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I had a chance to eat here today. Saw several great reviews from yelp friends. I just wanted noodles so I ordered harm ha ung choi minute chicken crispy noodles. Used to eat that with my dad. Let's see how it is here She nodded her head but brought me minute chicken crispy noodles . Oh well. It's half right. Oh, ok... then she brought me harm ha ung choi...now I have both. They are both delicious! I just mix it on my plate. It was relatively quiet when I arrived but once a few tables filled up, wow was it noisy! Server was really nice. She realized after a while that I wanted a combination. Portions are generous. She brought me take out containers and helped be pack my leftovers. I'd eat here again.
Highly rated on Yelp so I had to try it. I think they deserve 3.5 stars. The ambience is not good. The location was locked when I went to pick up my take out order. I understand it's a mom and pops but I think they're also a one person operation. I order salt and Pepper pork chops and beef chow funn. The pork chops were ok. I've had better. The beef chow funn was better although you really can't mess that up. I was not impressed my first time. I will need to return but the location and looks of the place doesn't look inviting. It will be hard for me to come back.
I'm hesitant to write this cause I don't want the secret to be out about this little mom and pop place. We had the simple beef chow fun and the popular yellow cold ginger chicken. Both dishes came out made to order and the chow fun was steaming hot. Very stand not overly salty. The cold chicken was one of the best I ever had. I don't know how they make it, but the pieces were juicy and cooked just right with a taste that I can't figure out. Paired with the ginger oil, it was perfect. I asked the owner how her husband makes it, but she couldn't really tell me other than it was a two step process. I will definitely be back.
I'm not gonna lie when we walked in like 11ish in the morning there were no customers, ac was not turned on and it had that stuffy smell that made me want to turn around and leave. But I'm glad I stayed and had some amazing food! The five-star is solely based the 2 rice dishes I've tried: chicken with bitter melon and shrimp with egg sauce. And the reason I gave 5 stars? Very simple: Wok hei (the flavor/aroma when you stir fry using a wok). The bitter melon and chicken has so much wok hei that I could smell its aroma before they even put the dish on the table. The chef definitely must have much skills so the chicken and bitter melon were cooked just perfectly, not overcooked. I was worried that the black bean sauce would be very salty but it wasn't. And it also had the right consistency and amount. The egg sauce was also very tasty. Shrimps were very fresh and they gave me 9 big shrimps (yes I counted haha). Very generous given that they only charge $10 for this dish. My only complain was that rice was a bit hard they should have cooked it a little longer. So oh yes I'll definitely go back especially wanna try the taro duck and sour cabbage pork recommended by fellow yelpers!
Service a little slow looks like they were shorthanded. Food excellent ginger chicken twice cooked soft and excellent ginger garlic sauce.Bittermelon beef crunchy with perfect mix of bb sauce beef soft and chewy. At last my fav egg sauce chow fun with shrimp. Plenty of shrimp and noodles succulent sauce to the tee. Clean restaurant,tea served when asked.Maybe a another server to help
I received the stuffed duck and egg tarts from a friend. I've heard about Yongs famous duck dish and was able to try it! The stuffed duck for takeout was served in a half pan tray. The serving size is huge and there is tons of mochi rice stuffed inside the duck. I imagined the duck to be a whole duck stuffed with rice, but instead, the duck is battered with taro and reconstructed around a huge chunk of mochi rice. What an interesting dish! I wish I had eaten it fresh, but was unable to. We reheated in the toaster oven and ate for dinner. The pieces of duck were very tender and flavorful. The dark coating was a little oily, but probably would have been great fresh. It is super filling and enough for at least 3-4 people! If you want to order the duck, you need to order it at least 48 hours in advance. I would say it's worth it for a special occasion! I wish we had a side of veggies to cancel out some of the oil, but other than that it was really tasty! I'll be back to try some of his other dishes. On a side note, he is doing December specials where you can get some dishes for $7.50! Regular price $10.99. I saw the special on Spoon Hawaii and if you mention it when you order, you can get this special price. The dishes change weekly for the next three months in December.
The new normal, eating out during COVID19. Saw someone post food from Yongs Kitchen on Instagram and I couldn't resist and had to order some for dinner. We called in our order a head of time and drove down to pick up. We ordered the Honey BBQ Spareribs ($24) and Stir-Fried Choy Sum with Garlic ($10.50). Both dishes were great. The ribs were delicious and the chou sum was cooked perfectly. A huge MAHALO to Yongs Kitchen for operating during this pandemic.
