Ginger Cafe
Categories: Chinese, Asian Fusion, Vietnamese, Thai [Edit]
398 W El Camino RealSte 114
Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (408) 736-2828
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
56 reviews
Palo Alto, CA
"This place is a beautiful, upscale Cantonese banquet restaurant. You won't embarrass your great-uncle from Hong Kong if you take him here…" read more »
53 Reviews for Ginger Cafe
Went there with friends for drinks and appetizers on a Friday night. The appetizers were ok, the drinks were VERY good.
Ginger Cafe is a great place for some good Asian fusion food. It is not meant to be an authentic Chinese restaurant that I think some people expect it to be. They offer a variety of food including Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese dishes. Overall, the food is very good and everything I've tried has been very flavorful.
I particularly like the potato beef. At first I was skeptical in thinking that the combination of potatoes and beef would go well together in an Asian dish, but the combination is actually really good and has tons of flavor! Another dish I like is the eggplant tofu. The eggplant is always very tender and cooked in a yummy garlic sauce. I can actually do without the tofu in this dish. I'm not a big fan of the fried tofu... it can sometimes get too tough for me. Despite the tofu, I always have to get this dish for the wonderful eggplant.
I usually get my food to go, but sometimes I do enjoy dining in. The restaurant itself has very nice modern Asian decor and is a pleasant place to enjoy your meal. The prices are a bit higher than a typical Asian restaurant. Most of the main dishes range from around $10-17 and the soups and salads are a bit less. I think for the quality of food you get, the prices are well worth it. I'd rather pay a little more for good food than pay a cheap sum of money for greasy, mediocre Chinese takeout.
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My original plan had been to finally go to Fu Lam Mum and try their dim sum, but the crazy lines outside on Mother's Day made me rethink my plans. Not having anywhere else in mind, I figured I'd drive along El Camino Real until something struck my fancy. That's when I saw the sign for Ginger Cafe.
It was fairly quiet inside for a Sunday but the decor was nicer than I expected for a "cafe." Definitely reminiscent of PF Chang's and I expected similar Americanized fare.
The menu was a peculiar hodge-podge of Thai (Tom Yum Gong soup, curries) and Chinese (Hot and Sour soup, Hong Kong fried noodles). For Sunday, they even had a dim sum menu, so I got to have some dim sum after all!
Not expecting much, I ordered a sticky rice wrapped with lotus leaf and a porcupine custard dessert. We finished the order by trying the Braised E Noodle dish with shrimp ($12).
The sticky rice was actually decent and much better than I expected from a place that wasn't doing the volume of any dim sum house.
The porcupine custard dessert was another surprise and tasted delicious. It was wonderfully creative and a cute presentation (see pic).
Finally, the braised E Noodle came. As expected, it was Americanized and mediocre. For me, the most disappointing part was that I was in the mood for e-fu noodles and the noodles that came were borderline e-fu type, despite the description. Rather than warm and fluffy, they were dry and chewy. If I had to guess, I would have said they were a different type of noodle altogether but I wasn't 100% sure. That's what you get for ordering a standard dim sum house staple (usually lobster or crab w/ dry or soup e-fu noodles).
Since it was Mother's Day, they thew in a complimentary dessert and the service was all-around attentive, prompt and polite. I'm not sure where Ginger Cafe fits into the local food scene, but if they can find and strengthen their identity, perhaps they'll have a chance to stand out.
BTW they don't take Amex because the staff mentioned Amex charges much higher fees than Visa/Mastercard. Good to know, but I still love my Amex.
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This is good, non-authentic Asian food. They're menu is a little too big for their talents- some of their items are just blah. But the ones that are good are WONDERFUL (Potato beef comes to mind). My only complaint is that I woke up with a headache two mornings after eating there. I have a sensitivity to MSG and they say they don't add any MSG which means their pre-made food most likely contains it. I'll probably torture myself after this pregnancy for the potato beef again, though. YUM.
