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About Us Qingdao Garden
Digging deep into authentic flavor
BY LARYN IVY
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At Qingdao Garden on Mass Ave, in North Cambridge, you can indulge in solid presentations of your favorite Americanized Chinese dishes, or you can branch out and try some authentic Qingdao specialties.
Qingdao is a city in Shandong, the eastern province of China. While the area is probably best known as the home of Tsingtao beer, it’s also famous for its unique seafood dishes and pastries. Don’t be confused, though: these aren’t the sweet-cream-filled pastries of Mike’s, but Chinese dumplings, pancakes, and other dim-sum-like dishes.
The à la carte menu proffers such standards as pu-pu platters ($8/one person; $15/two people), with egg roll, boneless spareribs, fried shrimp, chicken wings, beef teriyaki, chicken fingers, and crab Rangoon; steaming, lightly sauced beef with broccoli ($5.25); and standard favorite pork lo mein ($4.25).
Lunch specials, served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., are a bargain. You can choose a main dish such as sweet-and-sour chicken ($5.25) or spicy General Gau’s chicken ($5.95); hot-and-sour soup, egg-drop soup, or delicious wonton soup; and boiled or pork-fried rice with fried egg, onions, and chunks of tender pork. You’ll also get two crispy, lightly fried, fresh-meat-filled crab Rangoon. Portions are huge; you’ll likely leave with leftovers.
Combo dinners ($4–$5.50) are available all day. They include a choice of entrées such as pork-fried rice or moo goo gai pan, and come with one of eight appetizers ($1.25 each).
The real treats at Qingdao Garden, however, are found on the back page of the menu. House specialties are available all day, and many of the dumplings and pastry can be eaten in the restaurant or purchased for take-out, frozen in quantities of 50 or 100. Pork-leek dumplings ($4.75) are the best of the bunch, with vegetarian ($4.75) running a close second. Wonton-noodle soup ($5.50) and seafood-noodle soup ($6.50) are both worth a try. Other regional dishes include shredded pork with dried bean curd ($7.95) and eggplant with Peking-style Chinese vegetables ($7.15). Dishes such as stomach with sour mustard ($8.25) and intestine with garlic ($8.50) are available for the more adventurous diner.
Qingdao Garden is a great find for those looking for alternatives to the standard Chinese-restaurant menu. And for further authenticity, what would go better with your meal than a nice, cold Tsingtao?
Qingdao Garden, located at 2382 Mass Ave, in Cambridge, is open Sunday through Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, until 11 p.m. Call (617) 492-7540.
| | Customer testimonials Cuisine style: Chinese
Value: Cheap. Two people can eat for as little as $10 or splurge at $20
Service: Prompt and courteous and speak English fairly well. You'll never feel awkward asking a question about a particular dish or expect to be given a nasty smirk. This is not a Chinatown restaurant.
Atmosphere: Not the fanciest place but not dirty or unpleasant.
Where: 2382 Massachusetts Avenue - Cambridge, MA 02140
When: Lunch buffet and dinner until 10:00pm. Closed on Tuesdays.
Recommended: The items on the last page of the menu. Skip the American flavored stuff and order from the last page. Everything is highly recommended. Ask about the daily/weekly specials on the wall.
The specialties are their northern-style Chinese dumplings, cold appetizers (string beans in ginger sauce, roast beef in soy sauce), Zhongqing fried chicken, vegetable and meat ball clay pot, fried meat bun... the list goes on... The QingDao style pastry is light and delicate.
Prices/Cards: Cash and Credit cards accepted.
Sound: Occasional patron noise above the normal conversation level but only because it is quite popular with the local Chinese population.
Reservations: N/A
Miscellaneous: I don't believe smoking is allowed.
There might be a bathroom but i've never asked to use it.
Phone: 617-492-7540
Comments: As the rating states, it's quite good. The food is fresh and flavorful. It is usually rather busy at dinner time because it is popular with the local Chinese population. The dumplings are just as good as any i've had elsewhere in more expensive restaurants. Their pastries (think buns and rolls, not doughnuts) are very tasty. There is an equal mixture of spicy and mild items on the menu.
You can find General Gau's Chicken and Crab Rangoons on the menu and they're good (the crab rangoons have real crab meat in them) but do yourself a favor and try the QingDao style dishes - it is real Chinese food.
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