I got take out from here. Food is legit. Underrated place! I ordered their Black bean beef with cake noodles and Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan) to go. Both were delish! I would love to try their Honey BBQ ribs and Taro duck but you need to give them a 24 hr notice and order ahead of time for these items. From the outside this spot is not super noticeable but don't sleep on this spot because it's a hidden gem!
#46 for 2019 It's been awhile since I've had Chinese food. I tend to swing to Thai and Vietnamese for my Asian cravings. It was our special friend's birthday and I was part of the surprise. Haven't seen each other in awhile so it was all good. Nadine scheduled the festivity at 6:30pm to take advantage of the free street parking that starts at 6pm. I parked in the municipal parking off of Beretania street a block away because we wanted to walk around before the gathering. We got there a little before 5pm and ended up paying $3.00. Not bad I say. Everything was ordered and setup. The staff were just waiting for the que to start bringing everything out. And that happened once the birthday person showed up. I wasn't familiar with this place and didn't know what to expect. I did read a view reviews sparingly to get an idea. It sounded good and I was hungry. The Chinese broccoli was cooked perfectly. Still a little crunch to them which I think helps to hold the juices in and not taste too bitter. I like that though, others not so much. Another winner spicy clams. Man I could have eaten that alone. I wish it had a little more flavor but they were still good for my tongue. Cake noodles had lots of crunch slathered with the gravy sauce. Always a favorite to eat. There were other dishes. All were good. I had no complaints. However, the winner this evening was taro duck and honey ribs. I never knew about this technique to combine the taro and duck together for an awesome mouth delicious combination. It was a knock out 1 2 punch with the honey ribs. Sweet and tender. I wanted to eat more but there was no more room to put anything away. Service was good. Staff seemed to have enjoyed serving us watching and listening to our words of delight. I need to go there again. Soon.
First things first, make a reservation! This restaurant is small and always packed so if you want to avoid waiting or getting turned away, please call ahead. While you're making a reservation, check out their specials because those require a day's notice to be prepared. Yong's is located right across from Lam's Kitchen and Pho Que Huong so your best parking option is street (depending on the time you go) I decided to pre-order their Honey Spare Ribs and it's HUGE; it can definitely feed 3-4 people. It's pretty flavorful with plenty meat on the bones. Everything on their menu sounded good but we decided to order: Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice: My fave kind of fried rice; did not disappoint! House Special Chicken (half order): Super juicy and delicious even without their ginger & onion sauce! Drunken Clams: It reminded me of a black bean sauce; my parents mopped it up in seconds Egg Drop Soup: This was my least favorite because I thought it lacked flavor compared to the other dishes There was another dish I wanted to order but unfortunately they were already out... I guess that can happen when they're pretty popular but I guess that means we got to come back again. Yong's is now on our radar for places to go to when we're craving Chinese food! Just be careful of your surroundings especially at night because there can be questionable people walking around
Came here for lunch to celebrate my Mom's bff Birthday. We invited a couple of her friends as well. We had a delicious eight course luncheon. Service was at a great pace. Its a small restaurant, ideal for small party. Honey BBQ Ribs, Singapore Noodles, Concubine Chicken, Beef Chow Fun, Salt and Pepper Shrimp, Kau Yuk with Taro, Steamed Fish Fillet with Soft Tofu, and Stir Fried Ung Choy with Harm Har. Needless to say, we had plenty of leftovers for takeout. The ladies enjoyed the food. All the dishes were prepared well and great flavor. Price was inexpensive considering we got a lot of food. read more
A couple of co-workers and I had lunch ... Salted fish / chicken fried rice, lamb casserole, seafood with vegetables, and tofu / black mushroom / choi sum. Service was leisurely as there was just one server and one cook. We'd been coming here when it operated under different names but (to us) the food hadn't changed very much. The dish that disappointed us was the seafood with vegetables... Instead of broccoli and carrots, they used cucumber and celery. Thus, we couldn't give this visit more than 3 stars. read more
1 year ago
6 months ago
I had a chance to eat here today. Saw several great reviews from yelp friends. I just wanted noodles so I ordered harm ha ung choi minute chicken crispy noodles. Used to eat that with my dad. Let's see how it is here She nodded her head but brought me minute chicken crispy noodles . Oh well. It's half right. Oh, ok... then she brought me harm ha ung choi...now I have both. They are both delicious! I just mix it on my plate. It was relatively quiet when I arrived but once a few tables filled up, wow was it noisy! Server was really nice. She realized after a while that I wanted a combination. Portions are generous. She brought me take out containers and helped be pack my leftovers. I'd eat here again. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
