Chou’s Kitchen

Chou’s Kitchen
910 N Alma School Rd
Chandler, AZ 85224


Companion and I dropped in for dinner and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Because of health issues, companion was not able to drink any of the drinks on the menu, and the owner kindly allowed a drink to be brought in from the outside that was acceptable.

We had a minor communication problem in that we ordered soup dumplings and received a bowl of broth with dumplings swimming in it. After working out our communication, we were brought the real Shanghai soup dumplings and were told to also keep the regular dumplings at no charge.
It must be said that the regular dumplings were wonderful and the broth they were in was beautifully clear and flavorful. As for the Shanghai soup dumplings, they were just as flavorful and totally delicious. Companion also ordered spring rolls which were nice and crispy, had good flavor, and were accompanied by a nice dipping sauce.

Companion ordered the Honey Shrimp which is a standard dish in many chinese restaurants, but this was a bit different. First of all, the food was cooked perfectly and second of all, if was not the cloyingly sweet item that most places serve. The sweetness was reserved allowing for truly tasting the shrimp and the broccoli

For myself, I ordered Szechuan style Ma Po Tofu, another dish which is available in almost any Chinese restaurant. Normally it is made with tsin tsin peppers, but here was a new twist on an old dish. Heat was supplied by jalapeno peppers, and to my great surprise by real Szechuan pepper corns. For those who have not had the experience of these wonderful pepper corns, they leave your tongue and mouth a bit numb after eating them, which is a true mark of real Szechuan food.
In the U.S. most places making this dish use ground up pork, but here they use actual chunks of meltingly tender meat. This was an altogether satisfying dish.

Portions were all large and prices were quite reasonable.

4 stars for excellent food, good portion size, and being very accommodating to the customers needs.

BP Street Café

BP Street Café                                                                                          UPDATED REVIEW

1845 East Broadway Road, Suite 127
Tempe, AZ 85282

Our party of 17 arrived for dinner promptly at 6:00. As I had called in advance, they had tables ready for us immediately. A few of our guests had some minor problems with their chairs in that they had points on the metal which snagged some of the ladies tops. A quick exchange of most of the chairs solved the problem.

There are apparently 2 sets of menu’s – the one which is on line and the one which was handed to us. The difference is that not all of the dishes are listed on the menu that is handed to you at the table. A number of us with smart phones went to their internet site and ordered from that.

Drinks were ordered around, and the consensus was that they were all very good. I had the Barley drink which is a bit unusual but with a wonderful flavor, and companion ordered the Thai Tea which was excellent.

Next were appetizers. The Roti Canai were flakey and tissue paper thin. They were served with a dipping sauce that had a piece of chicken and a potato in it. It was ever so lightly spicy, hitting the back of the palate a few minutes after eating it. We also ordered the BP Platter which consists of two of each of the appetizers with a chili dipping sauce. It consisted of chicken wraps (wrapped in aluminum foil with seasonings), spring rolls (delightfully crispy with good flavor), skewers of fish balls (unusually light), and two of the best chicken wings I personally have ever eaten. Had the wings been in buffalo sauce I would have thought them the best in the nation!

My first main course was the Sambal Fried Rice. It consisted of fairly ordinary fried rice with lots of egg in it and 4 small shrimp with the tail on. Flavor was a little smoky, but was definitely not on point. I also ordered the Mee Siam which is a chicken cutlet that is fried very crispy, and served with a small mountain of very thin rice noodles, several slices of cucumber, and a hard-boiled egg. This dish too was a big disappointment. The chicken was very overcooked, the noodles were so dry as to be inedible, and one would never get a hard-boiled egg in Malaysia, instead it would be a fried egg on top. No sauce was offered with the dish.

Companion ordered the BP Seafood over Rice. A large portion of white rice swimming in a sea of what looked like egg drop soup with 5 small shrimp in it and some artificial seafood. Companion complained that it was swimming in egg drop soup and it should have been thickened a whole lot. Companion also did not care for the dish itself, stating that the flavor was lacking.

Because of the experience of myself and companion, I polled the others at the table to get an idea of what they thought of the food.

