NG House

Changes in ownership can be frustrating especially to a restaurant’s regular patrons. In the case of NG House; I’m not a regular. Its been a year in fact since I ate here. I did notice a few changes that worked in my favor towards another 3 star visit.
I was instantly glad to see that the Scallion Pancakes were not on the new menu. Score one for the new team. My server also stated that the recipes had been tweaked a tad so what could I expect in the flavor department? The Egg Drop soup was good; but not as tasty as the previous offering. My main reason for the visit was the Honey Chicken. Fellow Unilocaler Anne D. had raved about the dish when we worked together so I had to give it a shot.
I was advised that her favorite had also been tweaked so I’m interested to see if she is among the miserable after the change of ownership. More points for the new team; at least I think. The chicken dish was fabulous. Gently fried tempura chicken with a dark sweet sauce paired the new fried rice was delicious. My server also delivered a small portion of the rice to Rooster at no additional charge.
The new owners are running away with a silver medal in my book. Gone is the ridiculous 11:30 opening time replaced with the normal 11am start. I probably passed this place 20 times not stopping due to the old hours. The infamous «mall» sign seems to be coming down; at least I’m thinking since all the pictures of food they don’t serve has disappeared.
I was happy with the dining experience; noting a few improvements over our last adventure. Thanks to the new hours; it might not take me another year to visit again.

Ah, damnit Austin! Once again, you have taken a wonderful eatery and changed it to crap.
Anyhoo, I used to eat here about once a week when I worked south. It has, as of October, changed to ‘Rice’. The former owners and employees were wonderful; the food was amazing (for basic Chinese and such) and the service was outstanding! The regular server even called me by a name — Brandon — which was fairly close to my real name. It gave it a special touch. I had been meaning to log on here and give it five stars due to overall awesome, but then I decided to go here for lunch today.
Big mistake.
They might still have the NG HOUSE sign on the front, but the menus are different and it’s now called ‘Rice’. Rice. I don’t get it either, especially since the rice sucks now. Actually, everything was either mediocore or terrible today. The hot and sour soup, that used to be fantastic and hot and served with crispy-​things? Now it’s tepid, flavorless, and lacks complimentary crispies. Oh, it’s got pieces of chicken in it now too and I didn’ t eat more than a bite or two. No loss, it really sucks now.
After what seemed like far too long, my entrée arrived. I was a huge fan of the sesame tofu that I used to drive here just to get, so I tried the ma-​poa tofu. The price was right — $ 5.95 for lunch special. So instead of the cripsy-​fried awesome spicy seasame tofu I really wanted, I got a mushy tossed together slime puddle with what may be the worst friend rice I’ve had in months. I was hungry; it mostly got eaten. Mediocre at best, but the taste seemed to degrade as I ate it.
Overall, I might be judging this place harshly because it used to be so damn good. Now it’s forgettable, and I can’t see myself ever going back.
So long and thanks for all the tofu, NG House. I wish you would return someday. I can’t suggest eating here for anything. Way to suck up my lunch, Rice. Bastards.
Oh, the place still looks like crap inside. And instead of soothing, calm asian music, it was KISS whatever horrible pop music. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Damn you, Rice. Damn you.

I really enjoyed our food here but must admit that the décor was fairly nonexistent. Friendly folks behind the counter but not much more in the way of ambience. No matter; we had ordered carry out. And the food was wonderful, probably the best I’ve had in south Austin. Not greasy, full of flavor and even garnished (for carry out!!). Dumplings on a par with those in San Francisco and good salt and pepper calamari. Everything else was great, too.

