Full Moon Mandarin Cuisine — Restaurant in Monterey

I Deliver doordash and I have been in there many times and it always smells good . I'm from SF and love Asian foods. I have tried 5 places in the Monterey area since moving here, and they have been ok , only 1 has been excellent...tonight I tried Full Moon, and I have to scream out ...finally!!!! First of all I didn't check closing time and walked in right on the dot at closing wanting to be seated. The people there very sweetly explained that they were closed but I could order something from takeout. I order the house Chow mein and spring rolls. Omg this is what it is supposed to taste like. The perfect amount of spice and flavor, the noodles and meats all perfect the sauce is almost creamy and has real pieces of vegetables. So good; The spring rolls too!!! Light and crispy and flavor full with nice pieces of everything inside. And the prices are great. A little less than most In The area. But what stood out to me the most was, they looks exhausted from the day and eager to go home but they served me with a smile and were very gracious while I waited. I really felt like I was in a nice restaurant, and it felt like a dining experience, and I didn't even dine in. I am very pleased and...

This is a Sichuan cuisine restaurant that started out with some authenticity several years ago, but now is just another generic Americanized Chinese restaurant in California. I have been going there on a regular basis since they opened several years ago and had been quite satisfied with their Szechuan dishes. They were moderately spicy and numbing. The Sichuan flavors used to pop and overwhelm taste buds. In the last couple of years, however, I noticed the dishes have evolved to be a bit sweeter, more salty, and much less spicy and essentially no peppercorn numbing flavor classically associated with Sichuan cuisine. To people familiar with different regional cuisines of China, the Sichuan influence is still there, but to the average non Chinese customer, this is just another Chinese restaurant serving excessively salty and oily food. Yes, excessively salty. The restaurant has lost its original flavors. Thechiliess and numbing peppercorns that are the essence of Sichuan cuisine are gone. This restaurant has succumb to the average, generic, uncharacteristic taste buds and is unfortunately just another mediocre restaurant on AlvaradoStreett ...

Service is fine and foods ok, but I get one cheat meal a week so my critiquing is a little more strict on takeout.

Egg flower soup: More on the bland side, but consistency on the dot. 3/5

Fried rice: decent egg flavor but seasoning missed whole areas (half of it was still white) making inconsistent bites of flavor, also rice a little on hard side. 2/5

Shrimp egg foo young: gravy was decent and egg texture was nice and fluffy yet cooked properly to hold its shape. 4/5

Garlic Chicken: Bland with like 6 total pieces of chicken bits mixed with plenty of celery and bell pepper. 1/5

Overall 2.5

Update: Last time I went was during covid closures and I was starving. Tried it out again recently and had a very different experience. Staff was friendlier (last time the guy taking orders, as it was a takeout only timeframe, had an uptight attitude). The Wor Wonton soup was flavorful with tender pieces of pork and shrimp. Rice was a little on the hard side but not unappetizing. The Mapo tofu was pretty awesome (could be a little bit spicier and has a hint of ... tomato?.. which I thought actually worked well). Going with a solid 4/5, will try more...