Little China Kitchen - San Mateo

 Happy Lunar New Year! I hope you have all been enjoying Phil's guest posts about his Hawaii trip. So jealous. And it seems that you enjoy them more than mine because his entries get more views. le sigh...I have to re-establish dominance and remind you all who owns this blog! booyah! Please enjoy some Chinese food in honor of Chinese New Year.

I have no clue who reads my blog and how they get to it  so I was delighted to get an email from one of my friends who said she reads my blog and has a restaurant to recommend. I immediately took her up on the suggestion and tried Little China Kitchen in San Mateo. I took all my to go portions home in reusable containers with a reusable bag (pictured above). They also boast no MSG, cooking in non-transfat oil and less of it by substituting with chicken broth instead where possible. They already sound like an eco and health friendly business. 

I came in to pick up my to go order and despite the charming decor, I had a sad feeling that this little place would not survive long against the stiff competition of so many good Chinese food restaurants nearby. Little Kitchen does much with the narrow space of their establishment by having more tables for smaller parties and adding some recessed lighting and the cutest little chandeliers. It definitely opens up the space. However, I only saw two couples dining here on a Saturday night. Not a promising sign.

($8.95) Orange flavor chicken. This one was quite good. Not as greasy as Panda Express but it also doesn't provide that fatty familiar feeling of fast food which can be mentally comforting sometimes. tee hee. I know I confused you there but the overall rating is that this dish was good.

($8.95) Broccoli and beef. Phil picked this one out. I thought it was just standard. I've never been a huge fan of broccoli and beef but it's not too bad.

($11.95) Hunan prawns. I forget what the Hunan flavor should taste like, but I found this a bit disappointing, especially because it cost a few bucks more. I thought it lacked flavor but maybe I just miss MSG...=*( healthy is boring sometimes.

($5.95) Fried chicken wings. Now we get to the whole meat of the entry. My friend highly recommended these wings and these are the whole reason we went here. Salt and pepper fried wings with onion and basil garnish. It seems these are a big hit with everyone except me. They are definitely spicy and you may crunch into a few jalapeno pieces here and there. I found them to be over spiced because I'm a loyal fan of the 99 Chicken love wings which have sauce instead of seasoning. But since there is such a high rating for these, I suggest you get them if you ever go here because it could suit your palette very well.

The whole spread at home. 

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

Prices are a bit higher here than at other Chinese food places probably because they are going for a healthier, eco-friendly business motto. I don't mind adding a few dollars if it means I help the environment and my body and also score a nice reusable tote bag and some containers.  To me the food was just ok. My mind and my body may be happy but my taste buds want more. I've been told I'm just really picky though. Oh well. Would I go back here again? Sure, I don't see why not. Thanks Christina for the recommendation, at least the family really enjoyed it.

Little China Kitchen on Yelp