The Ma-Po Tofu at Empire Szechuan does use the brown pepper, which most restaurants do not, so that makes it a bit authentic.
I don’t know about West Lake offhand, but Sichuan Cottage has a lunch menu in Chinese which has a lot of the authentic dishes at lunch prices, while the English menu does not. Maybe there’s a difference in the portion size, though the lunch portions are plenty large for me, and we never go at dinner time.
I think I posted somewhere a(n incomplete) translation of the lunch menu.
I remember them–our Bell Labs group used to go there for lunch a lot. We kept trying to convince them to serve dim sum, but they were convinced it wouldn’t be profitable!
(We lent them a book of “How to Eat in Chinese” to help them translate some of their more authentic dish names.)
Evelyn - let me say that MY BELL LABS group use to go there every Friday for the crabs !
I led a project that required the team to work 12 hour days, I can’t count the number of dinners I catered from that place for late night food in the lab.
Sometimes Costco has them, but my wife prohibits me from buying bulk cookies/cake. I’m still in search of old fashioned almond horns - not what Shop Rite bakery has or Solomons -
East meets west, I make that dish at home with ground turkey …
joonjoon, you might find this link interesting - http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/ed-schoenfeld-chinese-food-personal-history.html
its not quite how I remember the evolution, but everyone has a different perspective.
Are you familiar with the Japanese play Rashomon ? Well I remember the evolution slightly differently. NYC, especially Jewish areas were filled with American Chinese restaurants - all serving the same type of food - and people thought it was authentic. Most seemed to have roots from Toysun (sp ?) - and NY eggrolls were prevalent although no one called them that. Chinatown seemed to have “authentic” food that was similar, at least those restaurants available to non speaking Chinese. Then sometime in the late 60’s, early 70’s there seemed to be the explosion of other types of Chinese cuisine- at least that is my Rashomon story. There are many theories why back in the day Chinese restaurants flourished in Jewish neighborhoods (you can do your own research and google Shmulka Bernstein) - but the tradition continues - do you know the tradition for Christmas day ?
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Thank you for the kind words but I would not consider myself a Chinese food expert because my only credential is that I grew up in Hong Kong and used to spend the summer there during my high school years. Honestly, I cannot tell you where Szechuan is if you give me a map of China and I cannot really converse in Mandarin - I am able to read menu with my Grade 7 level Chinese though.
I will list out the Chinese/Asian places I usually visit. Most of them have already been mentioned so I really don’t have much to add.
-Dim Sum:
- Oriental (Rt 9, Marlboro) - no cart services, you fill out an order form and wait for them. My (and most of my friend’s) go to place.
- West Lake
- Sunny Palace - haven’t been back in a while
- Crown Palace - I heard the MIddletown location is better than the Marlboro one. I never been to the one in Middletown. I only go to the one in Marlboro I am forced to go.
*** In Edison, there are Wonder Seafood on Rt 27 and In Woodbridge/Avenel, Royal Seafood in Route 1. Both have very good dim sum but I don’t to either places too often.
-Cantonese Dinner - this is what I eat when I eat with my in-laws. You order a bunch of dishes and they laid them out on a lazy susan. Usually a poultry dish (whole chicken or duck) and a steam whole fish is involved.
- West Lake - was there a few weeks ago. They do a solid if not spectacular job.
- Oriental - I think the food taste better than West Lake but they don’t have enough variety of dishes on the menu
.
- Szechuan food (or simply Spicy stuff)
Szechuan Cottage - in Monmouth, this is the only authentic place that I know of. I always thought Empire Szechuan is more or less a take out place. I never ordered anything authentic there.
-Noodles/Steam bun, dumpling place
Shanghai Bun in Matawan - Love the weekend breakfast. Xiao Long Bao, Shen Jian Bao, and the warm soy milk. I always wish I live closer and hope it is not as crowded on weekend 
Japanese:
There’s this Japanese place Konbu off route 9 that have been there forever. I went for the first time recently and found it surprisingly decent. Portion were generous and good quality fish.
Sushi by Kazu is still my go to place if I want to splurge a little for sushi.
I found Tokyo AYCE not as good as it was before so it has been shuffled out of my rotation.
Vietnamese:
-Vietnam Bistro (Howell) is probably the best one. Miss Saigon in Freehold is closest to me so I usually go there.
Thai:
-Noodlefan - there not much on the menu (pretty much all noodle dishes) but for a cheap lunch or dinner, they are not bad.
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Before the Oriental opened, the owner of Vietnam Bistro suggested to me he was opening a restaurant in that spot. I wonder if he indeed owns both places.
For Thai, my favorite place is “Pad Thai” on RT 27 in Highland Park, they have one enormous spicy dish - my barometer ? My friends Korean wife said it was even too spicy for her !