This place is awesome. We moved here from Houston a couple years ago and have been very disappointed with the Chinese restaurants down in the South part of town until we discovered NG House. We go here at least once a week. Their sesame chicken is awesome. My kids love the Yan Chow fried rice (yes it has real roast pork and Chinese sausages in it) and beef flat noodle dish. If you are in the mood for something different try their clay pot 3 cup chicken. It will take a while to cook, but well worth the wait. This is also the only place down that we have found so far that hand makes their own dumplings (which are awesome) instead of that cheap store bought crap. If you can read Chinese ask for the Chinese menu. You will not be disappointed. The takeout is great, but I personally think the food taste a little better at the restaurant. Lastly when they are not too busy I was able to custom order stuff. I’m not just talking about simple things like make it more/​less spicy or no sodium etc. .. The chef is really talented so if there is some combo of tastes you desire, just ask more likely than not he can make it.

I am completely baffled how anyone could have given this place positive reviews, hell even mediocre reviews. Besides the delivery being quick the food had absolutely nothing else going for it. I ordered the Buddha’s Delight and the Tofu in Brown Sauce. Neither resembled anything I have come to know as bearing any resemblence to the above mentioned dishes. I also ordered vegetable spring rolls… which should be called grease coaked cabbage (swear to god that was the only thing inside), both my girlfriend and I threw these away after one bite. The tofu was maybe thrown in a wok for several seconds to get it warm, it was not prefried or even hard tofu it was the soft tofu that you generally use to make desserts. There were two pieces of broccolli between both orders. The rest was a culinary abortion of bland sauce and withered vegetables. I’m not a wealthy or wasteful person and I simply threw away the vast majority of this food.

I am knocking this place down a star based on two facts: 1) I would never want to eat in the restaurant (it’s BYOB, but why bother when you can do take out instead?) and 2) they do not serve brown rice. Yeah, I know that brown rice is not traditional, but I want it. When we do takeout from NG I make my own brown rice and my husband eats my portion of white rice.
The tofu in brown sauce is my favorite entrée I’ve eaten from here. Several chicken dishes my husband ordered were also tasty. I do have to mention that the shrimp is not very nice– at least the one time I ordered shrimp is was overcooked and tough. The Lo Mein is not my style, though I think it’s more traditional. I am partial to the Shrimp Lo Mein at Hao Hao.

Since I’ve been to China, I don’t really go to Chinese food places in The States. As you can imagine, it’s just not the same.
Election night, i wasn’t feeling well and all that sounded good was a big hot bowl of Hot and Sour Soup. We walked in and only one other patron was there.
Service was good, but not over-​bearing. The dinner was cheap. Soup, egg roll, crab wontons, meal (for two) was very reasonable. I got the NG special tofu. I was hoping it’d be spicier. It wasn’t very spicy at all. It had good flavor, but I was hoping for more spice to help my achy body. The hot and sour was really good and flavorful.
I’d probably go again, if I were to ever crave Chinese (which isn’t often), but I don’t think it would be on the top of my list.
You also get big slices of orange to cleanse your palette at the end. Stick ‘em in your mouth and take a picture!

First – the good part: this place is super clean. Now for the bad: Hao Hao down the street is waaaaaayyyyy better. The fried dish we had – sesame chicken – was greasy and tough. (Again, way better at Hao Hao) The hot and sour soup lacked flavor. Nice waiter/​owner. We had a bubble drink and it was mediocre. Something kinda weird – the Kung Pao chicken tasted like it had fish sauce in it, which was very distracting/​gross/​strange.

2^nd time around. 3 different dishes– ALL very tasty! I have to say it passed the «sesame chicken» test, not overly sweet and gooey– not too much chili pepper. nice well rounded flavor. Squid was excellent for takeout. Pepper steak the kiddo had was a very nice surprise– beef was tender and very different from the norm. Noodles were great– a little different from last time– still good, just mixed up the ingredients a bit (water chestnut instead of bamboo, also excellent!)
Not crazy about the crab thingies that are always the freebie side– too creamy. But still, this place holds on to my top-​spot for South Austin take-​away.
Great people, great food.