Highly rated on Yelp so I had to try it. I think they deserve 3.5 stars. The ambience is not good. The location was locked when I went to pick up my take out order. I understand it's a mom and pops but I think they're also a one person operation. I order salt and Pepper pork chops and beef chow funn. The pork chops were ok. I've had better. The beef chow funn was better although you really can't mess that up. I was not impressed my first time. I will need to return but the location and looks of the place doesn't look inviting. It will be hard for me to come back. read more
1 year ago
I'm hesitant to write this cause I don't want the secret to be out about this little mom and pop place. We had the simple beef chow fun and the popular yellow cold ginger chicken. Both dishes came out made to order and the chow fun was steaming hot. Very stand not overly salty. The cold chicken was one of the best I ever had. I don't know how they make it, but the pieces were juicy and cooked just right with a taste that I can't figure out. Paired with the ginger oil, it was perfect. I asked the owner how her husband makes it, but she couldn't really tell me other than it was a two step process. I will definitely be back. read more
2 years ago
5 years ago
I'm not gonna lie when we walked in like 11ish in the morning there were no customers, ac was not turned on and it had that stuffy smell that made me want to turn around and leave. But I'm glad I stayed and had some amazing food! The five-star is solely based the 2 rice dishes I've tried: chicken with bitter melon and shrimp with egg sauce. And the reason I gave 5 stars? Very simple: Wok hei (the flavor/aroma when you stir fry using a wok). The bitter melon and chicken has so much wok hei that I could smell its aroma before they even put the dish on the table. The chef definitely must have much skills so the chicken and bitter melon were cooked just perfectly, not overcooked. I was worried that the black bean sauce would be very salty but it wasn't. And it also had the right consistency and amount. The egg sauce was also very tasty. Shrimps were very fresh and they gave me 9 big shrimps (yes I counted haha). Very generous given that they only charge $10 for this dish. My only complain was that rice was a bit hard they should have cooked it a little longer. So oh yes I'll definitely go back especially wanna try the taro duck and sour cabbage pork recommended by fellow yelpers! read more
Service a little slow looks like they were shorthanded. Food excellent ginger chicken twice cooked soft and excellent ginger garlic sauce.Bittermelon beef crunchy with perfect mix of bb sauce beef soft and chewy. At last my fav egg sauce chow fun with shrimp. Plenty of shrimp and noodles succulent sauce to the tee. Clean restaurant,tea served when asked.Maybe a another server to help read more
1 year ago
I received the stuffed duck and egg tarts from a friend. I've heard about Yongs famous duck dish and was able to try it! The stuffed duck for takeout was served in a half pan tray. The serving size is huge and there is tons of mochi rice stuffed inside the duck. I imagined the duck to be a whole duck stuffed with rice, but instead, the duck is battered with taro and reconstructed around a huge chunk of mochi rice. What an interesting dish! I wish I had eaten it fresh, but was unable to. We reheated in the toaster oven and ate for dinner. The pieces of duck were very tender and flavorful. The dark coating was a little oily, but probably would have been great fresh. It is super filling and enough for at least 3-4 people! If you want to order the duck, you need to order it at least 48 hours in advance. I would say it's worth it for a special occasion! I wish we had a side of veggies to cancel out some of the oil, but other than that it was really tasty! I'll be back to try some of his other dishes. On a side note, he is doing December specials where you can get some dishes for $7.50! Regular price $10.99. I saw the special on Spoon Hawaii and if you mention it when you order, you can get this special price. The dishes change weekly for the next three months in December. read more
The new normal, eating out during COVID19. Saw someone post food from Yongs Kitchen on Instagram and I couldn't resist and had to order some for dinner. We called in our order a head of time and drove down to pick up. We ordered the Honey BBQ Spareribs ($24) and Stir-Fried Choy Sum with Garlic ($10.50). Both dishes were great. The ribs were delicious and the chou sum was cooked perfectly. A huge MAHALO to Yongs Kitchen for operating during this pandemic. read more
4 years ago
I got take out from here. Food is legit. Underrated place! I ordered their Black bean beef with cake noodles and Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan) to go. Both were delish! I would love to try their Honey BBQ ribs and Taro duck but you need to give them a 24 hr notice and order ahead of time for these items. From the outside this spot is not super noticeable but don't sleep on this spot because it's a hidden gem! read more
1 year ago
