Admit it…
You have a standard when it comes to Chinese food. We all do.
And there’s nothing wrong with that!
As Americans, we are spoiled with the pleasures of orange chicken, beef and broccoli, and fried wontons. In fact, Chinese-American cuisine was first introduced to miners of the California Gold Rush by Chinese immigrant-owned restaurants. Chefs had to reshape their menu to better reflect the vegetable resources available, as well as to better suit picky American taste buds.
Thus, signature Chinese-American dishes were born!
Depending on your budget, it isn't always easy finding tasty food that hasn't just been flash fried. As a CSULB student, I am fortunate enough to have one of the most ethnically diverse cities to choose from for lunch.
Between Belmont Heights and Long Beach's east side resides the inconspicuous store front of Yummy Garden.
The medium-sized dining room is unusually empty. There is no music or ambience to welcome the guest. The mounted TV in the corner of the room is off. Red and yellow paper lanterns sway back and forth from cool air blasting out of vents. At the very back, double doors to the kitchen echo with various clangs and crashes of cookware as the host sits behind a large counter you have to peer over to see.
"Sit anywhere," the balding man says.
The best feature of Yummy Garden -- besides open seating -- is their lunch special. Two very hungry people can go out for lunch (11:30am - 3:30pm) and spend no more than $20 on lunch at Yummy Garden. On top of your choice of entrée, you are served soup, rice, egg rolls, and fried wontons.
And it lives up to its name!
But to say the food is just yummy is an understatement. I ordered the classic beef and broccoli, and my boyfriend ordered spicy deep fried chicken and wonton strips:
One bite and the deliciousness overwhelms you. It's hard to believe such amazing food is so reasonably priced; this place would give Panda Express a run for their money. We had so much leftover we requested two large to-go boxes of shame. Our waitress was attentive, but not overbearing.
The bill was less than $25 total. And that's after the tip and playing fast and loose ordering items not on the lunch special menu.
Though the atmosphere is not as lively as you'd anticipate, there is no denying that the food is amazing. I have to admit, I'm thankful for the gold rush and the tailored Chinese-American menu that came along with it. Yummy Garden is, hands down, the best Chinese food I've had in Long Beach.
