06/12/09

I enjoyed my meal

by msx

Not NYC Chinatown quality, but a good basic restaurant. Far superior to many others I've eaten in on this coast, and a mostly Chinese clientele tells me there's something there which I need to explore further. Wait staff wasn't friendly initially but they do respect good food choices and warmed up.

Went with a group of friends who ordered American-Chinese dishes, Lemon Chicken and the like. Not authentic Chinese fare and it was typically bland and disappointing, but everyone else enjoyed it. The duck I ordered was very tasty although a bit dry, but my order of string beans was huge and cooked superbly, deep fried tender and tossed with just the right amount of Szechuan preserved vegetable. I had hoped to find Cho Tofu but was told that it's not served in this area.

• Pros: Quite decent for the PNW
• Cons: Not overly clean

11/22/08

Best Chineese in Portland, take my advise, go with someone that speeks the language or one of the many dialects.

by spearse

If you go, ask what fresh vegetables are available and what fresh fish are available. they have a combination where they take a whole fish, make a soup, a main dish and a vegetable dish from the same fish. it is wonderful.

I like the Hong Kong style noodles with the fresh vegetables and It is a fresh noodle that is fried and the then topped with a stir fry.

Also, if the live shrimp are in the tank, they have several fresh shrip dishes that are the best in Portland.

When i go for Chinese food, i want the real stuff and an atmosphere that matches. Golden Horse is as good as any place in Chinatown in San Francisco.

But don't waste your time going and ordering "American" Chinese. My mother drives me crazy because she insists on a #3. Once I got her to try the walnut glazed shrimp, she started letting me order for her and enjoys every trip.

Enjoy

• Pros: fresh, high quality, inexpensive meals
• Cons: location, decor could be updated

11/01/08

Horrible food and atmosphere!

by jeannie37

I do tend to be picky when it comes to Chinese food but I thought this was horrible. I am NOT a fan of greasy, saucy, fried foods and that's all they have here. The restaurant itself was not very clean and appealing and the food was even worse. Even the tea tasted like dirty water. I would NOT recommend this place to anyone!!

• Cons: Horrible food, dirty restaurant

10/13/08

No good food, no atmosphere, curt service.

by wanderingom

The place was full of people, so we guessed it had to be decent food. Unfortunately we were wrong. I ordered the Sesame Chicken and my hubz ordered the General Tso's Chicken - and he asked for it extra spicy. The hot tea was very bitter. The service was curt. Both of our dishes looked and tasted exactly alike - except mine had sesame seeds. The General Tso's was not one bit spicy. Both dishes had sliced jalepenos on them. Really? In chinese food? The chicken was burnt on the edges and every bite began and ended with overly crispy, burnt flavored yuck. I definitely don't recommend this place.

• Pros: none
• Cons: food, service, atmosphere

06/04/08

gross "food"

by Ursula159

Although I may be picky, I don't think anybody should eat here. In my General Tso's Chicken was a squishy ball. Out of the squishy ball squirted liquid. Um, ewwwwww. Also, our server was really crabby. After 20 minutes of waiting (trust me, she seemed allergic to the normal "flagging down") she finally came over and was like, "What?" So I asked her if I could please have some more rice. Well, I really had to go to the bathroom*, so unfortunately, I was gone when she came by with the rice. Instead of leaving the rice, she took it back with her. At the end, I told her the potstickers were good, and she glared at me and spoke rapid chinese to the two hunched over figures peeling beans. Unless you're really adventurous, DO NOT EAT AT GOLDEN HORSE.

*Upon the toilet is a small sign and it says, "For maximum quality flush, take top off of toilet and take rubberband off of flap."

04/04/08

Authentic Cantonese restaurant, reasonable price

by 2puddytat

This is obviously not a place for a date with its outdated decor and fluorescent lighting. However, if you care for authentic cantonese food, you will not be disappointed. We came from San Francisco bay area. Me, raised in China, husband, an HIGHLY TRAINED white , both agree that food is genuinely delicious.

There we were, wandering in the Chinatown on our trip, trying to find a place to eat. Read the menu on about every restaurants in China town, totaling about 6 (?!). Only two stood out as serving authentic full menu . There is another one looked ok, but for noodle porridge type of food. Yes, you can tell from the menu.

