General Tso’s chicken, pork egg rolls, fried shrimp and hot and sour soup as far as the eye can see. If this appeals to your taste buds you might want to check out the latest addition to Thibodaux’s Chinese food scene. Well, okay, so it’s not really a “scene” so much as three restaurants competing for your business. China Gardens II, located at 610 North Canal Blvd. in the strip mall next to Wal-Mart, offers a full menu of all your Chinese favorites as well as a lunch and dinner buffet.
I was sitting in my new apartment at La Maison du Bayou, the sound of dehumidifiers and blowers drowning out the grumblings of my stomach, when I decided I should eat something. My kitchen was in a shambles due to the construction and repairs going on, and I was not able to order delivery as my phone was not working. I decided to take a drive. I had no destination except that I wanted to get away from the nightmare that was my living situation. I headed north on Canal past Popeye’s (too much grease for 8 at night), Taco Bell (we won’t go there right now) and Western Sizzlin’ (sit down, schmit down, I wanted to eat). While filling up my truck at Murphy’s, I spotted the sign for China Gardens II and decided to give it a shot.
I paid $8.10 and was handed a Styrofoam container and my receipt. The buffet lines the back wall and was overflowing with its offerings. I decided to forego the usual pork fried rice and try the chicken chow mein, a couple of bites of the General Tso’s chicken, fried shrimp and the pork egg rolls. When the server bagged up my order, I was handed a smaller container for soup. I went with the hot and sour instead of the egg drop, and my instincts were correct. The soup was amazing. My taste buds exploded with the multitude of sensations. Spicy, sour with a slight sweet taste, the velvety texture accentuated by the crispness of the vegetables, this soup would be a great elixir for those suffering from this year’s nasty cold and flu season. The rest of my dinner was equally as tasty with the chow mein being a notable standout. Though the price may seem kind of high for the average college student, rest assured that I had enough left over for lunch the next day.
So if you are looking for a great Chinese meal at a reasonable price, I highly recommend that you check out China Gardens II. Your stomach and your wallet will thank you.