Delicious Garden (New Braunfels)

Tried this place for the first time today and I was not impressed at all. I am writing this review under the assumption that they were severely short handed as I only saw two ladies working. The girl that took my order was quite nice, after we placed our order and filled our drinks we turned around to find a table, and that's when we realized that over half of the tables had piles of dirty plates and cups all over them. Literally 10+ tables out of maybe 20 total tables were unusable. Again, under the assumption that they were way under staffed, the girl from the front counter brought my wife's food only, and a few minutes later brought mine, then a few minutes later brought our appetizer, and a few minutes after that she brought our soup, it was quite odd to say the least. The food was mediocre at best, the pictures on the website looked like it might actually be fresh made, but it is not, it is simply buffet style Chinese food served on a fancy square plate. As we are eating, 2 more tables left leaving 2 more tables covered with dirty plates. By the time we left, well over 3/4 of the tables were unusable due to the dirty dishes on them, there was quite literally only 3-4 tables available. While I can understand that they were under the gun being the only two people there, someone should at least make an effort to bus some tables, after she delivered our food she could have picked up a table but didn't. I won't be back.

I have been on a quest to find some Chinese food that I like the most aside from the buffet. Lets face it, I have to actually drive there and it is next to a tax place so I am reminded of that extension I filed. Anyhow, the good news is that I found a place that is pretty darn good after trying out three others. I have decided that Delicious Garden II will be my final resting point for delivery. As always, I will start with the “As Delivered” and then get right to my thoughts on each item. The quality of the packaging and delivery did not disappoint. Everything was warm and so tightly secured in the bag, the driver would have to be running laps in Nascar to mess it up. Since I ordered a side of Egg Drop Soup (Egg Rolls were included at one per entrée) I am going to tackle them both simultaneously. The Egg Drop soup (my friends fault as she created the idea in my mind) was excellent and by far the best I have tasted in this area from delivery. It was nice and thick, the flavor was fantastic, and most importantly, it was not overly salty. Just a great body to this soup. The Egg Rolls were spot on and I completely enjoyed them with my Low Sodium Soy. Crisp. Flavorful. Held up to the Soy Sauce and I sure did not look back with each bite. The first dish on deck is the “Kung Pao Dragon and Phoenix.” I was not quite sure what was going to be in it, but it sure was good! Shrimp was one of the additions and it was cooked well and added a very nice twist with the Chicken. This was just “flat out” an excellent dish and I was very happy. The spice level was quite nice and for once, someone got it closer to what I wanted/expected without a request. The meat was tender, juicy, and with everything else this is a winning combo. The second dish was Mongolian Beef, and I am quite picky about this one as it is a favorite of mine. While I love the Chinese Restaurants in California, this is the first time that I got to eat this dish here and it had heat to it! Finally!! I can only imagine if I asked for more and I’m smiling about that option. The meat was of good quality, and I didn’t find myself having to put a piece in the trash due to gristle. This meal was a homerun by this cooking crew, and I look forward to having some of the other items off their menu!! Moving along to the rice…no complaints. The Steamed Rice was perfectly tender and moist when it arrived. The much tricker Fried Rice was also well done and not overly oily like the past few that I have had. This was cooked properly and I appreciated that as an option without an additional charge. Right on! My only complaint is that I would have enjoyed just a bit more than a small piece of egg, but I know you are making things in a large batch so not much fault there. I ate it and enjoyed it! Final Thoughts: This restaurant was the last one on the road when it came to who would be the place I went to for Chinese Delivery. Nothing against the restaurant; they were closed when I wanted to order so that is on me. The reality here is this: Out of four, this is the best one, and I am happy to give them five stars as I not only had a quality meal, but my stomach was not overtaken by oil. These folks do a great job and if you’re looking for something that you are more used to like the small places we get food from in Cali, I would aim your compass in this direction. Well done Delicious Garden II. Well done.