Comments were: Chicken Curry and Rice – would have been good if the tofu had been left out

Seafood Noodle Soup – very good

Chicken Chop Noodle Soup – good

Combo Fried Rice – fair – needed more flavor

Hainan Chicken Rice – very good

BP Ginger Chicken Rice – good

Pork Chop Rice – great (Note: In Malaysia you would never get a pork chop as it is a Muslim country and pork is forbidden)

Nasi Lemak – missing flavor and heat (this dish was evaluated by our person who has lived in Malaysia)

Sweet and Sour Chicken – very dry and over cooked

Summation: There is no décor to speak of, though the place appears clean and well taken care of. One expects a bit of confusion with a party of this size, but this went far beyond what would or could be expected.

While some enjoyed their meal, the consensus was that the food was lacking in traditional Malaysian flavors and heat. I will go back again, to order a pile of the Roti and some more of the Barley drink.

I cannot in my conscience give the kinds of stars that others seem to be giving. Perhaps in the future, but not at this juncture. 3 stars for effort, cleanliness, and good portion size.

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This is a communication I received from the owner and in fairness to the review I felt it needed to be included.-------------------------


Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country; the main three ethnic groups are Malays (Muslim), Chinese (Buddhism/Christian) and Indians (Hinduism). We are serving Malaysian foods from these three ethnic groups. Therefore pork chop is on our menu since Malays is the only group do not eat pork but the other two do.

Flo’s New Asia Cuisine

Flo’s New Asia Cuisine

788 Baseline Road

Tempe, AZ 85283

First to Review

This is the newest in the chain of restaurants owned by Flo. This is my preliminary review, as the restaurant has only been open for two days and like all new places it has a few things to work out.

I arrived at 6:30 and was seated immediately. I was offered a libation and ordered a Diet Coke, the only diet drink on the menu. I would have ordered Iced Tea except that the only sweetener available was what many restaurants have removed from their tables in favor of Splenda. Unfortunately, the carbonator on the soft drink line was not working properly and my Diet Coke was mostly syrup and water.

The restaurant was nice looking, but was all hard surfaces making for a somewhat noisy environment. The addition of some soft hangings or some carpet would ameliorate the amount of sound.

First ordered were Spicy Wontons and Chinese Lettuce Cups. The wontons had good texture and I loved the very light wrapper around it. The flavor was very light as was the spice but I would order it again. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the lettuce wraps. My plate contained a half head of lettuce which was not taken apart at all, so my first order of things to do was to tear apart a half head of lettuce. In doing this a number of the leaves broke apart, leaving me with broken leaves to place the contents on and later drip down my hands. The filling did not impress me as it seemed to lack flavor which the accompanying sauces could not make up for.

Next was the Hot and Sour soup. A lovely bowl of properly gelatinous soup swimming with all sorts of goodies including very fresh shrimp. I added some vinegar and chili oil and it tasted just like I remember from China. This soup was dynamite! I'd have loved a bit of Ogo in it but it was a great soup.

Next was Kung Pao Chicken. One of the ingredients in it was zucchini which was a nice surprise since so many places use celery. A second nice surprise happened when I was served both white and brown rice. While white rice is traditional in oriental cookery, the brown rice is a nice addition for those who prefer a healthier option or prefer the nutty taste of it. The chicken was cooked to perfection, but once again the dish seemed to lack in the flavor department. It seemed to be lacking the heat and flavor that should be part of the dish, as well as the peanuts that I could not find.

I was brought Ma Po Tofu to try. It was made with regular peppers, and while the ingredients were all there, none of the heat was. I wish it had been made with real Szechuan peppercorns which would have made it an authentic dish even if it had to cost more.

Last was the Chocolate Wontons. Half wontons cooked till hardened then covered in a dark chocolate sauce plated with a slice of orange and dusted with powdered sugar. I appreciated the interplay of the orange and chocolate, but there was no way to eat it without getting my fingers dipped in chocolate too. Not that that is necessarily bad for a chocolate lover, but getting cleaned up afterward without a wet nap is a problem.

Overall, as a new opening there are a few problems to be ironed out, especially in the flavor area. Most of the food seemed cooked beautifully but lacking all sorts of seasoning. While Flo is noted for healthy variations in her food, she is not known for lack of flavor and I am hoping that this will be worked out by my next visit in a few months. If I had to sum up the food in one word it would be fresh. The food was anything but tired and worn out and the use of nice fresh ingredients was apparent.

The restaurant seemed spotless. The wait staff was a little confused but that is to be expected in a new opening. The cashier needs to know that sitting on the counter where the register is does not look nice and is unacceptable.

I'm giving 4 stars for quality of ingredients and for service in a new environment. Next time I hope to give 4 stars for flavor as well.

