golden empress garden
610 south 5th street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 627 7666
type of cuisine: chinese
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 10
if i were to grade on decor in addition to culinary excellence and vegan friendliness, golden empress garden would receive a 2. scummy floors and tables, hideous surroundings, tacky chairs in desperate need of upholstery, and to whet every animal advocate's appetite, impaled butterflies in frames on the walls. the food also, was lacking in presentation, but to my genuine surprise, everything tasted pretty darn good! patrons are offered two menus, one with meat and one without. the vegetarian menu consists largely of gluten-based mock meats as well as more than a dozen vegetable and noodle dishes. nearly everything is vegan. after munching on those addictive crunchy noodles served before every meal, luca and i shared an order of chinese pizza, or scallion pancakes. though they were a tad on the greasy side, i found them tasty enough. when our entrees arrived - general tao's chicken and sesame chicken - i felt nervous because they did not look remotely appetizing. however, my fears were assuaged after taking a few bites. the mock meat is really quite nice, served in chunky strips and battered to a crisp. the sauces for the two were indistinguishable: a red-brown sweet sauce that was of a satisfying flavor and consistency. only difference was that the general tao's was served with cabbage, geometrically cut carrots and green peppers, while the sesame version was surrounded by broccoli and sprinkled with seeds. i would not rule out a return to golden empress, but next time I think I'll take my order to go.
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