From what we have been able to tell, there are very few good Chinese restaurants in Bergen County,…read morebut we finally found one that we were impressed with. The name of T.S. Ma Chinese Cuisine was certainly unique, but the positive reviews and delicious-looking pictures convinced us to try it for a takeout dinner. The woman that answered the phone was friendly, professional, and a complete joy; we had a reasonably large order and she coordinated it with easy accuracy. When we arrived at the place to pick up our goods, we saw that the restaurant had a spacious room dedicated solely for to-go orders, as well as a modern dining room for those deciding to eat there. The place was spotless and even the takeout area was bright and welcoming.
Our ride home consisted of about 20 minutes of driving time, as well as another 20 or so minute stop at the supermarket, but the food was still warm by the time we arrived! We unpacked the sturdy, insulated bag they had provided and were happy to see that our dishes all arrived as requested and in generous portion sizes. We started by sharing a few items, like a quart of the House Special Soup, which included shrimp, white meat chicken, and pork with mixed vegetables in a chicken broth. The strands of pork were a bit chewy, but the chicken and jumbo shrimp were tender. The broth was flavorful, but light on the sodium and better with a dash of black pepper. We also divided up the Mu Shu Chicken with chicken strips, cabbage, and egg that we were to wrap in pancakes with sweet hoisin sauce. The pancakes were fresh and held up even when they were stuffed with the warm filling and heavy sauce. They tasted like they were handmade and not from any sort of package. The actual chicken mixture had a slightly burnt flavor, but was otherwise delightful. The only issue was that there was so much stuffing and only four pancakes. We probably could have used six to eight instead. Lastly, we shared the Chicken Lo Mein, which needed more chicken and some vegetables, as it was mainly noodles. It was richly flavored and not at all greasy, though.
We then each had our own entrees. I opted to get something from their "Steamed and Grilled" section of the menu. My Steamed Shrimp came with a wide selection of vegetables, including Chinese cabbage, napa, jicama, broccoli, carrots, string beans, and snow peas. The vegetables were all crispy and fresh, and the shrimp were plump and delicious. I got it with a "light" spicy garlic sauce on the side, which apparently had no cornstarch in it. The sauce was very thin, so I assume that was, indeed, the case, but, despite being heavily wrapped, a good portion of the sauce had leaked out into the bag. I will say that the small drop I tried had a nice heat to it. I also sampled a bite of someone else's same version of the dish that had been sauteed and not steamed, and thought it was spicy and well-cooked. Someone else in our group had ordered the Shrimp with Honey Walnuts, not realizing that the shellfish would be fried and the sauce mayonnaise-based, so she was not thrilled, but that was not the restaurant's fault. However, she did mention that she thought it was bland.
Despite her main dish, we all though T.S. Ma Chinese Cuisine did a nice job with our meal. Everything was lightly salted, not too greasy, and with enough flavor to keep it interesting. Plus, the staff even made little bags for each of us that included a fortune cookie, sauce packets, and plastic silverware; it was a very cute touch.
