Rangoon Chinese Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Smithfield

HIDDEN GEM

This restaurant is one of those hole in the wall restaurants that you will only find if you search. It is on the border of Smithfield and North Providence. Right outside the view of the main road; it hides on a street, not passed by many. If you do happen to come across this hidden gem of a restaurant you will surely be pleased with the meal that awaits you.

This restaurant is not for the fanciest of people, but more for those who seek great food and hospitality. As you enter this unseen establishment you will pass by a small tank of goldfish in a bathtub shaped rocky tank; instantly being reminded that you are not in a normal restaurant. You then enter through the glass doorway and are greeted with a warm “Hello,” from both lovely owners, Andy, and Isabel.

You will then be seated in one of the freshly polished booths that encompass a massive wooden ship they use to divi out their buffet food. But do not be scared away from the buffet; I personally witnessed the food being freshly made as soon as a certain food ran out. It is all cooked by the three chefs in the back that show up 3 hours early to work every day to prepare their delicacies for the guests. But even if you do not want to get food from their buffet, they have plenty of options to choose from on their vast menu.

I went with the appetizer that you will find at all good Chinese establishments, the pu-pu platter, more commonly known as an appetizer sampler. It was full of the freshly fried foods we have all come to know and love. The beef teriyaki sticks were tender and juicy, and the crispy chicken tenders were cooked to perfection and had the perfect companion of Rangoon’s own home-made duck sauce to really give you that tangy, sweet, and sour flavor. But although these two appetizers were great, the crab-rangoons are the reason I will be coming back. Unlike other restaurants Rangoon chose to go with a more savory flavor that changes the game of crab-rangoon; it is hard for me to order these little bites of heaven anywhere else now.

For the meal I went with the classic General Tso's chicken, with a side of beef fried rice. Andy and Isabel gave me an insider look into how to food is made, and let me tell you, these chefs have turned cooking even something as simple as rice into an art form. In the kitchen you will see rice flying up into the air but not one piece if dropped out of the wok.

Alongside the rice and noodle chef (Polo), you will see the main cook. The man they refer to as “Chef,” making all the main dishes for the meals at lighting speeds; with up to three woks going at the same time. It surely was a moment to remember. Now let us get back to food before I get lost in the private show, they politely granted me to see.

While you can order General Tso’s with white meat, I ordered it with the dark meat for obvious reasons. The chicken was delicious. It had a crispy exterior, a soft, tender interior, and was coated with the sweet and savory General Tso’s sauce. Accompanied perfectly by a somehow crispy and soft, beef filled fried rice. Do not even get me started on the flavors of combining the left-over sauce with the rice. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Just know that if you get this meal, doing that is necessary; I am going to leave this combination of flavor out of my writing so you can experience them firsthand when you arrive at this place yourself.

What else can I say? The staff were polite and quick to help me when I needed them. There was no piece of food that I did not finish besides the few pieces that I took home. This being because the servings were so large. If you have not already been to this establishment, I would highly recommend you try it; just remember it is one of those secret places, so let’s keep...

Went there as a group of three . Started with a drink , took 15 minutes but it was good . Didnt bother me , soup was included in the buffet . Came out fresh and yummy . Each of us ate a plate and a half , the food was good , not up to my boyfriends standards , but we all enjoyed our meal . Our lovely waiter consistantly checked in and was polite and smiling and was all around great customer service . Till i realized i left my debit card at home and my boyfriend didnt have much left , we had just enough on us to pay for the meal , and our friend tipped her for all of us . Well , after i left before the boys , they come out being followed . Apparently getting harrased . Because one left a tip and the other didnt ! Wanted his license and said she would have him arrested for not tipping! Seemed like it happened often the way her husband came out and said nothing to us just pulled her back inside and waved his hand to tell us to go . She was screaming at my boyfriend that now she has to pay her waiter because now she thinks she did a bad job and you should have explained to me that you didnt have money on you . WHEN should someone ever have to explain their life to a waiter because we all didnt personally leave a tip...for a buffet . We paid 15 dollars each , and 7 for the drink plus whatever his friend got . His friend left a good tip . Point of this review , the waiter was wonderful . And she refused the 2 dollars cash i had in my purse . But if you go , make sure you tip . Or they will threaten to...

By far the worst restaurants my family and I have experienced. We ordered about $50 worth of take-out and was nothing great about it. The rice can very much be equivalent to dry dog food; the boneless spareribs was also dry and tasted as though it’s been sitting for days and then refried, as well as, the bf teriyaki; bf and broccoli was over cooked, wet and soggy; chicken and ginger plate texture was rubbery with thick dry sauce; when we called back to complain about our order the hostess displayed such poor accountability and service. She suggested I contact an attorney for any and all complaints. I am convinced we have just been served leftovers as, it was the end of the night and our dinner was cold by the time we got home just 10 minutes away … do not waste your time, you will be absolutely...