#46 for 2019 It's been awhile since I've had Chinese food. I tend to swing to Thai and Vietnamese for my Asian cravings. It was our special friend's birthday and I was part of the surprise. Haven't seen each other in awhile so it was all good. Nadine scheduled the festivity at 6:30pm to take advantage of the free street parking that starts at 6pm. I parked in the municipal parking off of Beretania street a block away because we wanted to walk around before the gathering. We got there a little before 5pm and ended up paying $3.00. Not bad I say. Everything was ordered and setup. The staff were just waiting for the que to start bringing everything out. And that happened once the birthday person showed up. I wasn't familiar with this place and didn't know what to expect. I did read a view reviews sparingly to get an idea. It sounded good and I was hungry. The Chinese broccoli was cooked perfectly. Still a little crunch to them which I think helps to hold the juices in and not taste too bitter. I like that though, others not so much. Another winner spicy clams. Man I could have eaten that alone. I wish it had a little more flavor but they were still good for my tongue. Cake noodles had lots of crunch slathered with the gravy sauce. Always a favorite to eat. There were other dishes. All were good. I had no complaints. However, the winner this evening was taro duck and honey ribs. I never knew about this technique to combine the taro and duck together for an awesome mouth delicious combination. It was a knock out 1 2 punch with the honey ribs. Sweet and tender. I wanted to eat more but there was no more room to put anything away. Service was good. Staff seemed to have enjoyed serving us watching and listening to our words of delight. I need to go there again. Soon. read more
First things first, make a reservation! This restaurant is small and always packed so if you want to avoid waiting or getting turned away, please call ahead. While you're making a reservation, check out their specials because those require a day's notice to be prepared. Yong's is located right across from Lam's Kitchen and Pho Que Huong so your best parking option is street (depending on the time you go) I decided to pre-order their Honey Spare Ribs and it's HUGE; it can definitely feed 3-4 people. It's pretty flavorful with plenty meat on the bones. Everything on their menu sounded good but we decided to order: Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice: My fave kind of fried rice; did not disappoint! House Special Chicken (half order): Super juicy and delicious even without their ginger & onion sauce! Drunken Clams: It reminded me of a black bean sauce; my parents mopped it up in seconds Egg Drop Soup: This was my least favorite because I thought it lacked flavor compared to the other dishes There was another dish I wanted to order but unfortunately they were already out... I guess that can happen when they're pretty popular but I guess that means we got to come back again. Yong's is now on our radar for places to go to when we're craving Chinese food! Just be careful of your surroundings especially at night because there can be questionable people walking around read more
IG influencers don't influence me. I can read. But when the "Mayor of Chinatown" speaks, I listen. Honey BBQ ribs. Taro Duck. Gently marinated with the typical sweet, fermented char siu goodness, steamed until tender and roasted for good measure. Some burnt bits for bitter complexity served in a five spice laden plate of honey. The flavor is not as deep as MG but it is easily second best. The only negative, using a cleaver to chop the ribs leaves tiny shards of bone. The taro duck, excellent. Guessing at the preparation, ginger, five spice and MSG season the cavity of a duck that is either steamed or slow poached. The fat is totally rendered and the flesh is tender. It is deboned, skin is placed on the bottom of a "mold" topped by the boneless duck meat then a layer of mashed taro. It is allowed to set before a layer of egg and taro is applied immediately prior to deep frying to give it the ethereal crispy flakes. It is served with a gently sweetened mushroom sauce. Not too oily, very dense. The duck meat and taro pairs perfectly with the sauce complimenting the entire bite. Using the house chili oil instead sets off the sweet flavors of the taro and brings out the earthiness of the duck. Either way, excellent eats. Note: The taro duck has 15 individual servings. Note: Both the honey BBQ ribs and taro duck require 24 hour advance order. Other items solid but seriously, what can compare to taro duck? Very friendly Asian service. ESL, so be patient during your frustrating call to make a reservation and pre-order specials. Looking forward to trying more. So far, very good. read more
