BusyBeingShasha

Last week, I took an unexpected trip to my hometown of Richmond, VA. Since this trip was short, I didn't have time to visit all of my favorite restaurants. However, I did get the chance to visit my favorite Chinese spot. Ever since I moved to Dallas, I've been unable to find a Chinese food restaurant that's similar to what I'm use to back East. My Dallas Chinese food void has been real.

Many of my friends who are Dallas Transplants have also commented that the Chinese cuisine in Dallas is also different from what they're used too. So maybe it isn't just me. I've tried countless restaurants with no success. If you have any great Chines restaurant recommendations feel free to chime in. I'd love to try them. I'm confident that there's a DFW chinese restaurant that serves food in appearance similar to my photos below. I'll never forget when I tried one restaurant that put white sauce on my chicken and broccoli! I had no idea that brown sauce wasn't the norm!

I love how Yen Ching's Chicken & Broccoli is so flavorful. It always has the perfect amount of brown sauce and the chicken is always nice and tender.

I love Fried Rice that's fried to a nice brown. I've noticed that in Dallas my Fried Rice is always a little on the lighter side. Maybe, I'll start asking if they can fry it a little darker. Yen Ching's Pork Fried rice, is the type of rice that I have dreams about! It's flavorful, plentiful on meat, and I love how it's filled with egg. It's not overwhelmed with veggies, which is how I prefer it!

Yen Ching's Kung Pao Chicken is excellent. it's not too spicy and you can have them adjust the spice level accordingly. I've been dining at Yen Ching for years at it's two locations. I've never had any problems with food quality or consistency during any of my visits.

I love how Yen Ching serves it's diner's complimentary fresh orange slices after dinner. Oranges are known to aid with digestion. I love how refreshing, sweet, and light they are.

What's your favorite Chinese restaurant? Drop a line in the comments and let me know! Wanna know more about Yen Ching? Check them out here.

Hey Mama J! Do you know who Mama J is? If not, I highly recommend that you get to know her. I had the privilege of dining at this restaurant and the experience was quite memorable. The food at Mama J's was so good for my soul that I'm keeping this review short and sweet.

Mama J's is quaint, yet gives off a very rustic yet comfortable vibe. It almost feels like your dining at your grandmother’s house. I visited the restaurant on a Sunday night around 7:00 pm and my wait time was about 30 minutes. However, be ready to experience higher wait times if you dine on Friday or Saturday night. Once we were seated our orders were taken quickly and our food arrived in what felt like 15 minutes max.

I love how Mama J’s menus are built inside the table which makes it easy for you to pinpoint what you’d like to order. I think this is a very creative way to display the menu offerings.

On this visit I opted for the smothered pork chop with a side of candied yams, and macaroni and cheese. I won’t go into detail about how the food tasted because all you need to know is that it was AMAZING. The only bad thing is that I live 1,300 miles away from Mama J’s. If there was a way that I could teleport myself to Mama J’s every weekend I would. Does anyone out there have a buddy pass that I can borrow? If so, I’m hopping on a plane and going back to Mama J’s to get my soul food fix. This meal was the type of meal that leaves you speechless after you are done eating.

There is no need for me to describe how juicy the pork chops were, or how abundantly cheesy the macaroni and cheese was. The gravy on my pork chops was plentiful and caressed my pork chops in the perfect way. If you have the opportunity to visit Mama J’s do yourself a favor and get the pork chop. My husband ordered the baked chicken and had no complaints about his meal either. Everyone in my party agreed that the food and service were phenomenal. The service was superior, and I have to say this was one of my best dining experiences thus far in 2016.

I was so full from my entree that I didn’t order dessert but I have been told that they are just as good as the entrees.

Have you been to Mama J’s? Is there a Soul Food restaurant that has your heart? If so let me know!