As a self-identified foodie, I have been impatiently waiting for the grand opening of Cardinal View Plaza’s newest attraction: New Kitchen.
This past weekend, the day finally arrived and I headed over to have lunch with some friends with a grumbling belly and fingers crossed.
Asian food is a particular favorite of mine and the fact that we didn’t have easy access to anything like that had been a sore spot for some time.
The restaurant was sparsely decorated but clean and well laid out.
There were several booths scattered around the dining area and at the back, a salad bar type of display of dishes were laid out in waiting next to an open face grill. Despite being only a few days old, the place was bustling with almost a dozen SVSU staff, professors or students coming in just during the half hour I was there.
I was immediately intrigued and headed over to see the menu options.
There were two main categories for my dining choices: fast and grill.
At $5.99, the fast food meals allowed me to pick any two of multiple already — prepared dishes, including General Tso’s Chicken, spring rolls, broccoli beef and crab cheese.
The options of steamed rice, fried rice or lo mein was also available.
I could also get a drink for an extra $1.69.
I ordered General Tso’s Chicken with spring rolls and fried rice.
While my food was ready immediately, there was some confusion among the staff as they shuffled who was ringing people up and who was taking more orders.
However, after only a few minutes of waiting, the confusion died down and I had my meal.
I started eating with hopeful expectations, but quickly started to become disappointed.
The food was moist, warm and filling, but had a very chain restaurant, Chinese buffet feel that left me wanting more.
In comparison to Panda Express, the food was about a dollar cheaper, but the plate size was significantly smaller.
For a minute, I was heartbroken. My dream of getting good quality Chinese take out to eat as I do my homework was being dashed.
Determined to try everything though, I moved on to the grill option.
For this plate, I could pick from one of four options: beef, chicken, shrimp, or vegetables. Then, there were a variety of fresh cut vegetables available to load up on top of the meat. The final step was to pick a sauce out of over a dozen options, including traditional soy, sweet and sour sauce, Cajun and garlic.
Once you’ve created your customized platter, the whole concoction is dumped onto the grill and stir fried right there in front of you.
The wait time for the grilled plate was several minutes longer than the fast option, but only a dollar more expensive.
The whole thing sizzled when they brought it out, oozing juices as the flavors soak into the fried rice that the dish is served on.
My first bite made the wait time well worth it.
Despite being served on a Styrofoam plate, the grilled dish felt like something I could find at a quality sit-down restaurant. The flavors were excellent and the vegetables cooked till they were just blackened at the edges.
That’s when I knew my hopes for good Asian food actually had been realized.
Overall, New Kitchen is off to a strong start, and I predict that they will continue to see many SVSU staff and students walk through their double doors. For anyone still considering going in, I definitely recommend stopping by and waiting the few extra minutes to sample their grilled stir-fry. I will definitely be returning soon.