Eating in China is a highly important feature in Chinese culture. After all, Chinese people love to eat and view food as the common bond for socializing whether over home cooked meal, street food snack or at restaurants. Also, the typical loud talking, laughing and crowd size in restaurants indicates how good and tasty the restaurant's dishes are. That being said, we were excited to kick off our Independence Day at this New and Hot Chinese restaurant with 5 other friends. Yong's Kitchen is located on Maunakea Street near the cross street of North Pauahi or for local directions, it's directly across from the Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Que Huong and Lam's Kitchen. Yes, it's the former Sunflower Café and its interior is vaguely familiar as this new restaurant still uses the same Chinese wood dining furniture but has repainted the walls and added some Good Fortune decorations. I had seen and read some other Yelp reviews for Yong's Kitchen so my taste buds were tantalized when we received this luncheon invitation and was told that fellow Elite, Paul C, had pre-ordered 2 dishes (Taro Duck and Chinese Bar-B-Que or Charsiu Pork Ribs). The two dishes are considered Signature Dishes from this Chef who was formerly with our go-to restaurant, Moon Garden. Knowing that 2 entrées had been pre-ordered, we perused the menu to supplement our meal. Chinese people like to order foods that incorporate hot and cold dishes or different cooking methods and different proteins and vegetables dependent upon availability. FOOD: -Poached chicken with ginger & scallion sauce aka Cold Ginger Chicken: the chicken was tender and its meat was smooth which indicates the proper poaching and broth temperature. Half chicken: $13.95 -Stir-fried squid with sweet and sour cabbage: we're not really fans of this dish but, I will say that this dish was better balanced as its usual vinegary wasn't as tart or biting as at other places. The squid was tender and easy to chew. $12.95 -Beef chow funn: this is one of the dishes that I judge a Chinese restaurant by. I look for the slightly crisped yet tender chewy texture of the dry fried rice noodle and the strands should not be broken or shredded. There should be a slight smoky flavor from the well-seasoned wok and flame (wok hei). This dish isn't nor should it be over seasoned or over salted. The balanced use of ginger, scallions and soy sauce was just right. $10.95 -Salt and pepper pork chops: one of our favorite dishes...the pork chop was tender, had a light deep fried breading. There was a nice sauté of green onions, garlic, jalapeños and salt and pepper used to garnish the pork chop. $11.95 -Tofu, black mushrooms & choy sum: ok, we had to get our veggies in. This dish wasn't particularly flavorful but added its plant based protein. Nice mix of fried tofu, black mushrooms, choy sum and carrots. $10.95 -Taro duck: if you like those taro puffs served at dim sum, you'd probably like this dish. The taro topping was crisp fried like the taro puff with a dense mashed potato-like consistency. Slight flavor of 5-spice powder or more predominately star anise. It's not off-putting but, I am sensitive to licorice or anise flavors so I picked up on that spice. Supporting the taro was a whole boneless duck that was seasoned and cooked through to a somewhat crispy texture. It was delicious but I felt it was too rich and heavy. You can only eat one piece. This item is available only through ADVANCE ORDER. $39.95 -Honey Bar-B-Que spare ribs or Charsiu ribs: Its flavors and tenderness were stunning but the turnoff was the sharp bone shards found when biting into these unctuous ribs. The pork was almost falling off the bones with each bite. The flavor and tenderness was very reminiscent of Moon Garden. ADVANCE ORDER is recommended. $24.00 Service was good for a Chinese restaurant.. our teapots and our water glasses were consistently refilled. So, why only 4 stars? Although we were the first group to arrive and stayed for over 2 hours, their air conditioning wasn't working. As more people came in to dine, the latent heat started to build and several of us women started to fell like we were experiencing hot flashes even though we've passed that age range. Tsk! PARKING: We parked at the Smith & Beretania Municipal Parking Lot but you can also choose from other nearby municipal parking lots available or metered street parking stalls. We'll be back to try more! 4.4 stars read more
Yes, this restaurant lives up to most expectations and I concur with the reviews written by the Chinese Yelp Mafia of Rod U, Sheryl M (both honorary Chinese), Jo Y. and Paul C (the unofficial Mayor of Chinatown). General notes, portions are on the smaller side but the quality is above average to good. To get a meal that will fill you up, order some vegetable and starch dishes (emein, chow fun, noodles, fried rice, etc.), these tend to be decent portions. Service is prompt and while not exactly friendly, very efficient and helpful. Expect to pay about $25 per person for dinner, tax and tip inclusive. You will have a better experience with a group, so you can share dishes family style. They need to fix the A/C, it gets hot in here even with the fans blowing. If you require a cool comfortable place to eat, recommend you pass. Several visits, most were good not five star great, here are the highlights: Clams with black bean sauce - the size of the clams were big, on the bigger side of what you normally see at other Chinese restaurants, Manila clams on steroids. The sauce is a bit too heavy with black beans and tad too salty, and a bit too thick. The sauce also drowns out any other flavors such garlic or wine (if used). On the plus side, was cooked on the wok on high heat and perfect, as the clams were all opened up fully. An order would get you about 10 clams. As a whole, a pretty good choice, albeit not perfect. A popular dish, observed diners ordering this also. Emein - noted that a review commented about a lack of snow peas