The Chiam Restaurant

We had a delicious lunch with true Sichuan hometown taste. The dishes we tried are not greasy or with too much sauce. I have attached a picture of a meal I made with the leftover to show how good the quality of the dish is.

I feel obligated to write this review because my family came by on a Saturday for lunch and we were the only ones there. If you like Tang Dynasty or Taste of Sichuan, this place is just as good (disclaimer: based on my one visit). I never went here when it was Chiam so do not know how it’s changed, so this is based on their new Szechuan/Cantonese menu The host/ server was very friendly. Food came out extremely fast (only the XLB took longer than a few mins from the time of ordering). Good portion sizes. For the food: - hometown hot chicken - this is their version of Chong Qing chicken. Very crispy and flavorful. I didn’t get that much of the Szechuan peppercorn numbness but it was decently spicy with good flavor. Slightly different from Tang Dynasty’s version (my fave) - snow pea leaves in garlic sauce - very good. Large portion. Slight smokiness. Greens were fresh and no overly chewy pieces - Shanghai style pork dumplings (Xiao long bao) - good texture (thin skin) and porky flavor but I thought the soup inside the dumpling was too sweet. I generally don’t like sweet dumplings so would pass on this next time - combination fried rice - buttery goodness. One of the better fried rices out there. Slight wok hei (smokiness). Flavorful. Recommend it. My only gripe is that the beef was over-tenderized.

This used to be an American Chinese restaurant for a long, long time: Chiam, my family would often come here for dinner and chatting, but today I saw that a new owner has taken over, the name is changed to: Hometown taste, and the billboards are labeled: new menu, new style of Szechuan and Cantonese food. We will try to come here on weekends for a great meal, haha!

We’ve been waiting for a delicious and inexpensive Chinese restaurant to open up in our neighborhood, and it finally did! We went to lunch for the first time today, absolutely yummy! I ordered the chicken chow mein… so good! The chicken was fresh and crispy, the noodles perfectly sized and flavorful. The lunch came with a hot n sour soup ( also very good, thick and tasty) with 2 different rice options to pick from. Also ordered Egg rolls (3) under 5$, where can you find that??? With everything, my lunch order and my partners, 1 soda, 1 appetizer and soup all for 30$ ( excluding tip). I am beyond grateful for this restaurant to have opened. Try it. You will not be disappointed.

New 11/2023 Hometown Taste Chinese (Szechuan and Cantonese) is completely different menu, owner and remodel - No review from me as of yet. Review was for the former Chiam 2022 - this place is consistent, prices remain reasonable and the menu hasn't changed. Chiam is my favorite hole in the wall Chinese, I've been coming here since 2018 when I moved into the area. The never been remodeled decor gives it that old comfort feeling, hahaa. Old-school, sometimes you just have to have it, too much modern fusion going on. The food ... Although not traditional, my favorite still has to be the yellow curry chicken and beef, many places just can't get curry right. Nice bright yellow curry with a clean rich mild flavor profile, not muddy brown. Delicious! The standard fried rice isn't anything special, otherwise everything here is actually pretty good with a few not so good entrees here and there. The Lo Mein is that soft noodle style and comes in large portions. The Chow Mein is tasty and might take you down memory lane if you're a fan of the old stir fried celery, bean sprouts, and water chestnuts served over a bed of crispy crunch dried noodle. If PF Changs is what you consider great food, then this place is not for you. Chiam is a small friendly family owned and operated establishment, they're even managing to stay open with togo orders during the pandemic and shut downs. Excellent little place for some well priced grub. #YellowCurry #LowMein #ChowMein