Why: Golden City serves traditional Chinese dishes for lunch and dinner six days a week. The family owned and operated restaurant offers both dine-in and take-out with prices and portions comparable to other local Chinese restaurants.
What I tried: My dining companion and I started with the crispy vegetable spring rolls and the pork and spicy cabbage soup. We also had the kung pao chicken, the Golden City beef and the Golden City combination fried rice. For dessert, my dining companion tried the cheesecake, which appeared to be a similar variety to that which may be purchased from a grocery store. It was a berry swirl version served on a plate with no additional presentation.
Both the chicken and beef dishes came with white rice. The Golden City combination fried rice had pieces of shrimp mixed into the traditional fried rice, which was a bit underwhelming, in light of the fact that it is a signature dish.
The spring rolls were tasty and crispy and had a goodly sized portion of cabbage and carrots within.
Dining out guide: Golden City
Where: 6204 N.E. Highway 99, Suite A, Vancouver.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday, noon to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Closed on Monday.
Contact: 360-695-9569.
Health score: Golden City received a score of 55 on Nov. 9, 2018. Zero is a perfect score, and Clark County Public Health closes restaurants with a score of 100 or higher. For information, call 360-397-8428.
The pork and cabbage soup consisted of bamboo shoots, shredded cabbage and pieces of pork, which were quite tough, in a very mild-tasting broth. Overall, the flavor was somewhat bland.
The kung pao chicken incorporated a lot of peanuts with the chicken, onion and carrots in the rich sauce. I would have enjoyed it if not for the copious amount of chewy pieces of chicken. I finally gave up on the dish after repeatedly trying to pick out meaty pieces only to end up with yet another piece, which was mostly connective tissue and skin.
The Golden City beef is comprised of thin-sliced beef, carrots, baby corn, onion, snow peas and celery in a spicy sauce that is slightly sweet. This, and the vegetable spring rolls, were the highlight of our meal.
Menu highlights beyond what I tried: Appetizers include crab puffs, pot stickers and paper-wrapped chicken. Soup options include wonton soup, hot and sour soup and egg-drop corn chowder soup. Poultry dishes include sauteed chicken with snow peas and chicken with garlic sauce. There is also the Golden City chicken with black bean sauce and moo-shu chicken. Beef and pork choices reflect much of the same ingredients that are paired in the chicken dishes. Seafood options consist mostly of shrimp with a few scallop selections and a sweet and sour whole fish. Among the Golden City specials are General Tso’s chicken, sesame beef, shrimp in wine sauce, kiwi scallop, and moo shu dishes with diner’s choice of pork, shrimp, beef, chicken, vegetables or any combination served in Mandarin pancakes.
Atmosphere: The restaurant occupies a space in a strip mall that provides a quaint dining area for a moderately sized crowd with seating options at high-backed booths along the walls, and tables and chairs that fill in the open floor. A light, warm color palette gives the restaurant a homey feel. Tables are covered with gold damask tablecloths that bring a touch of elegance to the atmosphere.
Other observations: The service on my visit was substantial enough and friendly. I found the atmosphere pleasant, but there is room for improvement with the food quality. If my memory serves me correctly, this is one of, if not the highest health score I have encountered in my Clark County dining reviews.
Cost: Appetizers are $3 to $12. Soups cost $2.75 to $7. Rice and noodle dishes are $2.50 to $10.75. Chicken options are $8.25 to $12. Seafood options are $9.25 to $16. Vegetable options are $8 to $10. Pork options are $8.50 to $10.50. Beef options are $8.75 to $12.50. Golden City specials cost $10.50 to $16.
