The Kung Pao Test: Jade Dragon Cuisine (Redmond)

After a short break from Chinese food, I think I'm ready to dive back in, at least for a while.

 

Jade Dragon Cuisine 

17181 Redmond Way 700

Redmond WA 98052

 

Kung Pao chicken $10.25? I think

asked for extra spicy

Pork Spring Roll (2) $4.50

Rice $1

Total bill: $17.33

 

Service: friendly. Laid out like a bar/restaurant. Kitchen visible. One guy greeted me and acted as waiter/bar tender. He was very friendly. I think it was just him and one chef there.

No tea.

 

Initial bite of spring roll was alright. They were nothing special. Fried, not very colorful on the inside. There was a pickled item inside that added nice flavor, but otherwise, this was not something I would order again.

 

It was served with a basic chili garlic sauce probably straight out of the bottle.

This got me thinking. Is duck sauce an east coast thing? I don't think I've seen duck sauce at any restaurant in the Seattle area since I moved here. Sweet garlic chili sauce is extremely similar, but not the same.

 

Initial bite of Kung Pao was heavy on the white pepper. White pepper has a pungent taste that might put some people off. The temperature was also very hot. I could taste the spice, I suppose it was a satisfying level. It was nice that this was not sweet at all. This Kung Pao was probably 85% diced celery and water chestnuts and 10% chicken. The lack of chicken was disguised by all the water chestnuts which were the same color. Overall it was not that great.

Let's play a game of, find the chicken.

 

 

Spice level: medium low. There were no dried chilis in it but there was spiciness.

 

Ingredient quality: good. Everything was crisp.

 

Would I come again? I don't think so. Everyone I interacted with there was very friendly. If I came back for anything it would be that.

If you guessed there were two visible pieces of chicken, then you win.

Twice Cooked Pork: Sichuanese Cuisine

I changed it up today and decided to pay Sichuanese Cuisine in Redmond a second visit.

Twice cooked pork is a very good dish that typically consists of thinly sliced pork belly (like bacon), some veggies, and fermented black beans. I wasn't eating it to review it, so this will be brief.

From Wikipedia, "The Sichuan people are said to have a tradition of enjoying a feast every 1st and 15th of lunar months, with this dish as the main course"

This is a tradition I would like.

Sichuanese's twice cooked pork was very good. It's been years since I've ordered this so I don't have much to compare it too but I really enjoyed it. I also ordered steamed dumplings.
It was a stressful day, and although I wasn't planning on it, I ate Everything:

The Kung Pao Test: Rainier Teriyaki

Rainier Teriyaki

3330 Rainier Ave S
Seattle, WA 98118

 

Kung Pao chicken $8.99

Came with rice

I did not ask for extra spicy

Total bill $9.84

 

Service: Fine.  Take out teriyaki style place with plenty of seating if you want to eat there.  They have free egg drop soup if you eat or wait there.  I got my dish to go.

 

Initial bite of Kung Pao was good.  A little sweet, and it seemed like the chicken was ever so slightly breaded.  Not enough for me to actually be certain though.  As expected (coming form a teriyaki place) this was a pretty saucy Kung Pao.  What was not as expected, is this was actually a pretty faithful rendition.  It has the basic veggies you find in a lot of Kung Pao, and surprisingly it tasted as if they actually used Sichuan pepper.  I don't even remember the last time I've had a Kung Pao that uses this ingredient, even though it is considered a distinct feature of Kung Pao.  Import of Sichuan pepper was banned for a long time in the US over fear of a specific plant bacteria.  The ban was lifted in 2005.  Because of this, I think it's safe to say the majority of Kung Pao recipes you'll taste in the US do not include Sichuan pepper.  I can't be certain that Rainier Teriyaki's did have Sichuan pepper in it (I may ask next time I go) but it sure tasted like it, and it was the first Kung Pao I've had on this "journey" that included it.  I am no expert, especially since I've probably only had it a few times in my life, but two things that indicate Sichuan pepper is a citrusy flavor/aroma and a numbing or slight tingling of the tongue/mouth when eating.  The citrus is really quite mild and nice.  It is possible they used an orange juice or something similar (which I typically do not like in a Kung Pao), but if they did I'm not sure how they could have achieved the numb.  I would like to believe...

 

Rainier Teriyaki is an above average Teriyaki joint.  Nothing fancy, but their stuff is good, and probably my favorite in the Seattle area, but I haven't tried many.  I recommend their "Spicy Chicken".  It is prettymuch a normal Teriyaki with vegetables included, instead of just chicken and rice.