The owner of Oriental is a lady from Hong Kong. We talked to her a few times.
For twenty plus years I was inundated with annual Affirmative Action classes - and we all realize that a restaurant called “The Oriental” is so much a violation of PC. Even a lady from Hong Kong should realize that. All kidding aside, please share with me what you believe are the best tasting and most authentic items to order from the menu - you mention dim sum, so its available always from the menu ? How could it be fresh then ? IMHO Wonder Seafood’s dim sum is better than their menu items - but I’m no expert … I’m not a fan of sharing tables with strangers - and that is what happens there.
Is Cantonese Dinner a restaurant or just your way of describing family style ?
Suggest you try Minado - especially the one in Little Ferry as they tend to have more dishes focused to Korean customers - lunch time seems to be the best deal
I wonder how minado is now. I went once a few years ago and wasn’t blown away by the flavors. I recall it being bland but maybe I’ll have to give it a go again.
I can only say that sometimes its really good and sometimes its not really good - we usually go 4 times a year, but it is IMHO the best sushi buffet that I know of.
Morristown is nice and clean - Little Ferry not so much, but as I said, I think the food is a bit more authentic in Little Ferry.
Mass and Long Island are nice - my favorite one is in PA. Considering the choices vs. price, I think lunch is the sweet spot. Sometimes the Lttle Ferry place was putting lobster pieces (in some sort of spicy sauce if I remember) on the hot buffet at night - but this seemed to be during the week. My Korean dentist turned me on to that.
Do they still serve the giant bluefish whole? Lol 
From what I remember dinner time there always seems to be a big fish that is attacked. I didn’t realize it was bluefish. Reminds me of the owner of the building on 35 in eatontown where the Asian rest. Is just north of Meineke. I think it’s the neice and nephew that now run the place - Richard is the guy, he would go fishing in the morning then sell the fish on the menu. He use to own Chinese kitchen in Marlboro and the last I heard he had a small place in old bridge maybe a few years ago. In 1977 he told me he cooked with pig oil - I think he meant lard. In that spot in Eatontown he had a small buffet lunchtime.
I was surprised by the name at first. I don’t get offended by it at all but I understand it is not PC for whatever reason.
This is the Dim Sum menu from their website. They only do dim sum on weekend. I am not sure how they do it but it seems fresh to me.
http://www.orientalmarlboro.com/dimsum.pdf
-I like the rice dumpling, steamed rice roll with mixed sauce, mini egg custard tart. I enjoy most of the dim sum i tried there. The only dud I found so far is the steamed fish ball.
Wonder Seafood - i totally forgot they share table, lol.
Is Cantonese Dinner a restaurant or just your way of describing family style ?
Yes
I did try Minado. I did like it but haven’t been back for a while . If I am in that area, I would drive a few extra miles to Mitsuwa for Japnanese goodies or eat somewhere in Fort Lee.
For Asisan buffet, my top choice is IchiUmi in Menlo Park.
I was not impressed with ichi umi - they were originally part of the minado chain. The word handicap is also not pc - I think there were sexual intonations when using the word oriental as it related to woman, not sure, but I was once lambasted by a ABC woman and she learned me up well 
I must live around your neighborhood, I am ABC for what its worth, I am not as expert with the cuisine as my relatives, I have been to the same joints you just mentioned and feel pretty much the same way
I would add for vietnamese I go to
Pho Da Nang on Rt 9 south in sayreville only cause its convenient
also if you have kids and they have diffrent cravings
I really like the food court at HMart for quick, easy and variety.
The Korean fried chicken is a staple for us.
Royal seafood , Wonder Seafood, Westlake
I will take family with more discerning taste
but The Oriental has been my goto for pure convenience and consistency
All good stuff!!
So my wife and I stopped at Vietnam Bistro today for lunch. Joonjoon, this is gratuitous in your direction, but I wish instead I was at my favorite place in Naples. This was my latest and last visit. We had soggy summer rolls, tasteless shrimp pho, and my wifes chicken dish was also devoid of flavor. Yes, the menu is extensive. My wife couldn’t find her favorite dish on her menu, but I could on mine. We checked the menu and her menu was missing some pages. We told the waitress and we watched her simply put the “broken menu” back into the menu pile waiting for its next unsuspecting customer. But on second thought, that unsuspecting customer may be better off …
I want to try the place in Toms River but to far to go just for Pho - so far the Pho Da Nang in old bridge seems to be a top choice, followed for me by Pho Viet Anh on Talmadge in Edison. I like Baguette Delite for the sandwiches, not so comfortable to eat inside. The owner told me he use to own Viet Cafe, I believe. I can only hope Pho 99 if/when it opens in Eatontown is decent.
This thread needs some pics
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