As my readers know, I do not accept free meals, and after paying for my dinner I found that the charge on my card had been voided and the meal had been comped. In keeping with my precepts, I have donated the cost of the meal to a local charity.

Flavors of Louisiana

Flavors of Louisiana

13025 W Rancho Santa Fe Blvd
Avondale, AZ 85392

Four of us went for dinner at this venue. We were really looking forward to enjoying some real Cajun/creole food. In many ways we were not disappointed, and in a few ways we were.

We decided to try an assortment of items to get a real picture of the food here. We started out with some fried pickles and fried green tomatoes. Nice and tart with a good breading we were hopeful that it was the start of some great food to come. While some of us ordered soft drinks, two of our party ordered sweet tea. It was true to its name, being a real brewed southern style sweet (emphasis on the sweet) tea.

Next on the try list was Gumbo. They have a seafood gumbo and a chicken and sausage gumbo, both of which we ordered. The seafood gumbo was pronounced excellent by all, but the chicken and sausage gumbo seemed overcooked and the chicken a bit dried out.

Next were main dishes. The shrimp etouffee was wonderful. Flavor was right on and lots of shrimp in it.

The shrimp creole followed the same ideal, with great flavor and good spice in a rich tomato base. Next was a po-boy, the quintessential sandwich of Louisiana. Once again, flavor and fillings were spot on.

Finally, came the Jambalaya, and our big disappointment for the night. Totally dry, with rice that was definitely from the bottom of the pot. We called over our wait person who apologized and said they were running out and had given us the last of the pot. I realize that they wanted to please us by not saying they were out of a particular dish, but in this case I’d have been much happier if they had thrown it out and not tried to serve it.

Though we were getting full, we opted to try the desserts. The peach cobbler was a total winner. Warm with great flavor, it was true comfort food. The cheesecake was just ordinary, and our wait person informed us that it was brought in from an outside vendor.

Finally came the Beignets. I felt that with some chicory coffee I’d be eating in Café du Monde. They were ethereal, and properly covered in huge amount of powdered sugar which promptly got all over everything as it should.

Overall, this was a nice eating experience. Given the one blooper of serving the bottom of the pot, the rest of the meal was spot on in flavors and textures.

The restrooms and the restaurant were nicely clean and service as excellent.

4 stars for flavor, quality of food, service, and cleanliness

Banh Mi Bistro

Banh Mi Bistro

2340 W. Bell Road

Phoenix

Three of us went for lunch at this restaurant. It is located in a small strip center right near the freeway. Arriving early, we were able to get a table immediately, and spent some time perusing the menu.

Companion #1 ordered egg rolls (3 to an order), a meatball banh mi with tomato sauce, and a taro boba.

Companion #2 ordered a Hong Kong style pork banh mi and a drink.

I ordered the spring roll appetizer with peanut sauce, rib steak pieces, pepper & onions banh mi, and peach/ginger iced tea.

In a reasonable amount of time our orders were ready to be picked up at the counter.

Comments:

Companion #1: egg rolls were crisp but on the small side. Came with enough lettuce and assorted veggies to make an entire lunch instead of just and appetizer. The meatball banh mi had little flavor but had so much jalapeno (possibly serrano) pepper as to make it inedible. Companion did not eat the rest of the sandwich. Taro boba was excellent.

Companion #2: Only ate ½ of sandwich because of burn from all the peppers on the sandwich. Gave me other half of sandwich and I gave companion ½ of my sandwich after opening it up and removing all peppers from it. Hong Kong pork was severely lacking in flavor.

My spring rolls were properly made, but the peanut sauce was almost flavorless. It looked proper, but the flavor just was not there. My sandwich was fair in flavor but lacking in meat. I added both soy sauce and a healthy squirt of chili/garlic sauce to the sandwich but it did not do much for it. Even the chili/garlic sauce was watered down in flavor. The ginger iced tea was very nice, but all teas are pre-sweetened, which can be a real problem for a diabetic.

Overall, the food seemed to lack flavor and assertiveness with the exception of heat from peppers. While I personally enjoy hot peppers, what was on the sandwiches was over powering of the flavor.

This was the first time I have ever had a banh mi that was so lacking in flavor. I would suggest that the restaurant reexamine their flavor profile and do some work on it.

The restaurant was clean and service was spot on.

2 stars for cleanliness and service.