Great Wall Restaurant

Great Wall Restaurant

Written by Jessica Sinn Monday, 24 March 2008

At the Great Wall Restaurant, the cuisines of Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and China come together in a bounty of flavors.

The family owned restaurant, opened since July 2007, is owned and operated by Esther, Hai and their son Thomas Lim. The Lim family also owns the Great Wall Express in Pflugerville, which has been in business for five years. With more tables and the absence of a drive through, Hai said this restaurant is designed to accommodate diners who have more time to relax and enjoy their meals.

After picking up our paper menus at the cash register, our group chose a comfortable booth beneath a panoramic picture of the restaurant’s namesake: The Great Wall of China. With the mouth watering aromas and vivid images of the Great Wall’s massive winding walkways, we were all in the mood to sample an array of exotic cuisines.

The meal got off to a tasty start with the Pu Pu Platter Appetizer Assortment ($6.95), an array of delectable finger foods, such as eggrolls, shrimp toast, won tons, chicken wings, and batter fried shrimp, all perfectly fried and lightly breaded. The Crab Rangoon appetizer ($3.75) tantalized our taste buds with a blend of cream cheese and crab meat in flaky fried wrappings.

Just a few seconds after the appetizer platter was placed on our table, all four slices of the crispy Shrimp Toast triangles vanished, so we decided to order a second helping of the deep fried water chestnut and sesame seed filled goodies ($3.75).

For the main course, I chose the Vermicelli Noodles ($6.75), a generous serving of long translucent rice noodles stir fried with vegetables, hints of cilantro and topped with thin slices of succulent chicken. The entrée can also be ordered with shrimp or beef.

Both tangy and savory, the Orange Chicken ($6.75) includes tender boneless, lightly breaded chicken breasts coated with a zesty orange glaze and topped with ginger and red peppers. Served with a heaping bowl of rice, this meal is an all-around satisfier.

There are also dinner and lunch specials that offer something for everyone, such as General Tso’s Chicken, Pepper Steak, Moo Gou Gai Pan, Hot Spicy Tofu and the Vegetable Delight.

When choosing an item seems too difficult, select the Assorted Pan Fried Noodles ($6.75), a veritable smorgasbord of shrimp, chicken and beef with vegetables over pan fried noodles in a tangy brown sauce. Despite the fact that my dining companion’s plate spilled over with noodles and delectable meats, the dish was empty before I could steal a bite.

Lunch and dinner specials

Lunch specials ($5.25): 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner specials ($6.45): 4:30 to 9 p.m.

Unique side dishes

• Fried Chinese Biscuits: Fried dough powdered with cinnamon and sugar ($1.50 for four pieces)
• Wakame Soup: Snowpeas, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms and seaweed ($1.25 for a cup, $3.50 for a bowl)
• Shrimp Puffs, bite-sized puffs of cheese-filled shrimp ($3.95 for four pieces)

HOURS:

• Sunday-Thursday - 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 9 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday. - 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 10 p.m.

Great Wall Restaurant, 1906 Bagdad Rd. • Leander • 528-8892