[REVIEW] Orient Garden, Garden City Park, NY

After a brief hiatus, The Chinese Quest was back on the road.  The destination this evening was Orient Garden, located at 101 Herricks Road, Garden City Park, NY 11040.  Orient Garden moved into the location of the ill-fated Park City Diner, which didn’t survive long there.  Is the spot jinxed?  Or is it just a bad location?  Read on.“

If the name ORIENT Garden sounds familiar, it was opened by the owner of The ORIENT (The very first Chinese restaurant we reviewed back in 2013), and ORIENT Odyssey where Newsday Videographer came to video us.  How does Orient Garden stack up?  Read on.

EDIT:  The three restaurants are under different ownership.  The Chinese Quest regrets this error.

Going back to my initial question about location, I don’t think it’s the best.  It’s kind of desolate there at night as it’s in a light industrial area.  I do wish them well.  The early weeknight crowd was pretty sparse when we arrived, and no one entered after us.  We shall see.

The interior looked like a diner.  Not surprising since it was a diner in its past life.  It has that nice crisp and clean look and feel to it.

Lets talk food!

BBQ Spareribs – We started with our go to staple, and yardstick.  These are old school ribs.  They looked succulent, but alas were a little dry to my liking.  That was the first bite.  Subsequent bites were better, but I’d rate these a notch below average in comparison to the BBQ Spareribs we have had at other Chinese restaurants.

Pepper Steak – Mee V Stoogas wasn’t available this evening, so we availed ourselves of a beef dish knowing that he wouldn’t be missing out.  The steak was good.  Nice and moist and buttery, the peppers crisp and delicious.  We recommend these.

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Next up were:

Chicken with Chinese Vegetables – Nothing special to report here.  It felt like an Americanized offering

House Special Fried Rice – Not bad.  Some pros and cons about this dish.  The shrimp was delicious.  The rice was a mixed bag, though it probably came from the same bag.  It was uneven.  Level on the plate, but some grains were way too dry; some grains were lacking in taste; and some grains were just right.

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We weren’t quite full yet; but were certainly not starving either, so we ordered…

Pan Fried Pork Dumplings – The wrap was a little too thick, which we feel takes away from of the taste.  It overwhelms the pork inside.

We were now too full for Carvel Ice Cream, and it wasn’t Wednesday anyone, so we passed on dessert and went on our merry ways.  But, not before…

Our Rating

Would we go back?  It was a mixed bag.  But, my decision was altered when I learned that they serve Dim Sum.  From the carts!  The carts make all the difference in the world.  I would go back for Dim Sum. 

Unfortunately, it was too late to change my rating.  And besides, I don’t know if the Dim Sum is good or not.  That’s fodder for another review!

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Humbly submitted for your consumption,

—Mee Magnum  (“Chop!  Chop!”)

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