 

Spice level: Medium-Low..

 

Ingredient quality: Alright. Chicken was ok.  The ingredients were nothing special, other than the possible Sichuan pepper inclusion I mentioned above.

 

Would I come again? Yes, I've been here multiple times, though this was the first time I've gotten their Kung Pao.

The Kung Pao Test: Mee Sum Pastry

Mee Sum Pastry
4343 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105

Kung Pao Chicken meal $7.25
Asked for extra spicy
Honey Sesame Chicken meal $7.25
Each came with a little bowl of Hot and Sour Soup.
Total Bill: $15.88


Service: Very friendly.  The place was packed.  It is a pastry/boba tea format.  You go to the register, place an order, and are given a number.  You can dine in but I was there for take out.  I came here because I needed a late night dinner and this place fit the bill.  They're open to 11:30pm, I got there at about 11.
They were serving primarily young people in small groups getting drinks, though there were a couple large groups eating there as well.
It took about 20 minutes for them to prepare the food I think.  Wasn't a bad wait at all.

So their Kung Pao appears basic; celery, bell peppers, onions, carrot, peanuts, dried chilis.  But my initial bite revealed the truth.  The only thing that could make this actual Kung Pao (in my opinion) was the inclusion of peanuts.  Don't get me wrong, it was not bad.  The sauce didn't resemble a Kung Pao sauce, I don't even think there was soy sauce in it.  Anyway it was decent, though on the low end take out food.
As for the Sesame Chicken, it was alright.  Typical take out, though the sauce was a lot less sticky than the typical Sesame Chicken sauce.
The Hot and Sour Soup was ok, though I personally do not like Hot and Sour Soup, so I wont say anything about it.

Spicy Level:  Sesame Chicken had no spice (expected).  The Kung Pao had a decent level of spice.  To accommodate my extra spicy request it seems like they added a few more dried chili's, which is fine, what are they supposed to do?

Ingredient Quality: Very Good.  The chicken was very nice, and the veggies were all crisp and tasty.
Would I come again?  Definitely.  There aren't a whole lot of choices at 11pm and this place is probably one of the better late night options.  It looked like a great place for bubble tea, and considering their Kung Pao was a very different from the norm, I would like to try some other things to see their take on it.  They're probably also good for the typical American Chinese dishes.

The Kung Pao Test: Peking (Bellevue)

Peking Mandarin & Szechuan Cuisine

14150 Northeast 20th Street
Bellevue, WA 98007
Next to a Dickey's

I drive by this place a couple times a week so it is about time I tried it.

Kung pao chicken $12

I did not ask for extra spicy

Rice $?

Total bill: $14.24

Service: friendly. Two women were there, but no customers at 4pm. large restaurant style.

 

Tea: pretty good. Steeped til dark, I really liked the flavor of the tea. Pretty sure it was oolong. Free.

 

Initial bite of Kung pao was pretty damn good.  The plate didn't look that impressive, but it tasted great.  This was the closest so far to what I grew up with, with a few differences. I picked this place next because the website said they use bell peppers in the Kung pao.  It also had onions, celery, water chestnuts, and mushrooms (which I don't think I've ever had in Kung pao).  There was sauce left at the bottom of the plate when I was done but overall I think the sauce level was decent, and was not too much, like most restaurants. The sweetness was at an almost perfect level nearly undetectable, acting only as a flavor enhancer.

 

Spice level: Very low. Anyone could eat this if they did not eat the dried chili's.

 

Ingredient quality: very good. Chicken was as good as it can be and veggies felt very fresh.

 

Would I come again? Most definitely.  My impression of this place is that it's almost classy, trying to avoid becoming too Americanized.  It might not be very much authentic but they're trying to keep things top notch and unique, which reflects in the price.  I could almost get two dishes at Sichuanese Cuisine for the price of this one.  I think it is a very close tie between the two right now. The two different styles show a very clear divide.  Peking trying to stick to a tradition at least a little bit, and Sichuanese Cuisine breaking it down and focusing on only the tasty bits (Keep in mind I could be completely wrong about this since I'm making a generalization based off of one dish).  I'm going to have to return to Sichuanese Cuisine soon in order to see if they can keep this top spot.  Or if I'm having these feelings out of nostalgia for my first review.  Sichuanese Cuisine can fill a binge quota in my opinion, and still fit into good quality and semi-authenticity.  Whereas I was able to eat the whole dish at Peking and feel like it was not unhealthy.

