Mandarin Bistro

I have very conflicting feelings about this place. very conflicting.
I’ll start with the pros: the place had great ambiance. I don’t know if it was the lighting, the high ceilings, or what, but there was something that looked so cozy and comfortable about it. the waitress was sweet and attentive, and all the dishes we ordered were REALLY GOOD. the lamb spare rib dish was everyone’s favorite, but seriously, everything we ordered was authentic and perfectly seasoned.
unfortunately there were drawbacks: although the room looked comfortable, nobody was. we came on a frigid cold night. whenever the door opened the entire restaurant was blasted with ice wind (we were far from the door), so I was never able to take my jacket off or really even relax. ha, but the waitress was really good at quickly refilling our hot teas! the biggest problem was that everything we ordered came out one at a time. we’d finish off one dish, the next would come out 5 minutes later. no fried rice to eat our prawns with, because that came out 2 dishes afterwards. all I could imagine was a tiny old woman in the back cooking everything by herself. sad face.
what it all comes down to is the fact that this place is still very new. they still need a chance to figure out a better way to time the food. that, plus putting up some type of blockade near the door could potentially bring the restaurant to 5 stars. like I said, the food is still fantastic! I’ll probably give it another try in a few more months.

Love the food, the service, the atmosphere. I’ve tried 4 dishes and 2 desserts and all were fabulous. The service is very friendly and attentive. The restaurant itself is clean, beautiful and peaceful.
To top it all off, the teas are great. Definitely check this one out.

New place on the Balboa restaurant strip.
Clean and tasty Mandarin style food — mild spices and lots of veggies!
Great Scallion pancakes and hot pot.
A nice change of pace from fast food slop I usally get off the steam table.