Asian Taste One — Restaurant in Maryland

We used to love Golden Key and after they retired and Asian Taste One moved in/took over we were a bit disappointed at first as a handful of the food is admittedly not quite as good as it used to be or rather just different and it's hard to swallow after knowing Golden Key literally my whole life. However since then they've won me over with their food too even though it's not quite the same. I've always had great customer service here, they see me enough to know me and are very nice. It's a family business so you get all sorts of people at the counter of all ages. I've never encountered anyone rude. They're quick too so I usually stop in or call, go shopping at the Giant and 15 minutes later go back and it's ready.

Golden Key was known for their very soft fried rice with generous vegetables, egg and meat. Asian Taste One kept their recipe and the main fried rice (that you order by itself) is very still very good (I like the pork fried rice). They use their own pork recipe for the chopped bits of pork so its slightly different tasting than Golden Key's was but is still loads better than other places who do the very yellow rice with peas, etc. The fried rice they use as a side for dinner/ lunch platters has less vegetable "fixins" and is a bit bland. It's literally just "fried rice". Try requesting extra vegetables/onion and meat for your rice. The same with their lo mein.

Their Thai dishes are actually rather good, in particular their Sambai/Sambal and Singapore noodles are very, very good with loads of vegetables and flavor. Those dishes always make people ask what I'm eating or love it if I give them a taste. The Sambai is a really balanced dish to put on top of white rice, ask them to make it spicy.I did not care much for their pad thai much or their curry. Their chicken wings are fantastic as they use a five-spice rub.

I think their menu is highly variable, try a few things and see what you like. That's how I found the Sambai/Sambal which has become my go-to for it's high quality vegetables and meat in a non corn-starch based sauce. They're slightly on the pricey side but their offers when you meet certain price thresholds (free soup or cream cheese wonton etc) are pretty fair. I think it's still definitely one of the better Chinese places...

Very vegetarian unfriendly menu. But wait, after the polite young man with perfect American English, had a discussion with his aunt) they will replace the meat with tofu (fried or steamed) for an additional $1.50. They will replace the chicken broth in the soup with "tap water" for free. There are three or so "vegetable" dishes on the menu but no vegetable mushu.

The lomein was tasty and not overcooked. Vegetables were crispy, yumm. Bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, carrots, celery, and snow peas made up the remainder. They politely placed the steamed tofu on top to avoid fragmentation. Unfortunately, it also avoided the sauce. Which, by the way, may have contained chicken broth after all. Bottom...

I have been coming here since the name changed from golden key.The family that owns this carry out has always been friendly and the food was always hot fresh and delicious. I really enjoy their General Tsos chucken and order it extra hot and spicy with extra green onion.The only negative comment i have is sweet and sour pork is absent from their menu.Please give this location a visit and see for yourself. The negative comments you have read from other people have never been experienced by me in all the times i come here.One more comment i have us i visit and order here at least...