or shiitake mushrooms, yes that's the case. But the noodles was braised perfectly, good chew. Also, they did a good job in making sure the noodles absorbed the oyster based sauce. Fried tofu with spinach - the tofu was a bit on the soggy side, perhaps due to the sauce, the outer part was properly browned. Maybe ask for sauce on the side? Spinach was cooked perfectly. Fried oysters with green onions - really liked this dish, gave large oysters but it's only four per order. Green onions and ginger really complimented the oysters. A must order. Shrimp egg chow fun - you can tell the noodles was cooked in the wok in high heat, no complaints there. The sauce was generously filled with pieces of egg. Shrimp was on the smaller side, no big deal. Second visit the noodles seem like a day old, it's above average but not Lam's Kitchen good. Ung choi with fermented beans - an example of a good filler to make you full. This vegetable is polarizing and is an acquired taste but they somehow got my wife to like it. Best description is Chinese version of spinach but with thicker leaves with a slight bitter taste. Another favorite. Salt and pepper shrimp - not as crispy as it could be, still not bad. The salt and seasoning overall was not well distributed, one or two shrimp was a little on the bland side, others were great. Shrimp on the small side, 26/30 size. read more
I took my family here tonight for my dad's birthday. The food was really good, but the service was mediocre at best. Five stars for the food and three stars for service. Our waitress kept forgetting things. I had to keep asking for water. It finally came in the middle of the meal. She brought the fried rice without the rice bowls, so I had to get up to chase her down. The A/C must still not be working, because it was warm in the restaurant and it was at full capacity. I preordered the popular honey bbq pork ribs and deep fried taro duck in advance. Also, the lobster and crab dishes need to be ordered in advance. The ribs were tender and had just a hint of sweetness from the honey. The taro duck was decent. It was just to heavy for me with all the taro and oil. We also got the sweet and sour fish fillet, salted fish and chicken fried rice, and lobster salad. I would recommend all three of these dishes. The fish was tasty. It was juicy on the inside with the perfect crispness on the outside. Unlike other restaurants, the batter was thin and perfect. The fried rice had a nice flavor from the wok hei, flame that rises when the food is being cooked. My favorite of the night was the lobster salad. The different textures and tastes from the salad tantalized my tastebuds. It was a full lobster with apple, pineapple, melon, lettuce, and potato, topped with mayo. I know it sounds funny, but it was so good chilled. We finished with the warm red bean and black mochi dessert. Red bean and black mochi is good for your health according to my mom. Both of my parents are from Hong Kong, so they know Chinese food. This place passed the test. Woohoo!i read more
The tides are always changing. Yong's Kitchen is definitely picking up steam and on the rise as other Chinese restaurants nearby are falling. The word now is Legend and Ginger and Garlic aren't as good as before, and Yong's Kitchen is "not bad/pretty good." I agree. My second time around here was definitely better than the first. +1 star! We had the Stir Fried Kai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) with Garlic. The broccoli was undercooked and really tough. My grandma uncomfortably ate a couple of pieces and couldn't after that. Even I had an uncomfortable time with the thicker stalks. It felt like biting into a whole raw carrot, but a little harder since it doesn't snap as easy as a carrot. However, the taste was spot on with the garlic sauce and it had nice wok heat. This dish is the best value because all the stir fried vegetable dishes are the same price and Chinese Broccoli is the most expensive. Next we had the House Special Stir Fried Rice Noodle with Sour Cabbage and Pork. This was an excellent dish. The rice noodle had the perfect density as it wasn't too soft and mushy or too hard and raw. Just soft enough to soak in the flavor while giving you a little bite, so you know it's noodle. This dish had good wok heat and a nice balance of flavors with bright and fresh ingredients. The House Special Chicken with Ginger and Green Onion Sauce is the free range chicken variety. Weird it's the same price as the non free range version. Free range is always better! The meat is more tender and moist as was this one. Very well prepared, and the green onion sauce was tasty. My only issue was the meat was a bit on the firm side. Lastly, we ordered the Capital Pork Chops. We never tried it here, and this dish is a family staple (grandfather's favorite dish). The flavor in this dish was outstanding. Really good balance of flavors from savory, to sweet, to sour. The taste wasn't overwhelming, and leaned towards to plum sauce flavor. The meat was good, but it was really soft. It wasn't over-battered, or thinly sliced. The meat was normal thickness, but it might've been over tenderized. It was an interesting feeling eating it though, but I need the meatiness feeling. Overall, it was a good experience. The service was very friendly and attentive. The food was pretty good and prepared well. I do hope Yong's can get better and better, and maintain it. Almost all the new Chinese restaurants in recent years start off strong, but slowly waver offs. read more
