Eat First Restaurant (Review)

I’ve never been a big fan of Chinese restaurants or Chinese food for that matter but this place is better than most. If there was such a term, I would call it a Chinese and Chinese American restaurant simply because the menu works like a double-edged sword. There is your usual menu where the selections are in both English and Chinese but there is this other menu where everything is in Chinese. Non-Chinese readers don’t worry; I personally think the items on that menu are a bit too “authentic” Chinese for me but that would certainly please the older folks. There is an all-English lunch menu that consists of 100% Americanized Chinese food. Although I’m trying to be as un-bias as possible, I love the selections on this lunch menu. All the items on that single laminated page are about five-dollars and the dish is fairly big. I usually order either the Mongolian Beef, Smooth Egg over rice with beef or the Spicy Tofu with Beef over rice. When I compare with most Chinese restaurants, particularly in the Sunset district, a bowl of rice is outrageously two-dollars but over here, it is no different than Chinatown offers, unlimited refills on your bowls.
It’s a modern style atmosphere. You won’t get any old Qing Dynasty music but instead, there’s a flat panel television with whatever show on TVB or a sporting event on ESPN. Although it looks like a fairly decent sized restaurant, there is actually a second level. The problem I have with seating is when they really have no tables for you or you and your friends and they make you sit in a big round table with other customers. The staff here is friendly but often times too busy to remember your orders. I can’t tell you how many times a waiter came to our table and gave us the other table’s order. I guess another flaw with the staff is their tendency to go outside when business is slow and have a smoke during their shifts. Unfortunately, they don’t bother washing their hands afterwards. Overall, its good food and mediocre service and although the staff aren’t the best of all time, they do the best they can to give you food that is fresh. There was a time when we ordered a dinner set and they couldn’t give us the soup because it was boiling at the moment. It may have been disappointing to start with but eventually it arrived and it was amazing. Some may not like it but I guess that would make me a pretty patient guy.

Click here for My Yelp Review