Golden Delight — Restaurant in Rosemead

Was out and about in the San Gabriel Valley today. Stopped by this restaurant called Golden Delight. It’s a Vietnamese place that also makes Chinese food so they have two menus that you can order from. We ordered mostly Vietnamese. Two different kinds of Pho and some Vietnamese egg rolls, which on the inside have meat and rice noodles, etc. You wrap the egg rolls inside lettuce with mint leaves, cucumber, sweet radish, etc. and then dip into a slightly spicy/sweet sauce. It’s heavenly when it comes to the flavor and healthy because of all the veggies, which I do love about Vietnamese food; all the veggies and spices. It’s currently my favorite kind of food. Disappointed in that Golden Delight only gave us one tiny bowl to share with the dipping sauce. That bowl looked like it was meant for a really small child. I overheard the people in the booth next to us ask for additional lettuce because they were three people and their six egg rolls came with three pieces of lettuce. The waiter told them “umm, if you want more lettuce we have to charge more.” He said it was about two dollars per piece of lettuce. 🤣 I was afraid to ask for another tiny half filled bowl of dipping sauce. I also got from the menu what is called crab claws, which sound better than it actually was, especially when you factor in the price. The food was great but they were very stingy on certain things and charged too much on any kind of extras. Those crab claws were $8 a piece. I would say they were only worth a $1.50 for two because the meat inside was imitation and only the claw was real. 😂 Without the crabs, the meal was excellent but not worth the price. When we went to Vietnam earlier this year, if we paid $90 for a meal, it would’ve been three times the amount of food you see in the pictures and enough to feed six or more. And asking for anything extra was gladly provided for free. Again, the food was good but I can’t say I’ll be in a hurry to return. My wife thought the overall look of the restaurant was really nice. She almost got stuck in the bathroom. Some issues with the door 🤣 but overall it was cool. I can’t give it five stars. They should be more forgiving on the little things like requests for more lettuce. If someone buys six egg rolls then it shouldn’t be a stretch to give them six pieces of...

Golden delight was a delightful treat. Came here with my family on a Saturday night as I was visiting the San Gabriel Valley area to celebrate an early birthday. My parents suggested Golden Delight because it has both Vietnamese and Chinese cuisines. Think of a restaurant that pho and also Chinese lobster noodles. These combinations are very rare.

The restaurant is brightly lit and has a high end restaurant feel. Every utensils, decorations, and even down to their water cups are gold to compliment their golden theme. Hence, the Golden Delight.

We got both Chinese and Vietnamese dishes and I’ll list my feelings about them below.

Canh chua - traditional Vietnamese sweet and sour soup. They are usually made with tamarind soup base, cat fish, elephant ears (the vegetable), okra, tomatoes and bean sprouts. Tangy and sweet and made to perfection. It’s a giant bowl and we finished majority of it. The catfish was ok.

Fried fish - this thing was massive. It’s battered fried so it’s fluffy and crispy to the taste. Definitely a giant fish and our family of 4 couldn’t finish it.

Black beans clams - if you follow my reviews you know it’s always a must get for me. Covered in umami black beans, sauté with bell pepper and onions, it’s a delicious and decadent dish.

Crispy fried noodles with seafood - must have for all birthdays, as long noodles symbolizes long life. The dish is a lot smaller to the ones I noted above, it has bok choy, mushrooms, shrimps, fish balls, and calamari, covered in a sticky sauce that is piping hot.

Sauté snow peas - always a favorite to get at Chinese restaurants and this was not an exception. The snow peas were still crisp but not raw, it’s covered in garlic slices. Tons of flavor.

A couple things to note. their Vietnamese kitchen closes at 7:30, so if you want Vietnamese food get here at 7. If you order white rice, it will cost $1 per person for the whole table. They serve fruits at the end for desserts.

I can’t wait to come back and try their...

It’s disappointing when the service doesn’t match the quality of the meal.

The food was absolutely delicious—easily the highlight of our visit. This was the first time my parents were open to trying something outside of their usual Mexican cuisine, and we were really excited. Unfortunately, the service experience was disappointing and left us feeling unwelcome.

We waited about 10 minutes before a server came to take our order. After taking it, he made a strange face and walked off without saying anything. Someone else eventually brought our food, but after that, no one checked in on us—not once. Our water glasses sat empty, and my dad wanted another drink. He flagged down a server, but no one ever came back. We finished our meals and waited over 15 minutes to see if someone would stop by. When no one did, we had to ask someone else just to bring us a to-go box and the check.

That person dropped the check and walked away without a word.

My sister went to the register to pay and, again, was ignored. She asked who could help, and was told to wait until someone finished a phone call. On her way back, a server adjusting a nearby table pulled a chair out that nearly hit her—no apology, no acknowledgment. To be honest, the lack of basic courtesy and attention made us feel like we didn’t belong there. I don’t know if this was just an off day or if we simply didn’t fit their typical customer profile, but it left a sour taste—despite how great the food was.

We won’t be returning, which is a shame, because the kitchen is clearly doing...