Chinese cuisine in Chinatown Honolulu... I saw a friend check in at this Hot and New Restaurant, so I consulted with Paul C. - the Unofficial Mayor of Honolulu's Chinatown - about Yong's Kitchen. Paul heard that the chef from Moon Garden moved over to Yong's... ooh! Let's go! Seven friends and I met at 11am on the 4th of July (since metered street parking is free on a holiday and everyone had the day off). Other tables were available, so, word hasn't gotten out yet about Yong's Kitchen! Service was pretty good and the place was clean! Food was yummy! Paul pre-ordered the Taro Duck (no bones!) and the Honey BBQ ribs (must pre-order). My favorites were the Beef chow funn (stir fried wide flat noodles), the sweet sour cabbage (sin choi) with squid, and the pork chops (wow)! I can pass on cold Ginger chicken and the braised tofu with black mushrooms - they were good, but not outstanding. I would like to try other dishes next time and keep the sin choi, pork chops, and chow funn! read more
7 years ago
First time trying this place with some Friends/Yelpers. We ordered family style and tried a lot of dishes together. Too much food as always. My first time trying crispy taro duck....love taro... some of the dishes were just okay , guess it depends what you order here. read more
***4.5 STARS*** Due to a life changing event on a positive note, I don't frequent Chinatown like I previously did, which was daily. But I still go to Chinatown on a regular basis where I notice changes. One of these recent changes is Yong's Kitchen (YK). Opened just a few weeks ago in the location previously occupied by Sunflower Cafe, which is near the corner of Maunakea St and Pauahi St. YK is just across the street from popular eateries of Lam's Kitchen and Pho Que Hong. With the latest buzz in the Chinese community, the chef here, who is coincidentally the owner of nearby Char Siu House, previously worked at the popular Moon Garden Restaurant on Vineyard Blvd that is known for their Honey BBQ Pork Ribs. When we noticed one of our foodie friends checked in here, super Elite Nadine C. suggested we give YK a try. So, what a better way to come here - - round up a table of 8 friends on a major holiday (free street parking) to sample an array of Cantonese cuisine. After reading a handful of Yelp reviews and studying the menu, I called ahead to make reservations for the Honey BBQ Pork Ribs and Taro Duck, which came in highly recommended in one of the reviews. I had just dined at Moon Garden last week. I noticed similarities in the menus between the two restaurants. I was surprised with our waitress as I've seen her at other previous restaurants I've eaten at and she remembered me. Our group pretty much collectively chose several other dishes and dined family style. Clearly, the stand outs were the special orders of honey BBQ pork ribs and the taro duck. The ribs were nicely caramelized and quite meaty. There was ample honey glaze you could spoon over the ribs. However, the setback was the bone shards from them chopping up the ribs. It can be hazardous and highly recommend you to be careful when eating. The taro duck was also amazing, taste and visually. Reminded me of the 9-course meals I had when growing up. Boneless duck on the bottom with a thick layer of mashed taro that was deep fried until golden brown. A bowl of brown gravy accompanied the dish, which wasn't necessary for me. The taro duck was chopped into large squares and clearly the edges are prized pieces with that extra crunchiness. I didn't find the taro duck greasy. With the other dishes we ordered, we found the ginger chicken very meaty and tasty. But we ran out of the ginger sauce quickly so we asked for more. The dry style beef chow funn was executed with great wok heat for the enhanced flavor. The pepper salt pork chops were tender and flavorful. I personally also enjoyed the sweet sour cabbage with squid. The sweetness and vinegar levels were balanced and tamed well. There are times where the sourness from too much vinegar kills the dish but this wasn't the case today. The braised tofu with black mushrooms was okay for me. It wasn't outstanding like the other dishes. Service was not bad for a Chinese restaurant. There were only 2 waitresses on the floor and they did come over to our table to refill our waters and teapots. But I did have to flag them down with more napkins and changing our plates. Overall, a very solid dining experience and satisfying meal with great friends. It was so good that I'm looking forward to dragging my family here to let them try the food here, as well as me sampling other dishes on their extensive menu. NOTE: Credit cards accepted here. read more
Lyla and Ed are the very first friends I met when I joined Yelp years ago and we've kept in contact through out the years. So, whenever I'm in town, we always meet up for lunch. Yong's Kitchen recommended by Lyla and it's one of their favorites. Actually, all the restaurants in Chinatown are good Today's lunch consisted of Noodles with Shrimp topped with Egg Sauce , Bitter melon Beef with Bean Sauce and Salt Peppered Pork Chops. I was impressed with the Salt Peppered Pork Chops. They were Crispy fried , tender and not over fried. No doubt , this is best I've had. The Noodle with Shrimp and Egg Sauce was delicious , something I've not had in years . Delicious , don't know what I've been missing out on the past years. Bitter Melon Beef with Bean Sauce , my favorite. Perfectly cooked with just right amount of Bean Sauce. Bitter Melon was fresh and tasty Today's lunch was great. Even more enjoyable with Lyla and Ed's presence. It's not that often I'm in Honolulu and be able to dine with good friends. Lyla and Ed , I consider you as Ohana 10/21/19 read more
