It’s not too often one can walk into a Chinese restaurant and find food that is truly fresh, tasty and authentic, but China Gourmet is all of that. Here for 29 years, China Gourmet used to have its home on the east side of Federal Highway, north of 10 Street, but has moved to the Plaza on the other side of 10 Street, directly across from Target, for more space to accommodate a growing demand for indoor dining.
“We needed more space to grow in, and wanted an open kitchen,” said Yim Fung, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband Peter. “People just love the open kitchen – the first thing they do when they enter is take a peek and see what we are doing.”
For years, locals have dined at China Gourmet, and if you wondered why they left, they didn’t. They’re still here, and the food is just as good as it ever was.
Inside the new location, the walls are softly painted with bamboo draped around, the kitchen is open and the service is warm. I stopped by to taste some of the foods China Gourmet offers on their expanded menu. The traditionally Szechuan and Cantonese menu has grown with other Asian influences, but still keeps all the traditional favorites, including their specialty, General Tao’s chicken.
The wonton soup is prepared onsite with fresh wonton as is the hot and sour soup made with mushrooms, egg and green onion. It is obvious that the soups aren’t store bought or have been sitting in a fridge for several days. With the soups come some Chinese chips with a hot mustard sauce (warning: very spicy but good) and a duck sauce.
Next, a poo poo platter with a variety of appetizers, including fried shrimp, fried wonton, melt-in-your-mouth spare ribs, mini-beef skewers and fried chicken. There was enough food to feed about four although we were only two.
For entrees, we had a General Tao’s chicken and a sweet and sour chicken. While the sweet and sour chicken wasn’t very adventurous, it is a standard in which I test Chinese restaurants because I love the sour sauce, and, fortunately, I wasn’t disappointed here at all. The sauce was thin, not gelled and was nicely flavored. The Tao’s chicken was just as delicious and all the platters came with plenty of rice.
Complimentary with the meal is a pot of Chinese tea which is a nice complement to the food. As much as we wanted to try a dessert, we were way too full, but for two soups, appetizers and entrees, the meal was around $30, which is relatively inexpensive for a meal that isn’t easy to cook at home and tastes delicious. Currently China Gourmet is offering a complete whole live Maine lobster dinner early bird Cantonese dinner until 6:30 p.m. for only $12.95.
While a buffet restaurant might offer more variety, China Gourmet dishes out very fresh food for a reasonable price. Everything is made to order without MSG. Pickup and delivery are available. China Gourmet is now located at 1215 South Federal Highway, Deerfield Beach, across from Target. Call 954-428-8888 with orders. Hours are Mon.-Thurs. 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. - 10: 30 p.m. and Sunday from 3-10 p.m.