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I'm not going to get hung up on the "authentic" threads; I liked the place for what it was, Americanized Asian Food. Think PF Chiang, Mandarin Gourmet, etc.
The potato beef was simple and I enjoyed it with some rice. A friend ordered one of the chicken dishes and wasn't too happy with how the meats were cooked (the rubbery consistency method).
The layout and decor were nice. Parking sucked. If you were desperate, I suppose you could park at Las Palmas.
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Meh. Pretty much the first thing that comes to mind. The ambiance is pretty decent. Tall ceilings (very) making it look spacious, but the table they make a large group sit at is bad. Its an out-curve, so the person at one end cannot see the person at the other end. Bad for large groups (over 6 or 8).
The food: thats where the meh really comes back. Nothing great, really. Tried their Mu Shu, the lettuce wraps, the Spicy Coconut Soup, and their dumplings. The lettuce wraps were probably the best, with the soup coming in a close second. But overall, we ended up trying a variety of entrees, none of which turned out really good. The thai chicken curry was decent though. Turns out when you plan on going "general asian cuisine" with the restaurant, few can pull it off. This one definitely cannot.
Oh, and the service - she was friendly, and patient with the large group. Possibly one thing on the plus side for this place.
Ginger cafe is the cheaper version of Strait's cafe. Wasn't too impressed with the food but the service was good. Ordered the lamb and satay three delight. The lamb was not very tender and they use wierd spices. The veggies in the satay dish were kind of old (especially the green peas), but the chicken was ok.
This place is more like an asian fusion restaurant so I dont understand why the other reviewers are expecting authentic asian food. This isn't a chinese restaurant, its a 'fusion' restaurant. You dont expect authentic Italian food from Pizza my heart right??
The decor is amazing, the ambiance is great and this is a great place to bring a date.
Check out the Porcupine Custard. Its fried bread with yellow bean custard inside shaped like a porcupine with spikes shaped from the bread. Artsy.
Why are you guys getting takeouts from a restaurant that you've never been to?
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Delicious! The potstickers were amazing (my husband is picky and he loved them too). He got chili chicken and I got orange chicken and when you combine the two it is sooo good. We went on a weeknight and it was quiet and intimate.
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One issue I always have when going to a chinese restaurant with my girlfriend are the family style dishes. I always end up overeating b/c there is an abundance of food. It's not always a bad thing but sometimes, it's good health wise to have smaller portions
This place eliminates that problem easily b/c they serve individual plates. For example, I had the kung pao chicken which comes with rice and some veggies I believe. The kung pao wasn't too greasy nor was the meal in general. Portions were enough to fill you up but not make you feel 9 months pregnant.
The service is very quick and the people are friendly. I had a few sips of a Muy Thai from my girlfriend and it was made accurately.
Meh.
It's okay. I had some dim sums and well AVOID the Fresh Vietnamese Rolls like the plague! For 6 bucks I'm expecting something semi decent. Chow fun is alright, but they obviously went a little too bean sprout crazy. The decor is cute and my server was nice. Overall, it wouldn't be my first choice to hit up, but all in all its just "meh"
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the decor is extremely trendy and the ambiance is very intimate. It is a little like PF changs but i would say the dim sum is very good. The porcupine custard bun and the shrimp dumplings are to die for=]. i also really enjoyed the eggplant dish for lunch, it was very tasty. Although some might think they may be salty or over seasoned, i like my food with flavor so its perfect my my taste buds=]
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Takes a lot to earn five stars, takes a lot to earn one star.
This is the most disappointing Chinese place per buck that I have ever experienced. High prices, nice atmosphere, but the food was awful. The seafood soup had no flavor at all. None at all! Not much seafood, either. We ordered a curry shrimp pilaf dish that turned out to be very salty very greasy BREADCRUMBS, and not much shrimp. I couldn't even finish it. It was 100% awful--nauseating.