 

Happy Veterans Day!

The Kung Pao Test: Best Wok

I had been hearing buzz about how great Best Wok's Kung Pao Chicken was so here I am.

Best Wok

19 148th ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98007

You've probably seen this sign if you commute on 148th.

 

Kung pao chicken lunch special $7.25

Came with choice of side and soup I got egg flour soup and shrimp toast

I substituted for fried rice for $1

I did not ask for extra spicy

Total bill $9.04

 

 

Service: very friendly. We'll staffed. Manager/owner present. He chatted with another customer for quite a while, there are obviuouLy regulars. Kitchen is not visible. Rather large room restaurant style. Looks like it used to be a Denny's or IHOP

Tea: Just alright. Steeped til dark, but not too flavorful. Free. Szichuanese Cuisine, still wins on tea.

 

Initial bite of egg flour was good. Very tasty but I'm biased I love egg flour soup. Pretty salty, very hot. If I ate fast I could have burnt my tongue.  Obviously a big pot of soup ready in the kitchen (not a bad thing).

 

Fried rice was good. Not much to say about it, but I think it was above average.

The shrimp toast was not so much toast as it was fried dough. It was tasty but very greasy.

 

Initial bite of Kung pao was ok.  Not sweet at all like the last two. It was not whatsoever spicy. This was a unique Kung pao in a couple ways. First there were no veggies at all, just meat peanuts and a couple dried peppers. Second, it was very heavy on the soy sauce. It was very saucy in general. Overall this was an interesting one, but I don't think I have the need to try it again.  

My impression of this place is that it is very classic American chinese, almost 80s style. I would like to come again and try some other things for this reason.

 

Spice level: None. Anyone could eat this.

 

Ingredient quality: good. Chicken was good.

 

Would I come again? Honestly, probably not. Not out of dislike, but there are just so many places, I would rather try something else. If a friend wants to come here I definitely will though.

The Kung Pao Test: Spicy Talk Bistro

Next I chose to go to Spicy Talk Bistro.  This place has a good name.  Kung Pao isn't the spiciest thing but I was hoping for a little sumpthin extra.

Spicy Talk Bistro16650 Redmond Way
Redmond, WA 90052
 

I ordered,

Kung pao chicken $9.95

Szechuan Wonton $6.95
Steamed Rice $1.50
Total Bill $20.15

Service: Average. 1 waitress/cashier.  Kitchen is not visible.  Rather large room restaurant style. Nice tables and chairs, looks clean.

Tea: decent. Steeped to a good level. Free. Not as good as Sichuanese Cuisine, but still good.

Initial bite of wonton was lackluster. The noodle and fillings were very bland. The oil/sauce they were served in was very tasty though.

 

Initial bite of Kung pao was alright.  A little sweet.  I was not whatsoever spicy. No peppers in it. It had celery which was ok, but nothing really to note. Too much oil.

Spice level: None. Anyone could eat this.

Ingredient quality: Meh. Standard quality take out meat. Wasn't great. Sichuanese cuisine was better.

Would I come again? I wouldn't avoid it, but I probably won't come again unless I wanted to try another specific dish. I definitely wouldn't order the wontons again.  I ate half the dish, saved the other half for lunch tomorrow.  Overall it was very mediocre and very slightly too expensive.  Photographs of some other dishes on yelp looked pretty good so there is a chance I'll come here again. 

The Kung Pao Test: Sichuanese Cuisine (Redmond)

My first restaurant was chosen somewhat at random.  I wanted to go somewhere I've never been, so I just searched for Chinese food on the internet and picked one that was near me.

Sichuanese Cuisine
15005 Ne 24th St
Redmond, WA 98052
At 148th & 24th, between a Teriyaki Place and a Five Guys

Service: friendly. Hole in the wall take out style, I grabbed my own menu but I have no doubt they would have brought me one quickly. 2 chefs 1 waitress/cashier.  Kitchen is visible behind counter.  A couple came in who we're obviously regulars, having conversation with the employee.

Tea: decent. Steeped to a good level. Free

Ordered Kung Pao Chicken, ask for extra spicy, 8.95. Steamed rice 75cents.

Initial bite was pretty tasty. It was a little sweeter than I expected. I don't typically think of Kung Pao having noticeable sugar.  Though it did have dry peppers I can't say it was spicy. I only started feeling the heat after I finished my first plate.  Overall I was satisfied with the meal, no doubt.

Spice level: meh. For an average American it may be spicy. It was slightly above baseline for me.
 

