I ordered Salty Fish, Eggplant & Chicken. They charge extra for sea food that's okay but when I opened the box that has only few pieces of fish, no chicken and extremely extremely oily. I called to check with them if they can change it but no one pick up the phone. I am very disappointed. I...