Chinese holes in the wall produce much better food at much lower prices and levels of pretense. I even wrote an email to the owner about the food, and the only answer I got was "thank you for your comment."
Chef, please take my $30 and go get some cooking lessons!
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"Whoa," I thought as I opened the door, "It's PF Chang's lite!" Indeed, despite the modest rock wall exterior, the place is all gussied up inside with your usual PF Chang's giant Buddhas. (Except in this case they don't have room for the whole Buddha so there's a bunch of decapitated Buddha heads.) They even have a mini PF Chang's giant stone horse. Ginger Cafe is also across the street from PF Chang's so if you have a long wait at Changers you know where to go.
The lunch specials ($7-$8) start with soup. Ours was a tom yum soup with ground meat (not sure what kind) and so much oil we barely touched it. One of our entrees was the Basil Chicken. Although the ingredients were good - white meat chicken, mushrooms, green onions, celery, carrots, bamboo shoots, Thai basil - the sauce was all wrong. It was a odd tasting yet subtle fish sauce that didn't compliment the basil at all.
Halfway through our meal we put the Basil Chicken aside and focused on our winner of a dish, the Dry Sauteed String Bean Chicken. Although it suffered from too much oil (a common theme), there were loads of fresh string beans and nice white meat chicken. The sauce (other than the oil) was great and hoisin-y. I'd definitely go back for that.
We were unimpressed by the service. We didn't see the server all that often. As a result the husband asked the busser (instead of the server) what meat was in the soup. He said he didn't know and didn't bother to go ask either. He did come by to fill our water glasses every 5 minutes though.
Assigning stars to this place is tricky. I'd give 2 stars for the soup, 2 stars for the Basil Chicken, and 4 stars to the Dry Sauteed String Beans (if they made it with less oil I'd give it 5 stars). So that equals 3, even though I can't wait to try it again.
Goal: To one day sit at the middle booth. It looks awesome.
UPDATE:
Got everything with less oil. Much better. The Kung Pao Chicken was really good (even though the meat was on the verge of being slightly sketch). The Potato Beef wasn't quite as good, and was a bit too peppery.
UPDATE 2:
Eggplant in Garlic Sauce is good, though the sauce is a little too sweet and applied with a heavy hand. The Mango Coconut Chicken tastes much better than in looks. I'm still ordering everything low salt, low oil which I think is the way to go.
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Went there for dinner and the interior was nice and modern. They have great service! They were prompt in drinks, food, deserts refill everything. The food was pretty good. I loved that they have this 2 person menu where you can choose ur appetizer, rice, 2 main course and desert for one price from $32-$40. ordered a drink from the bar... ehh its soso... but the price is really good. $4.95-$7.95 for a drink. Im overall happy with my experience and will go again.
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where are the redheads?
I keep driving by this place. finally I stopped. I was in the mood for some dim sum. I waited. looked around. nice tall ceilings. and waited. is that guy supposed to be parked in the handicap spot? waited. whoa that beefy potato dish looks kinda good. still waiting. hey I never saw a chinese dish with potatoes. and finally they brought my order. oh wait they forgot one order. I ate. it was ok...a little on the salty side. waited again. ok I'll take the check. waited. pay the check. I'll take the rest to go.
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After checking up on this place on Yelp, I decided to head here to celebrate the Lunar New Year with some tasty take out.
Shout out to my fellow yelpers: you're right, this place is like a mini PF Cheng's, to a degree that is almost creepy. But with excellent parking, yo.
So I ordered the highly recommended beef potato dish and I also tried the mango coconut chicken. Because I'm not into spicy, I asked for non-spicy versions.
The mango chicken had no coconut flavor at all. In fact, the whole dish had no flavor at all. The mango chunks were cooked until they practically disintegrated. Not too appetizing. I realize I ordered the dish to be not too spicy, but, um, some kind of flavor would be good.