It’s easy to pass this place by. The location is not key, but the food is tasty! It’s mos def the best Chinese food in South Austin and they deliver. I really like the tangerine chicken; it’s nice and crispy and the sauce has a little spice to cut the sweetness a bit. The pork fried rice is good too; lots of flavor and ingredients, they don’t skimp on the scrambled egg! As far as veggies go, the green beans shouldn’t be skipped. They are super garlicky and have good crunch. The sauteed bok choy is good too. I prefer to dine in at the NG House. Sometimes the delivery can take a while and the food ends up steaming in the container; that makes for a not so crispy chicken.

I’ve been craving south side Chinese ever since my old standby Marco Polo shut down. The husband and I checked out NG House tonight after thorough research on Unilocal,and we were not disappointed. Don’t underestimate this little strip mall place — the food here is pretty freaking good considering how cheap the prices are. I had shredded pork with garlic sauce, a dish that also came adorned with broccoli, snow peas, this black mushroom-​esque fungus thing (I know it sounds less than appetizing in English, but that’s how my mom always described it in Chinese, and I don’t know what a proper translation would be), and a hint of this delicious salty black bean flavor (another Chinese ingredient that escapes my translation capabilities). My husband had a fried rice special that, as he explains, «is tastier than you’d expect, considering it has 14 ingredients.»
Dinner itself would’ve earned NG House four stars, but I have to give them a fifth star for their amazing boba (bubble tea). First, their fruit smoothie bobas are made from fresh fruit; my lychee smoothie tasted just like the lychees I used to pick off of my grandmother’s neighbors’ trees in Taiwan. Mmmmm. Second, their tapioca pearls are *perfectly* cooked. As a connoisseur of boba from around the country, I can attest from experience that too many boba places out there serve their tapioca pearls a bit too uncooked. At NG House, the tapioca pearls were soft and tender and just heavenly. What a surprising and delightful way to spend our evening! Next time, I’m ordering two bobas so that I don’t have to share with my husband.

Great googally moogally!!! Tooooootally delish! The chips and salsa were not chips and salsa at all, but fried chow mein noodles with an orange purée dippin sauce. SO GOOD! And the burritto was not a burrito, but a delightful little egg roll. And the tostada, folks, was a freakin crab puff. My boyfriend ate so much, he barfed in the parking lot. Between hurls, he shouted, «MOOOOORE!!!»
And the service was great.

Ng house is great and cheap– the americaized stuff is tasty. They do anything chicken really well– Shrimp dishes are a little over cooked– my husband (whom is chinese american) says it’s good for cheap american chinese. Egg drop soup is authentic. Also tofu in brown sauce is right on.

Ng House is an unassuming restaurant in an unassuming strip mall. But the food is really quite nice. I recommend the Tangerine Chicken and Chicken and Corn Soup. The hot tea is also quite lovely, a little stronger than your average restaurant tea. The service is good too, though the restaurant is a little chilly on cold nights.

For some reason, when I am not feeling well, I crave hot & sour soup. Last night was no different. I stopped in NG House to pick up dinner. In addition to hot & sour soup, I ordered Crispy Tanergine Chicken, one of their house specialties. With tip, I spent about $ 14 for dinner, which is a little more than I expected. However, I have enough soup and entrée left over for lunch today.
The service was really quick and the staff is really nice. This might be my favorite Chinese food in south Austin.

The NG House, is as Rick James might say, mightay-​mightay: this relatively nondescript storefront, buried in the midst of a shopping strip off William Cannon, served up a live-​saving lunch for me to the tune of about $ 6.45.
Especially given some of the rainy, cold, yucky days that Austin’s seen of late, knowing that you can, at a moment’s notice, dive into what appears to be a family business, and all that you read about these guys delivering action-​packed Chinese fare with a huge smile is totally true.
My trip in there was a quick flip, and they like their own food enough that they were camped out eating when I happened in for a late lunch. Lunch specials seem to come with your choice of soup and an egg roll, and were I some sort of Chinese food doctor, this is just what I would’ve ordered. In fact, it’s what I did.