Ingredient quality: nothing special. About what you'd expect from the appearance of the place. Definitely not bad at all.

Would I do it differently? A little less sugar and less oil. I don't typically put cabbage in my Kung Pao, but I rather liked it. It caught the sauce nicely.

Would I come again? Definitely. This was a pretty good Kung Pao, I'd like to try their more Americanized staples and some other random items. I ate half the dish, saved the other half for lunch tomorrow.

The Kung Pao Test: Intro

I've decided to begin a new series.  Instead of a drawing theme like the Game of Thrones drawings, this one will be about food.  I'll basically be reviewing some Chinese restaurants in my area.

The Kung Pao Test
What is the Kung Pao Test?  Just something I made up.  I was taught that Kung Pao can be considered one of the most basic of Chinese stir fry dishes.  I learned how to cook stir fry through learning to make Kung Pao and later experimenting with it.  Considering what I was taught, my theory is that eating a restaurant's Kung Pao Chicken is a good way to get an understanding of the restaurant overall.  This is mainly just for fun, and a reason to go out and eat a bunch of Chinese food in my area.

My father is a great cook, and I grew up eating a great variety of food.  I was lucky.  He often made stir fry and one of his favorite dishes was Kung Pao chicken, the recipe for which he get from our favorite restaurant.  This recipe called for chicken, scallions, bell peppers, sometimes onion, peanuts, dried chilis, and a basic soy sauce base sauce.  IT was mostly a dry stir fry, the sauce is very light and just to provide specific flavors, not to sauce it up or change the consistency.  This is the Kung Pao I was introduced to.  Since then, I've had a good variety of Kung Pao versions.  Some have celery, some have carrots, some are very saucy, some have no veggies at all.  They seem to actually very rarely have bell peppers, which to me are a normal defining feature.

Can any of this be used to judge/compare/or gain a general opinion about a restaurant?  Hopefully I'm about to find out.  Will my plan of going around to a bunch of Chinese restaurants and eating Kung Pao yield any results beyond a notch on my belt?
Let's find out.  Maybe I'll even draw a picture or two.

Sansa Stark as a Wight

For this drawing I made a small clay maquette to use as a light reference.

(This isn't the light I used)

Here is a link to the Society6 Poster:

http://society6.com/PansyBravura/Game-of-Thrones-Sansa-as-a-Wight_Print

Arya as a Wight

Poster:

http://society6.com/PansyBravura/Game-of-Thrones-Arya-as-a-Wight

An hour of roughing out Clegane

Game of Thrones Premiere: Samwell Touched by a White Walker

Here is my rendition of Samwell as a wight. I hope everyone enjoyed the premiere of this season!
I drew this over about 4 sessions, and it took approximately 4 and a half hours.

I've also posted this image on Society6 where you can buy it as a poster (other items to come soon):
http://society6.com/PansyBravura/Game-of-Thrones-Samwell-as-a-Wight_Print

Throwback: Star Wars Uncut

If you haven't heard of Starwarsuncut, you should check it out:
http://www.starwarsuncut.com
Here are the two scenes I entered for Empire Strikes Back, over a year ago.  I can't wait for them to finish.


"Laser cannon daring escape", Star Wars Uncut Scene 94
http://www.starwarsuncut.com/scene/5636



"We have spotted Imperial Walkers", Star Wars Uncut Scene 97
http://www.starwarsuncut.com/scene/3667

Mormont Sketches

A few quick sketches of Jorah Mormont :)

Arya Portrait Black & White

Sketch from a couple nights ago.

Practice Portraits

Here are some newer drawings. Some practice portraits of Game of Thrones Characters  I'm trying to work out the designs for their Wight/White Walker-ification pictures.
5 pictures, 3 videos.

Practice Drawing: Samwell as White Walker

Here is another picture from a year ago, along with a time lapse of part of the process.  This was the first drawing in the series of "As White Walker" that I'm currently working on.  I had never seriously tried to used Photoshop as way to paint a realistic picture at this point.

The result is hardly photorealistic.  It is what it is.

This is why I decided to make this blog.  To practice and improve, and I thought it would be cool to post a series of drawings of Game of Thrones characters as white walkers.

Drive ...

A year ago I saw the movie Drive for the first time.  I then Drew these pictures.

Posters!!
http://society6.com/PansyBravura/Drive-Poster-v1
http://society6.com/PansyBravura/Drive-Poster-v2
http://society6.com/PansyBravura/Drive-Poster-v3
http://society6.com/PansyBravura/Drive-Poster-v4