I also ordered the beef and potato dish. I think this could benefit from a bit less oil and a bit more veggies to cut the heaviness of the beef and potato. There was a lot of meat in both dishes, but both were kind of chewy. Maybe chunks or smaller pieces would help rectify this.
The service I got for takeout was fast and friendly, they even offered water while I was waiting. And oddly, the fortune cookies here are the best I've ever tasted, if you're into fortune cookies.
My total bill with tax for two dishes of takeout was $26. A bit pricey, and lacking in flavor. But the sizes were generous and there was lots of meat. So I wish I could give 2.5 stars. I plan to return here for dim sum, which they serve all day, and see how it is, so that may make me edit my star rating.
We were intrigued by the name (I love ginger) and went eating here as soon as it opened. The first time we had a great experience, and I especially remember the do-it-yourself spring rolls, which were great and fresh. Since then, we have returned a couple more times, both for lunch or for dinner, but service and quality have gone down quite a bit.
The place has a nice modern Asian feel, with a high ceiling and red curtains. It is never crowded, and parking is usually easy.
Food seems to be variable. The Tuna Fun Pei Salad and Braised Soy Sauce Cat Fish were good, although both dishes are not as spicy as advertized. From the lunch menu, I had the Kun Pao Chicken, which was not very memorable. I ordered it with egg fried rice, but it was served with steamed rice instead. It came with a slimy soup that did not look too appetizing.
The Mango Chicken was very disappointing. Its description "mango, cashew nut, spicy coconut sauce" sounded very attractive, but mine came without cashew nuts or visible chunks of mango, and was not even remotely spicy. Instead, it had a very strange mealy taste which I found repelling (and I am pretty omnivorous). Not recommended.
I am not sure what I ate on other occasions, but the fact that I don't remember should tell enough.
They have a long list of cocktails, which I found surprising at an Chinese place.
In conclusion, an OK place if you want some overpriced Americanized Chinese food, in a quiter location than nearby PF Chang's.
Food is was pretty decent and pricing was fair. I had the beef cubes and wasn't too impressed. What was cool is that they also serve dim sum from a menu, so I ordered some things from there. The interior is really nice and staff is extremely friendly. Plus there were come cute waitresses too. =)
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I went here for dinner the other night, and was pleasantly surprised. My fiance and I shared some dim sum (sesame balls and pork buns) and the lettuce cup appetizers. The dim sum was so-so (tasted a little mass produced), and the lettuce cups were really good. My fiance's parents ordered two entrees, and they were very happy with both. Like other people, I would compare this place with PF Chang's, except the atmosphere is WAY better. It's not insanely crowded and loud all the time like PF Chang's.
Highly recommended!
Great food without a long wait like PF changs. Service is really good and menu has chinese food and dim sum. It come with soup in beginning and with steamed rice if you order a dish. Decor is really modern and cute with nice red curtains and high ceilings. I have had the Mango Chicken and the pork buns which were yum! They have a big parking lots so a lot easier to park than PF Changs. I have only gone there for lunch but will go again!
* - pretty-good dim sum ALL DAY LONG
** - better tasting food than PF Chang's (right across the street)
*** - way better parking that PF Chang's
****- cheaper, faster, and friendlier than PF Chang's
slight minuses: mixed drinks and desserts are not amazing
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The food is passable, but nothing special. We were a party of 7 on a really slow night, yet the staff still seemed overwhelmed by us.
When we asked to order food, the server exclaimed, "What? Right now?" and rushed to get someone else to come to our table.
Another server gave us attitude when we let her know that the calamari we'd ordered as an appetizer hadn't arrived halfway through the meal.
The boy server was pretty friendly and nice although we did have to ask to have our water re-filled.
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Nice atmosphere, but greasy, salty and a bit more than I would like to have paid for the quality of the food.