Lea and I stopped in for a late lunch during a weekday afternoon, and found the menu board out front of the restaurant displayed the ingredients for three appetizing entrée specials, and decided to stop in for our first visit. The restaurant was noticeably very clean. I like that about Chinese restaurants. There were two other booths in use at the time, so we were seated right away and given menus to peruse. There was also a menu board on the wall directly over our table that listed the same three entre specials for that day. I learned later that their daily specials are also posted on their website
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Our server brought out our drinks right away, and placed some chow mein noodles in a wooden bowl on the table, along with a slightly sweetened peach sauce used for dipping the noodles, which is a nice touch. Over time Lea and I have realized that often the best bets for a first time visit to a restaurant is to go with their specialty dish or the special for that day. So, we each ordered an entre from the lunch specials. She had the ginger-​kissed chicken on lo mein noodles, and I went for the beef pepper steak on rice. We each ordered the hot and sour soup, and while it was tasty, Lea added soy sauce to hers, and I added a little Chinese mustard to mine just to boost the flavor.
Unfortunately, I put too much mustard in mine, and ended up eating mustard soup! I know, I know, I should have sampled it first! They make their mustard themselves from a prepared powder base, and it is very full of flavor. It is several times more flavorful than the mustard in the little plastic pouches you get elsewhere. The mustard was delicious, however, on the vegetable egg roll, which I dipped cautiously, but enjoyed greatly because the egg roll was very light and crispy. It wasn’t saturated with oil as the often are at other restaurants.
When our entrees arrived, the fragrance wafted through the air making each of us wanting to taste the other’s dish, which we did, and the flavors were delightful. Lea’s chicken was lean and so light and tender it fell apart at the touch of a fork. The beef on my dish was delightfully prepared in a spicy red pepper brown sauce base that had just the right combination of heat and flavor, and tossed with nicely stir fried vegetables.
The price for each special was $ 5.99, and the portions are quite generous. The service was prompt and very friendly. As we were leaving, our server, and the cook were just taking seats at one of the tables to have lunch themselves. We liked this restaurant and the service, and we will go back.
UPDATE:
Lea and I have now been back to eat many times, and we just can’t say enough about the quality meals they provide. The chicken is always moist white meat, and their delicate Americanized sauce flavors are consistently delicious. This is our favorite in a neighborhood with many other Chinese restaurants fairly close, as we have never had a bad meal here.

Last night, before settling in on a chilly evening to watch «Bad Education» with Gael Garcia Bernal, we asked ourselves the age-​old question: pizza or Chinese?
When it comes to ordering Chinese food for delivery, there’s no way around it: I need to look at a menu. But what if I threw (well, recycled) out that little flyer that had been left hanging on my doorknob three weeks ago? Thank goodness for the internet. And these guys do have a website.
There were 3 of us, and we each ordered a dinner combo: General Tso chicken, sesame chicken, and sesame tofu. I asked them how the sesame meals were prepared — they explained the broccoli was on the side.
The delivery was quick, the price was fair ($ 30 total, including tip), and it smelled good. The hot and sour soup was not too starchy, and we each got a crab puff in addition to our egg roll. Unfortunately, the broccoli in my sesame tofu was not on the side. Instead, there were 4 small, limp and soggy pieces buried underneath. But the tofu and rice servings were generous, and they made for a great leftover the next day.
I’ll have to try a few more Chinese delivery places, though, before I use them as my default.

When I first moved to South Austin and wanted Chinese food, I had no idea where to begin. So I did what anyone would do: I called the closest restaurant that delivered and took my chances. Ng House to the rescue! These guys ROCK. Not only do they deliver until 10pm, the food is fantastic, always piping hot and served in massive amounts which you can easily share with your broke roommates or eat again again the next day (because you are broke, too). I’m not too keen on the egg rolls they have there, but I have not been disappointed in anything else. My favorite dish by far is the house lo mein. I don’t know what makes it taste different than other lo meins I have tried but it definitely wins in the lo mein showdown. It’s also great if you want to eat in because Ng House is hardly ever busy so eating out doesn’t take long at all. It’s cheap, delicious Chinese food. You can’t lose.