1/28/21
I think previous to this review I wrote 2 others, but actually I think we've ordered #Nextdish maybe 20+ times already. Like I said before, this service was like a gift from God!--he said in a booming voice, "You Chinese of America, you do not have to resort to Panda Express! I will grant you real food!" And 6 days later he made Nextdish.
Real f'in Chinese food. And at the beginning even better than many of the top tier $$$ Chinese restaurants of Fremont and Milpitas too! But then.............. God rested that 7th day...
It was clear there was a steady downward trend over the last couple dozen orders, cumulating in our last order which really wasn't edible. We threw most of it away.
Welp, call us idiots, but we ordered again. And f me, but it was good!...
1. Fried Little Yellow Croaker $12.95: So one thing that was NOT better was everything arrived cold. I remember the first few times everything was at least warm if not hot. Not no more. Be prepared for some microwave or toaster oven action, k? But that said, as my gf put it, this was THE CRISPIEST COOOOOOLD FISH EVER. Haha... yes, cold in the sealed plastic container. How the f did it stay as crispy as Captain Crunch????? I dunno. Maybe they reverse engineered Captain Crunch and coated fish in the stuff? Who knows, but it was insanely crunchy. Pretty meaty for what it is too. (And for those that are not familiar--these are friend WHOLE fish. You eat the head and all. Crunchy. Yummy. Makes you smart.) 10/10
2. Sliced Beef & Tripe in Spicy Oil $10.95: Classic. They nailed it in substance, though I would say traditionally it would probably be served 3x hotter and 3x more numbing. But, I would say that if you're not into true Szechuan hot food, you'll like the flavor and texture. I guess it's worth noting this was slightly different than I'm used to in that there's a crap ton of thick green onion stalk, cut up. That's kinda unusual. 5/10
3. Chicken and Corn Dumpling (12 pcs) $10.95: Ah, okay, so... I think this is where a small amount of the failing Nextdish showed its ugly head a bit--the skin is definitely on the over-boiled side. Slightly mushy, and a bit sticky. I think beyond being overcooked, there is a ratio problem with flour and water, or perhaps a technique problem cause the texture is not just due to overcooking. I know this cause my gf makes boiled dumplings all the time, and once in a while it would come out like this too, and she'd say she knew what she did wrong...
...but the skin aside, the stuffing is DELICIOUS! Super flavorful and rich, especially for a dumpling meat. I never knew chicken could taste so good in dumplings! 5/10
4. Steamed Brown Rice (14oz) $1.50: Alright, so like I said, it came cold. For Chinese-style steamed rice, that means it was also a bit hard. I think we were too lazy to microwave so ate it as is, and thus can't really comment if it was made well or not.
.........so, I dunno if you think this is fair, but I don't think a single good meal out of the last dozen is worth an entirely opposite overall score right? I will raise them 1 star for now, and if our next order is as good, they'll earn their stars.
Cautiously optimistically...
2/5
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