REVIST POST ON ROSE GARDEN [HERE]
Rose Garden used to be a regular late night restaurant of mine for about half a year. I came here weekly (even 2-3 times a week sometimes) because the food is not bad and it is quieter than Congee Noodle King. The only reason I stopped making it my regular is because the service is barely there, and it is not that hard for me to find late night Chinese restaurants I can enjoy. There is pretty much an unspoken rule (as lame as that sounds) that when you recognize your regular customers (plus I eat a lot!), you should provide average service. By the way, no relation to the person above and yes I do feel like I needed to mention that.
I consider Rose Garden to be a "dirty" Chinese restaurant. By dirty, I mean you can easily find food on the ground and have dirty cutlery. I do not mean dirty as in bugs and rats, though sometimes there are flies but that is a given for any late night restaurant? It is just one of those things where you hear people complain about dirty tables or stinky smells that seem exaggerated and you roll your eyes.
CLAMS IN LEMON GRASS BROTH, 1LB STEAMED SPOT PRAWNS, SAUTEED PORK TORO SLICES WITH VEGETABLES, DEEP FRIED SILVE FISH, SAUTEED GEODUCK SLICES, PLAIN CONGEE, CREAM AND BTTER SAUCE LOBSTER, AND DEEP FRIED SHANGHAI BUNS.
CLAMS IN LEMON BROTH ($5.99). The clams are fresh, the broth is clear and you can taste the lemon grass. There are no dead clams which makes me think they have a good quality control and throw the dead ones out.
1LB OF STEAMED SPOT PRAWNS ($25.80/lb). I did not know the spot prawns with eggs are in season, and the eggs creep me out. The prawns are not overcooked and taste the same to me everywhere (if they are not overcooked).
DEEP FRIED SILVER FISH ($5.99). The fishies are nicely deep fried and crunchy. I personally love crunchy dishes but for the average person, it would have been a bit over deep fried. The seasoning is tasty and tastes like any other chilli and salt seasoning.
SAUTEED GEODUCK SLICES ($19.99). The geoduck is a bit overcooked and tastes chewy. Other than that, the vegetables are a bit too oily but that is a given for some Chinese restaurants.
PLAIN CONGEE (COMPLIMENTARY WITH ORDER OF 4 dishes). I deliberately chose four dishes just so I can get the free congee! I have no idea why but I have been craving for plain congee lately. The congee tastes bland, home cooked, tasty, and has a nice consistency. To me, there is bad bland congee and this is considered a good one.
3 1/2lb CREAM AND BUTTER SAUCE LOBSTER ($15.80/lb). The cream and butter sauce is pretty good, creamy, has a nice consistency, and the lobster pieces are lightly battered. The lobster is not overcooked and has a nice snappy bounce. I totally forgot to add yee mein noodles and regret it.
DEEP FRIED SHANGHAI BUNS ($5.99). I like that they use new oil but I wish the buns kept their shape. The buns come with condensed milk of course, but you have to ask for it which I find odd. I did not really enjoy the taste of the buns because of the lack of shredding, lost shape, and the taste itself. The buns taste bland and are missing the usual yummy soft bun taste.
SAUTEED PORK TORO SLICES WITH VEGETABLES ($5.99). The pork toro slices have been more tender but it is not too chewy. I do not think I ever had any chewy meat dishes (sliced beef or pork toro) here before. The vegetables are nice and crisp but overly oily.
Just a little fact... I am the type to not speak up. As the only waitress in the restaurant is reading a newspaper with her back towards us, I say "excuse me" pretty loud. No response. I say it again, no response. I feel awkward and walk up behind her and say it again. LOL no response. I then walk in front of her, got her attention and asked for the bill. Later on she brings the bill and goes back to reading the newspaper. History repeats itself and luckily I was smart to calculate the amount so I did not need to get her attention once again for change :)
COMPLIMENTARY RED BEAN SOUP. The red bean soup has a nice thick consistency but tastes too sweet. I like that there is a hint of mandarin orange peels as well.
POSITIVES
- Sauteed dishes are not too oily
- Late night restaurant
NEGATIVES
- Average eats
- No service
- They never show the seafood and tried giving us a 4lb lobster, uh...
LITTLE THINGS
- Meh, if service is not an issue.. why not?
- Revisit post on Rose Garden [here]
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 1/5
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