Every city has its fair share of Chinese food– Asheville is no different. Everybody you meet will swear by a different local joint, so understandably hard to choose where to go when you’re craving some.
That’s why we– Cameryn & Lucas– have set out on a journey to find the greatest Chinese restaurant in Asheville. Today, our search leads us into West Asheville to visit China Taste.
The Restaurant
It’s a common sentiment that the sketchier any ethnic food joint looks on the outside, the better the food quality will be on the inside. While we can’t speak on the food yet– the outside certainly fulfills these ramifications, as being in the outskirts of downtown West Asheville gives it a sort of rustic charm.
The woman who took our order was very friendly with us, and given she was at the register as soon as we walked in, there was no wait to get our orders taken. The interior was simple, just the essentials you need to run a restaurant. There were two fridges with cold soda cans and no practical seating to speak of– other than the two chairs you sit in to wait for your food.
The decor was quite sparse– but that wasn’t the focus. The focus of the restaurant was the food, and it really exists as a sort of “get your food and go” establishment. It still felt quite homey inside the spot; very genuine.
The food also came out very, very fast. We ordered 4 dishes and all of them came out hot and fast, with a wait time of under 15 minutes.
The Food
While the menu here– and at many of these American-Chinese restaurants– is quite large, we ordered the four dishes we felt encapsulated the menu best, and that we would enjoy the most.
The four dishes we ordered were as follows: General Tso’s Chicken, Fried Dumplings, Beef with Garlic Sauce (which we requested to be extra spicy) and Beef Lo Mein. Pricewise, they weren’t too outlandish either, with the dishes costing $9.95, $6.95, $9.25, $8.50 respectively.
They were all very hot when we got them, and even after a drive home and a trip from our car through the freezing weather to our dorm, they stayed piping. The portions were quite good too, even though we ordered the small size of each; they were all packed to the fullest and provided a healthy heaping for both of us. While we’re not sure, we also believe that despite ordering a small General Tso’s Chicken, we received a large one.
General Tso’s Chicken
General Tso’s is a staple of American-Chinese food, so we felt we had to order it to kick off the series. This dish was provided with white rice.
The chicken was cooked thoroughly. Lightly breaded and fried, and tossed in a thick, sweet sauce. While we suspect that the chicken was crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, akin to popcorn chicken, we believe that the sauce it was tossed in was lathered a bit too liberally and caused the chicken to soften. The resulting state was what we described as a “half-crunch,” where there are hints of crispiness, but never a full delivery on it.
Flavor wise, the chicken flavor was not detracted by the sauce, they went pretty hand-in-hand and the rich, sweetness of the General Tso’s was about what you might expect from the dish.
There were also a few pieces of broccoli at the bottom of the dish. While this could have been a mistake, it was still there and cooked with the sauce like the chicken. While Cameryn thought that the broccoli was too crunchy, Lucas didn’t mind and thought it was good.
Overall, while the dish had its issues, it was not bad at all, despite not blowing us away.
Fried Dumplings (Pork)
We were provided with seven fried dumplings, and they were presumably stuffed with a pleasant pork and vegetable blend. We were also given a thin, soy-based dipping sauce with them, which we occasionally utilized.
The dumplings, unfortunately, were not the standout that we usually find them to be. While there were no issues with the actual flavor of the filling or sauce, it was rather the preparation that we took issues with. We both felt that while there was an attempt to go for a crispy bottom and soft top, the dumplings were cooked too long and in too much oil resulting in a taste that was a bit overcooked for our liking.
Cameryn felt the shell was a bit too chewy at times, as a result of the overcooking, though Lucas didn’t notice. Cameryn felt that the bottom was fine while the top half was too crispy– whereas Lucas felt that the bottom was too blackened and the top half was fine. Either way, they weren’t the star player they usually are.
While the sauce was quite pleasant (we even tried some on the General Tso’s Chicken and it was good) and the slickness helped improve some of the issues with the dumplings, it wasn’t enough to make the dish much better.
Beef with Garlic Sauce
This dish was quite nice. The onions were soft and flavorful, the sauce was thick and spicy, and the beef itself was juicy and tender. The crunchiness of the vegetables provided a nice contrast to the softness of the beef, and the sauce made all of them taste great together. This dish was also provided with rice.
Some of the pieces of beef were slightly too small for our liking, and there wasn’t a huge amount– but that’s likely a consequence of ordering the small. It’s not like the vegetables were too terrible, regardless.
We asked for this dish extra spicy, and we felt they delivered on it quite nicely. There was a solid level of spice that, while hot, did not detract from the intended flavor and allowed us to enjoy it with a nice kick at the end of each bite.
Overall, this was definitely the best dish we ordered, as it was a good amount for the best price (being slightly cheaper than the other meat-centric dishes) and packed with flavor– especially considering the free rice makes it a meal for one.
Beef Lo Mein
The beef in the Lo Mein looked to be the same beef as in the Beef with Garlic Sauce, but it was actually slightly different. We felt the texture in the Lo Mein was slightly more enjoyable– a bit softer– whereas the flavor from the Beef with Garlic Sauce was better. This is likely a consequence of what they were cooked with, and initially, they are probably the same product.
The noodles were very nice– boiled to perfection and coated in a delicious sauce, they went down smooth and you could very easily eat them and the beef with the chopsticks. Notably, they were a little greasier than you might expect, though whether this is a positive or negative is up to the individual.
While the textures display a mastery in making Lo Mein, the flavors weren’t as in-your-face as we may have wanted them to be. Compared to the other two entrees, there wasn’t really anything extremely captivating about it, like there was in the others.
The noodles were definitely the most full of the dishes we ordered, while every dish was packed into the plastic container– the noodles were practically bursting out of the tub when we got them. This is definitely to its benefit, as it means you’re getting more than you might expect from your money.
The Overall
Overall, we quite enjoyed our time at China Taste. While there were some issues we took, overall, every dish was enjoyable. The dumplings, however, weren’t too great, but they were the only dish with any real problems.
However, when you go to China Taste, you’re getting exactly what you want out of a place like that. It may be a bit greasy, some items may be burnt, but at just over $10 a meal– it comes out fast, and it is generally delicious.
