One of these dishes was Chicken Mei Fun, a light broth with white meat chicken, vegetables, and noodles. Although this description may make it sound rather dull, the broth really provided the flavor in this dish. To me it seemed like the authentic Chinese soups I have found in large cities, and it was understandable that the dish was reputedly popular with Chinese students. Some Chinese spices were included, including Chinese pickles that are usually served only in restaurants that cater predominantly to Chinese clients. If this is not flavorful enough they offer a bowl of chile oil on the side. To me the dish seemed to have more than enough flavor to impress me as a fairly authentic Chinese dish. I really cannot judge when a soup is truly representative of the ones served in China, but I doubt many could be found in the U.S. with better flavor or freshness.

Beef noodle soup with Chinese pickle

Beef Noodle Soup with Chinese Pickle was another version of a Chinese style soup that the chef prepared upon request. When I was told that the specialty of the restaurant was actually Mandarin style food, this sounded like a good test of the chef's skills. The soup came out pretty much as I had hoped except for having beef that was somewhat tough and unflavoful. The flavor of the soup, though, was good, as it had been with the chicken soup. The small bok choy was more tender than the larger plants used in many restaurants, so I appreciated this aspect of the soup.

I was given a sample of the Hunan Beef from the buffet, which seemed quite good except for the broccoli. The buffet does not have the more authentic Chinese dishes that the chefs can prepare, but it nevertheless seems to be pretty good.