Mandarin House

This place used to be on airport thruway but now moved to the small strip mall where mellow mushrooms located. I used to come here all the time to eat korean-​chinese food. You can’t go wrong with the traditional jjajjangmyun or jjambong. I was so sad to see it gone when I came back to Columbus only to find out it had relocated. Their regular Chinese food (ESP Mongolian beef) is delicious. If youre sick of the take out/​delivery Chinese joints I’d highly recommend this place.

Starting out we were skeptical. The place was a ghost town on a Friday night, but we have yet to have really good Chinese food here in Columbus so we figured we should give it a try. I had been to the old Mandarin House back in the 80s and had not given it another thought… hoo boy.
We started with some righteous kimchi, and I had perhaps the best bowl of hot and sour soup I have had. Very fresh, very tasty. The soup had perfectly cooked shrimp and scallops, all the vegetables in the soup were quite fresh. I was floored. We continued with the Crab Angel (crab rangoons) which were fantastic. The crab meat was blended into the cream cheese filling, but it was clear that these were made in-​house and with a great level of care.
Now the main courses. I ordered the Mandarin Chicken (the place isn’t really mandarin, but I’m looking at this as more of a «signature dish» experience) and my dining companion ordered a sweet-​and-​sour beef dish from the back pages of the menu– the *authentic* cuisine, if you will. Both dishes involved batter-​fried meats. My chicken was quite delicious– the garlic sauce was wonderful, and the chicken was fine, perhaps too much batter for my taste. My companion’s beef, however, was regrettable. It is never good when you question not only what cut of meat you are eating, but also what animal it comes from… that said, the sauce on the dish was delightful and the fruits and vegetables accompanying the meat were tasty.
I will go back, and will be careful to order some non-​fried dishes next time. I would recommend.

The Mandarin Café, formerly known as the Mandarin House, is a delicious, quaint — albeit stereotypical — chinese restaurant. I’ve always been pleased with both the quality and quantity of the food there. I am not a Chinese food elitist, so my reference points are few, but I’m quite happy with the General Tso’s Chicken, the Mongolian Beef, the Orange Chicken and the various sides and desserts offered. Give it a try!
Edited to add: this restaurant is NOT on Airport Thruway anymore, it moved about three years back to Veteran’s Parkway, a little further north in Columbus.