After hearing Nadine Kam liked this restaurant I wanted to try it. We arrived before the crowd. We ordered hot ginger chicken and it was delicious. The e-mein which Nadine liked was a bit disappointing. The noodles were good but not enough of anything else was on the noodles. Three burnt snow peas. Two very thin slices of shitake mushroom. Where are the chinese black mushrooms? Two small shrimps and 3 to 4 slices of squid head. Maybe the cheaper e-mein would have been better. The waitress said the cheaper chicken e-mein would be too much chicken since we already had a chicken dish. The peipa tofu was mushy. I remember having that dish at other restaurants and it was either very good or not so good. Here, not so good. We had good service and the red bean dessert with little bit of sticky rice was tasty. Maybe have to check it out after the kinks have been worked out. read more
Good tasty food, a bit too salty. Poor service, overworked, short staffed. Only 2 trying to keep up with the tables and take out as well as the phone orders. No parking, street or municipal lots are your best bet. Looking at the food coming out for the other tables, it all looked good. read more
4 years ago
The old Sunflower. Seems like same menu - at least the things we used to order seems the same. They're pretty nice there. I like the honey walnut shrimp with no walnuts. The sauce is kind of just squirted on and not mixed as nicely, but that's fine. Ordered from there for a work anniversary since seems like they are doing only take out again. Hard to keep track since there are so many restrictions imposed by the govt...but this is not a political platform so let's talk food. Coworker on dietary restrictions, so Chinese food probs not the healthiest, but he can splurge a little and I ordered choke veggies for him. They helped me determine how much for 15 people. Ordered the following: 2 Young Chow Fried Rice - good. I hate peas so I plucked those puppies out. More than enough, but 1 wouldn't have been enough 2 Beef Bitter Melon - really tasty and not too bitter. Too much sauce. Spilled in transport. 2 Squid w/ Sour Cabbage - nice and sour. Not much squid. Unless it was just hiding. 1 Tofu w/ Black Mushroom & Choy Sum - I was told it was good. Ran out. Should have ordered 2. 2 Eggplant w/ Spicy Sauce - not spicy, but tasty. Eggplant a little too overcooked and turned into mush. 1 Whole Ginger Chicken - Lot of chicken, but 2 tiny little containers of green onion/ginger. Need to give AT LEAST double that. Be sure to ask for more. 1 Taro Duck - this was the best taro duck I've had. Was perfect. Not oily, semi-floofy kalo, and a lot of duck. Waaaaay better than anywhere else I've ordered from. They gave us 6 whole napkins. Good thing we had our own. But everyone was happy and full, so it was a success. read more
4 years ago
2 years ago
5 years ago
During this time of pandemic, it's hard to find great Chinese food that has dine-in. This place answered the call of my stomache and with great service too! I made reservation and pre-ordered my BBQ ribs the day before. No problem. The restaurant was empty, but they had a lot of takeout while we were grazing! And graze we did!! Our favorite besides the wibs? Salted fish fried rice with diced chicken!! Imagine that sweet, tender ribs off the bone, licking your fingers full of honey sauce and chasing it with a spoonful of fried rice with salted fish bits adding just the right balance of salt in your mouth! Another goody was deep fried oysters, it's an appetizer of 6 pieces, good size with a light delicate batter, and fried. We tried it, was so good, we added on another order! Same goes for the fried tofu with black mushrooms and choy sum. Yummers! To top it all of, the waitress was so nice and accommodating! Very attentive on the hot tea, water, sauces, utensils and condiments. Never had to ask twice. Maybe because no one else in the restaurant? Oh well, everyone else missed out! She even gave my baby nephew a little pack of cracker candy to appease him!! So thoughtful. We will definitely add this one to our list of go to Chinese "holes in the wall" aka as Hidden Gems! read more
3 years ago
Found by accident just looking to take care of being hungry. Hole in the wall type of place. Sat and took our order quickly. Paper plates and take out chopsticks. Lots of customers. Ordered black bean beef on cake noodles, shrimp fried rice and mapo tofu. Tofu came first and was good.beef on cake noodle very good. We were too full before the fried rice came out so we changed it to takeout. read more
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1157 Maunakea St
Honolulu, HI 96817
Chinatown
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(808) 599-5262
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