I've heard a theory that says that the best Chinese restaurants are the dingy, hole-in-the-wall places that are dirty and run-down inside. The Joy Luck Place definitely goes against this theory as it offers great food in a clean, well-lit, spacious and classy setting.
While waiting for our orders to arrive we enjoyed some appetizer peanuts, which were quite tasty:
I checked out their fish tanks and found some fine-looking specimens:
Soon our food arrived. We started off with braised scallop and vermicelli (thin rice noodles) soup. I greatly enjoyed its light, refreshing flavor:
Next came the sauteed snow pea shoots, which were fresh and crunchy:
We had some crispy and delicious fried shrimp:
Our meal reached a climax with the absolutely gorgeous Peking roast duck, whose perfectly glazed, crispy, thin golden brown skin was a joy to bite into:
The duck came with some very soft and sweet buns, with which we made little Peking duck sandwiches:
I can understand our friend's unreserved enthusiasm for this place. By the end of the meal we were converts too.
Amen ;-)
