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.