Jen's Cafe

This place was a find. We got lost on the way to the restaurant we were looking for, and when we saw all of the people packed into this place we figured that was a good sign and we should give it a try. We spied what other folks had ordered and ordered accordingly. The Chow Fun was our favorite. Thick hand cut noodles, and a delicious sauce. Service was super friendly, prompt and helpful. Great spot for a quick bite.

A nice little eatery. If it takes a long time to wait for a seat in the nearby dim sum restaurants, Sandy’s Cafe is an alternative. They offer tea and other drinks as well as BBQ duck, soy sauce chicken and roast pork. They have rice plates and noodle bowls, all with yummy meat. Their noodle in soup with pettitoes is also fantastic!

The juiciest, the tenderest and the tastiest Char siu pork I’ve tasted! Wonton noodles was really good, too. Soup not being too salty is the key and their soup was just right taste. Reminded us for countless bowls of wonton noodles we ate in Hong Kong days. We had Honey Lemon tea which had tons of sliced lemon in the to-go cup. Also, Coffee and Tea with Milk….weired mix but sort of addictive taste. Haha Already looking forward to the next visit. Plan to do some take outs too. (There was a constant foot traffic of takeout orders pickup)

It's not unusual for Chinese people to meet and greet each other by asking if they've eaten yet because it's a more casual and common way to ask, "how are you?" So it follows, when food-loving friends and family members get together, discussions about food or the latest food establishment always ensue over a meal. We were celebrating a friend's birthday with friends who we've when the topic of Chinese (Cantonese) cuisine popped up. Three of our friends seated nearby eagerly endorsed Sandy's Cafe, located in Chinatown's Chinese Cultural Plaza. They raved about the tender and perfectly roasted Chinese BBQ (char siu) pork belly at Sandy's Cafe. My husband's interest perked up when they touted the deep-fried chicken wings appetizer. He joined the conversation by asking how many pieces per plate and if the wings were served whole or mixed drumettes and flats/wingettes. The next day, as we set out to go for a walk, my husband suggested trying Sandy's Café in Chinatown. Arriving at the crowded restaurant, we managed to be seated at the last available table facing the kitchen and butcher's display case. Service was friendly, and having perused the menu posted in the window, we ordered right away. We chose to order one item that our friends had recommended and two menu choices that no one else had posted. The server brought us glasses of iced water and disposable Western-style soup spoons, and bamboo chopsticks wrapped in plastic sandwich bags. We hope they'll bring out Asian-style soup spoons instead because to us, using a Western-style teaspoon to eat noodles in soup while using chopsticks was frustrating. FOOD: - Deep-fried chicken wings: eight crisp fried golden brown chicken wing flats/wingettes came hot from the fryer. The chicken skin was crispy and didn't have breading or a battered crust. Its meat was tender, moist, and flavorful, although I thought it a bit salty (in a good way) as though the chicken had been brined. The wingettes were a hit with my husband, and I let him eat the rest of this appetizer. 8/$14 - Roast duck noodles in soup: the server brought my husband a small plate containing about 1/4 duck with a leg. The tasty seasoning and roasting of the duck were excellent, and the dense duck meat was tender and moist. Its mahogany-colored skin was fatty and thicker than fried chicken skin. The server then brought a large bowl of thin Hong Kong-style noodles in an aromatic clear broth. Upon tasting the broth, I could taste dried shrimp, ginger, chicken, salt (maybe soy sauce), and sesame seed oil. The noodles were medium-firm in texture and balanced the tender roasted duck meat. $15 - Pigs feet lo mein: okay, I gave into my penchant for pork meat even though I've cut back significantly because I've been working on lowering my cholesterol level. I was excited to see this on the menu because lo mein is dry tossed noodles and usually served with a bowl of steaming hot broth. The braised pig trotter was cut into four pieces. Each tender piece was flavored with star anise, cinnamon, soy sauce, and sugar. The trotter was so tender that I could easily pick out the bones with my chopsticks, and each bite into its fatty skin and moist meat had me smacking my lips because of the rich sticky collagen. Hahaha. I told my husband I felt my skin wrinkles plumped with each collagenous bite. I expected a bowl of broth to be served along with this dish, but none came. However, I looked around the restaurant and noticed others who ordered lo mein, and they weren't served a bowl of broth either. This dish was so full-bodied, I could only eat half portion and took the leftovers home. $16 We'll have to try other dishes in the future, but this first visit was tasty and generously portioned. At first glance, the menu seemed pricey, but we got what we paid for. I dinged them a star because after serving our meals, the server never returned to fill our water glasses or inquire if we needed any additional condiments, or bring us our bill. We had to ask for service.