Mandarin Chinese Restaurant resides in a super busy strip mall across from Southwestern College. As you can tell by the "Mandarin, Szechuan, Cantonese" lettering, this is obviously what I call an "ABCDE" ("ab-cee-dee" – American Born Chinese Dining Establishment). The type of food these restaurants serves is so far removed from, say, what the late Mei Jia Deli used to serve, that it looks like it comes from another universe. That said, just because this is Chinese food designed to please someone other than Chinese…it does not necessarily mean it is bad.
If the store front isn't enough to convince you, the interior is a dead giveaway; it's ABCDE all the way:
So why did we make the drive all the way down here? There was one reason…..Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings. Friends of ours told us that they prefer the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings(aka "Crack Wings") at Mandarin Restaurant, to those served at the legendary Crack Wing houses Royal Mandarin and Golden Chopsticks. Now that's saying a lot!
As we were seated, the first thing we noticed was the amount of smoke in the dining area. That kitchen sure was working hard, and the ventilation was not the best. Second thing we noticed, was the Guy working behind the register….I recognized him instantly! After checking out the menu, and a quick our Server, my suspicions were confirmed. Mandarin Chinese Restaurant and Mandarin Canton have the same owners. Still, even though the two restaurants have the same owners, and a very similar menu, we were sure that the kitchen staff was different. So we ordered a few of the lunch specials(priced from $4.75-$5.75).
All the specials started with a small bowl of soup…we went for the Hot and Sour soup….which should have been more aptly called Sour, Sour, and Sour soup! Man this really made the Missus and I pucker, it was stunningly sour.
The Missus ordered the Mandarin Soft Noodles(lunch – $5.75):
First off, whoever cooked this really knows how to handle a wok…..there was even a bit of Wok Hay action going on. And to our surprise the pieces of dark meat chicken was very soft and tender. Mandarin Canton still does a better job with shrimp, but the chicken in stir-fries there are just plain terrible. To me, there should have been a bit more soy flavor, I found this on the bland side.
Of course, I had to have the Chicken Wings with Spicy Salt(lunch special – $5.75):
First off, the version here is better than Mandarin Canton…the batter is not as thick and hard, and it is not as salty. But fear not, you can still make out the MSG crystals. I thought these were good, if a bit short on the flavor end when compared to Royal Mandarin and Golden Chopsticks.
We also ordered the Spare Ribs with Spicy Salt(lunch special – $5.75):
This was a disappointment. The spare ribs(actually pork chops) were on the soggy side, and the marinade was very heavy handed on the ginger, it was also too salty(even for me!).
Even though the sister restaurants may differ a bit, there are a few things that the 2 restaurants have in common; the YMMV factor, very reasonable lunch specials, and overall prices, the crazy parking lot, and the relatively small dining area. With some good timing, and right choices, a good meal can be had here.
Mandarin Chinese Restaurant
945-A Otay Lakes Rd
Chula Vista, CA 91913