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Rob's Review
Head
down South to Mandarin
Say
what you will about the rejuvenation or gentrification of South Austin on
Congress Avenue, but Hype Park it isn't. That's why a lot of people probably
don't know about a little Chinese joint called Mandarin. It's tucked into
the end unit in a little strip mall at the corner of Oltorf and S. Congress
across from McDonald's. Tough to find, and you might need your urban assault
vehicle to get there, but trust me, it's worth it.
Mandarin
has resisted the temptation to do the Chinese buffet thing for lunch and
dinner. Those buffets, endless as they may be, are usually greasy, cold, and
singularly unappetizing. But it seems like almost every Chinese restaurant
in South Austin is doing them. Well, hats off to Mandarin. And good for you,
the restaurant patron. Because for an exceptionally reasonable price, you
can get original and excellent food.
Start
with their hot and sour soup. Great flavor, nice chunks of beef, no MSG
aftertaste, and you have a wonderful appetizer. I get the kung pao chicken.
Now, at most Chinese restaurants, kung pao is usually presented with peanuts
and it's the equivalent of a Big Mac and fries put together. Mandarin asked
its customers what they wanted (now there's a novel concept), and the
customers said lose the peanuts. So, they load it up with celery, peppers,
onions, and moist, diced chicken and the flavor is just terrific. I asked
them to hold the sugar, which they were happy to do. And the taste, to my
way of thinking, was improved.
And
make sure to try the twice cooked, pork with cabbage.
Delicious. I also really like their egg rolls. Most Chinese places in
strip malls produce egg rolls that are greasy and too deep fried. Not
Mandarin. Tender. Not greasy. Delicate flavors characterize these little gems.
So
take a trip to SoCo (South Congress for the un-initiated) and Oltorf and
check out Mandarin. Ask for Millie, who along with Linda Chang, ranks at the
top of the list of exceptionally attractive Chinese restaurant owners, and
she'll show you a number of the reasons why the South (Austin, that is) has
indeed risen again.
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