Lotus Garden — Restaurant in East Port Orchard

Our family lived in Beijing for five years. The adventure of a lifetime. Ever since we came back, we’re on the look for authentic Chinese food. Truthfully, many Chinese restaurants in America serve toned down dishes.

This is the reason that when we travel, we look for the highest rated Chinese restaurants so we can taste and compare. We always hope that this one is The One. The one restaurant that has the taste of what we used to call home for five years.

Beginning of spring, we went for a drive around. Two in the afternoon, we’re hungry. Looking for a Chinese restaurant, close and highly rated. Lotus Garden is chosen.

We connected with the hostess right away. I asked if they had a certain eggplant dish, my favorite from Beijing. They didn’t. But she immediately promised that if I called ahead, she’d be happy to prepare it for us.

We ordered Mu Shu Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken (my other favorite), and some Chow Mein.

Long story short, the dishes, all three, were delicious. Closest we tasted out of China. Portions were large enough to eat half, be full, and pack the rest to take home. Let me tell you a secret. I had the leftovers for dinner, same day. And it was even better!

Like Chinese food? Authentic? Nice? Delicious? Lotus Garden in...

What a lovely surprise The Lotus Garden in Belfair is! Ever since I discovered Thai, Phillipino, Vietnamese, and Korean food, I really haven’t been inspired to eat Chinese food much because it has to be done right. I have now been to the Lotus Garden twice and have tried their orange chicken, sesame chicken, shrimp fried rice, cream cheese wontons, sesame balls, potstickers and vegetables egg rolls. Everything was fresh, perfectly seasoned and not overly sweet, and the fried items crispy and light. The restaurant took over a location that used to serve Vietnamese, and it is evident they haven’t been able to update the decor from the prior owners. I am hopeful that once the word gets out about the quality of food and they turn enough profit, they will invest in updating the decor. Regardless, their food is delicious and we will buy again. The front cashier is also pleasant and efficient. If they get more popular they are going to have to hire more staff. I wish them well. It’s great to have access to good food in...

To be transparent my husband and I don’t eat Chinese food often, and prefer homemade meals. We ordered for pick up right before the dinner rush so maybe lunch or dining in is better?

I got the chicken udon, and it was okay. The noodles were fine, the veggies were really good but the chicken seemed spongelike and I couldn’t eat it. I’m also pregnant so that could be a texture thing. I think if it had more sauce it might have helped.

My husband got the orange chicken and he said it’s not that good. The sauce seemed more watery than a sauce. Overall it seemed more soggy. I normally will eat some of my husband orange chicken but this one looked unappealing so I didn’t try this one. The rice was pretty bad. It was dry, and even a bit crunchy. Overall, we felt like we’d be better off getting the Safeway...