With Chinese New Year right around the corner, Roland and I decided on some Chinese food at Little Panda, 267 S. Randall Rd., in Elgin. I had heard some very favorable comments about this place. We were already on the road and decided to stop and order our food and eat right at the restaurant. We walked into a very small store front, brightly lit and clean. There were tables for two along one wall and a few larger tables for four in the center.
A young man greeted us immediately and gave us a moment to look over the menu. In addition to appetizers and soups, there were lunch specials, dinner specials, chef specialties, and the best deal of all: 2 for $20 dinner, which is served all day.
As our order was taken into the kitchen, we noticed that we were still quite cold even though we had been inside for a little while, carefully studying the menu and making our choices. Just then, the cook/owner came out from the kitchen with some hot green tea for us and apologized for the lack of heat!
At that point we asked for our order “to go” with a promise to come back for a sit down meal when inside temperatures were a little more comfortable.
With the 2 for $20 deal, we had one choice of two different soups, two choices of six different starters, two choices of 10 different entrees, and one choice of rice and noodles. The Wonton Soup was absolutely delicious with a clear broth that was not too salty and 10 huge, soft wontons. We split and devoured our two egg rolls and four steamed pot stickers. I ordered the Mongolian beef, which I refused to share with anyone!
The beef was spicy and tender and the vegetables were crispy. Roland had the sweet and sour chicken, which was moist and tender, but did not come with the usual green peppers, tomatoes, and pineapple chunks.
We did share our chicken fried rice, which had actual strips of tender white meat chicken, not the usual minced, unrecognizable dark meat chicken.
The owner included some almond cookie and fortune cookie packages in our take-home bag, which was a heavy paper bag inside a plastic bag with handles, and also gave us some extra tea bags to enjoy when we got home.
The lunch specials (dine-in or carry-out) come with a free fountain drink and are in the $5.95 range. Dinner specials are in the $7.25 range and come with chicken fried rice and an egg roll. Their extensive menu indicates which items are hot and spicy and also offers many vegetarian choices.
You can call in your order or order online. And best of all, they deliver. Little Panda also has a Bamboo Club. After you purchase six lunches, you get one free.
The next time you are in the mood for some Chinese food, give Little Panda a try. They are a step up from the greasy and over-salted food from Chinese chain restaurants in the area.
1 Comment
Sue- You are so right about the over salted food! Little Panda sounds like a winner and we will give it a try. Thanks so much for being our own you-go-first-taster!