Side Of Noodles
Taipei Express

Taipei Express

804 North, TX-337 Loop #101, New Braunfels, TX 78130, United States

Tea • Soup • Meat • Cafés


"I am currently on a quest to find Chinese Food that meets what I am looking for as I get settled in New Braunfels, TX. What I found here in the case of Taipei Express was at best a complicated array of items to review as I found myself asking “Do I like this? Do I not? This is good. This is not.” And you get the idea, so here we go on this review. For the record, I would have liked to rate this a 3.75, but three is the only option and I do not feel that I’d put my stamp on a “4 star”. I started with the “As Delivered” photos as I always do, but in this case, I elected not to take the time to plate the order like I traditionally do. As a result, I am going to try to get this out in an organized fashion where each item is addressed. The first three photos are your basic “It looked like this in the bag” and they did a fantastic job of making sure this was packaged well. The materials were not cheap, but neither was the delivery charge, but that I completely understand as this was not your average garbage Styrofoam. Well done on this. From here, I’m going to hit on each item… First on deck is the Wonton soup and I have mixed feelings on this as it is a favorite soup of mine. The soup did arrive hot, but the Wontons I found to be slightly undercooked in comparison to other soups that I have had. I did not finish it. On the positive side of things, the broth flavor was excellent and so was the quality of the meat. Not a single complaint there. The chiffonade cut on the produce was annoying and got tangled up as I tried to mix it with the Wonton for an even bite. Flavor was good though. Next on the chopping block I will quickly address the Chicken Fried Rice, the Steamed Rice, and the Egg Roll. I found the Chicken Fried Rice to be a bit oily and was found wanting looking for Chicken and only encountered one piece of egg. The steamed rice was good, and I enjoyed it much more than the Chicken Fried Rice. Bottom line is that I don’t want a film in my mouth when I’m eating. The Egg Roll. Really good. Cooked perfectly and the taste was great! Well done! The Pot Stickers left me confused as to whether I received Steamed or Fried. It seemed like a combination of both, but much like the Wonton Soup, things seemed a bit doughy to me, and for that reason I cannot say that I was satisfied with this item. I expected crispy as I did not request steamed. End of story there. Meat quality once again was excellent. Sauce was okay. Scallions maybe? Now for the Entrée’s which consisted of Kung Pao Chicken and Beef and Broccoli. Quality of the meats was excellent, and I stop there. Flavor was some of the best on the Beef and Broccoli, but the Kung Pao was lacking in any amount of heat and when a drop hits my counter and the color is of oil and there is no heat, I am left to gather that the oily taste I have in my mouth is not from the oils of the pepper itself. Disappointing for what I hoped might be a dish with some semblance of heat. Since online did not allow me to specify, I cannot speak to other than my initial trial of this meal. The Beef and Broccoli was also oily, but at least I was able to eat most of that if you consider half of the tray. Final Thoughts: I can be picky, but I’ve eaten a lot of Chinese Food from all over the country. I personally think that things should not only be cooked correctly to provide the desired texture, but also taste like I was not provided a bottle of Olive Oil or any other type (of oil) as a side to garnish my meal with. For these reasons I rated low as I got sick from the oil and found myself very disappointed over what was almost a $70 dinner bill with delivery. I did order on a weeknight though so... maybe a contributing factor??"

Lao Laan-Xang Restaurant

Lao Laan-Xang Restaurant

1146 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703, 53703-4841, United States

Thai • Asian • Laotian • Vegetarian


"My partner and I visited Lao Laan-Xang for a late lunch yesterday. We loved it. Southeast Asian is my favorite cuisine, and Lao-Laan-Xang did not disappoint. It's a fairly small space and there were only two tables when we arrived @2:30. Our waitress was friendly and competent. She sat us at our table and gave us a few minutes to peruse the menu. We ordered a couple of beers and an appetizer plate and she warned us that it might take a little while for the drinks since she was under age. However, it was not long before the owner brought them out. The lao ruom mit is an assorted appetizer plate consisting of coconut shrimp, pork eggroll, vegetarian eggroll, crab Rangoon, & curry puff served with cucumber salad and two sauces. Wow! It's all fried, but it's all very good particularly the pork eggroll, curry puff and cucumber salad. Intense flavors, fresh ingredients, a mix of textures. This was a great way to start our meal. For entrees we ordered stuffed chicken wings and thom som. The thom som is a papaya salad and we ordered it with the fried chicken. The spiciness of the papaya salad sneaks up on you and the flavors are incredible. Just thinking back on it makes my mouth water. It came with the always delectable sticky rice and the fried chicken was perfectly cooked. The chicken wings are stuffed with a pork and bean thread noodle mixture which was delicious. The accompanying broccoli was perfectly cooked in a sauce which was more like a gravy. We left completely stuffed and couldn't finish it all. I can't wait to try more. We will definitely be back!"