What we ordered? Chicken Tofu sheet mushroom soup(soup of the day), sauteed scallop, eggplant anchovy stew, and the BBQ pork fried rice (in case the restaurant is a put off, can't go too wrong on a fried rice). Unfortunately oyster is sold out on that night, otherwise we would have ordered it steamed, with black bean sauce. No complaints what's so ever, food was cooked what it supposed to taste like in China, and huge portion. When the check came, found out soup and rice are both complimentary. Plus the no sales tax bargain, this meal would have cost about 40% more in California.

• Pros: Authentic delicious, Good price
• Cons: outdated interior

03/02/08

eew. Just...eew.

by sparklehearts

Anyplace that smells primarily like urine and old wood more than cooking food should probably be avoided. But, having eaten here before and enjoying it, I ordered the orange chicken anyway. It came out drowned in soy sauce. My date's sweet and sour chicken was undercooked. Both dishes were completely inedible. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone, under any circumstances. *shudder*

• Pros: none
• Cons: smells awful.

02/29/08

authentic chinese

by zoggith

I see lots of reviews that talks about the poor service, but all of these raters need to remember...these people are from immigrant business people from Hong Kong. They are not American, so are they going to act like American waiters. They are brisk, they are curt, but they are professional. The food portions are huge, and delicious. The English is not the best, but when we walk in and see that we are the only white people in the restaurant it confirms that the food is great. And it is! If you do not like the service, sorry, but remember that not everyone acts like you want them to. The food is amazing and they are friendly when you get to know them.

• Pros: FOOD!
• Cons: restaurant is a bit dingy, ambiance is blah

11/14/07

Authentic Experience and Food, Fun staff.

by smithee

I love Golden Horse. It is one of the few restaurants in town that make me feel like I am in Chinatown. I could see how someone with limited experience of Chinese food and culture might take offense to the decor, style of service, and flavors of food, but this is the real deal folks! This is authentic Chinese food that offers many classics that you can't find elsewhere such as "ung choy", a delicious Chinese green in a garlic sauce that is to die for. The Buddha's Delight contained an unusual, crunchy "wood mushroom" that imparted a flavor that took some getting used to, but was delicious nonetheless. It's a shame that the special board is written only in Chinese, because that's where some of the best food I've had comes from. It doesn't hurt to ask about the specials. The main point I want to make here is that Golden Horse is a really good restaurant, but it takes some patience, savvy, and a little cultural understanding on your part to have a good experience.

• Pros: Very Authentic
• Cons: Special Board could use some english translations.

08/15/07

I feel dirty after eating the food here

by mabriggs0930

Usually i'm a food snob; I won't eat it unless you can tell me or prove to me the superiorority of the food i'm about to eat. Even if it's not that good, I can appreciate when someone has put effort and creativity into food that is still edible. I can even send my food snob home and enjoy things that usual food snobs wouldn't, like fast food fries or ballpark hotdogs! But both my boyfriend and I were seriously upset and disgusted after the meal we ordered, and did not eat, at the Golden Horse last night.

We thought, "Okay, minced beef with egg and greens... sounds filling and simple and would go well with rice." So we ordered it, along with ginger and garlic beef. We'd have leftovers for lunch the next day, etc. First, the eggrolls came, we ate, we were not impressed. Second, the beef with ginger and garlic came, along with the white rice; we ate and were not horrified, nor were we impressed.

And last, the highlight of our dinner, is what leaves me permanently scarred. In a clear glass Pirex pie dish arrived a mound of what can only be described as gelatinous goop. I tried a few bites, thinking it might be something with gross texture but good flavor; however, it was just too disgusting. There were bits of what looked not exactly like meat, bits of green beans, slimy scrambled eggs, and it was all held together by what looked like gelatinous animal fat. It was time to go...

So I politely tried to leave by saying we were late getting somewhere and asked for our check while standing at the cash register. The waitress went to our table and looked at the uneaten food, asked me if I wanted a box, and when I said no, she scowled. Then she asked if I liked it, and I told her 'no' by shaking my head and clicking my tongue. The other waitress came and looked horrified that we didn't eat the food, they started talking loudly in Chinese, demanded $23.50... and we left as quick as we could. Without leaving a tip.

• Pros: There aren't any
• Cons: The food causes gastric distress