You can definitely skip this new restaurant. The decor was slightly less tacky than PF Changs, but the food wasn't as good. That isn't saying much either because I hate PF Changs Americanized style of Chinese food and you can find the same here. The soup was super bland and the meat was salty as hell. Lucky for me this meal was free or else I would have been pissed I wasted money here.
Bottom Line : A must "pass"
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My husband and I finally ventured into Ginger Cafe last night. We saw the signs before the restaurant was complete but never really knew what type of place this was... It's beautifully decorated indoors, the staff is super-friendly and were really nice to my 18 month old. We had the kung pao veggi chicken and fried rice... both were quiet yummy. The fried rice had more vegetables than most traditional fried rices. They were also great about spiciness levels.
We will definitely be going back with our friends!
We stopped in for lunch today and were a bit surprised to be the only people there. We decided to stick it out and try the Dim Sum and a lunch special. We had received two or three full-color, direct mail brochures from Ginger Cafe in the past few months, drooling over the glossy photos of Siu Mai and Har Gow, etc.
Service was prompt and cheerful. After taking drink orders (full bar, yay!) our server kindly asked if we had any questions; a nice touch for those of us not exactly sure what we were ordering. We decided on the steamed pork buns, leek dumplings with shrimp, siu mai and the sticky rice rolls. We also tried the "dry chicken & green bean" lunch special.
We enjoyed the steamed Dim Sum items immensely. The mixture of leek & shrimp were well balanced and just darned tasty! The siu mai was a bit more intense with pork flavors, but the steamed pork buns were awesome! Sadly, they only come three to an order. We would have ordered more, but we were stuffed after having enjoyed the sticky rice and truly delicious chicken/green bean lunch special with its tangy, sweet/salt flavors and crunchy fresh green beans.
We're looking forward to returning to try other interesting items on the menu!
The only possible negative was the $32.00 bill for two. It won't keep us from returning, but we won't return as often as we might if the prices were a bit lower. By the looks of things, they won't have a problem doing well. The place was packed (on a Monday) by the time we left.
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Its very rare for a reasonably priced lunch place to have such a nice decor , service and impressive food. A friend and I went there and both of us loved the food. He tried the good old "Eggplant in garlic sauce" and even that was one of the best he ever ate. I tried something new -- "3 flavor Vegetarian Chicken" and it was done very very well. They had a very creative appetizer, a steamed vegetarian roll which was the best I ever tried. Definitely 5 stars in terms of value!
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I have been here for both lunch and dinner, and I like it. I would rather come here than PF Changs, it is tiny and the staff is very nice. This is an americanized restauarant, so don't come here expecting to get what nana cooks at home for you ok.
Walnut Prawn-B
Calamari-A
Mango Chicken thingy-C
Tamarind Prawns-A
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The food is exceptional and service is excellent! Try their pork leg dish, it's VERY good. They also have dim sum throughout the day. If you're in the area, definitely should swing by and give it a try!
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I've driven by this place numerous times and finally had lunch today with my work aunties and work cousin. (Long story, but their my lunch buddies)
We arrived on a Friday afternoon before the lunch rush made its way through. There was plenty of parking available since it was still early.
The restaurant has really high ceilings and is really aesthetically appealing. Almost a PF Chang's but with lots more light, which is always nice, in my opinion.
I ordered the ginger beef with egg fried rice. Portion-wise there was quite a bit, but it looked like they just opened a can of bamboo shoots, put some sauce in, and added some pre-cooked beef in it. There were hints of ginger in the dish, but not all that much.
Service was ok, but after we received our food, we really never got much attention from the server beyond giving us the check which docks some stars from the total. Not that it mattered too much, but they also screwed up on my auntie's order. She ordered steamed rice with her entree rather than the fried rice, and came out with the fried rice anyway.
Decent place that I would return to just to try the other dishes on the menu. Dim sum seemed pricier than what I'd seen at other places, so I'll probably not come back for that.
The artistic asian decor and well presented expensive food makes this place perfect for a date--and you can to hear yourself think. You have to go in expecting to eat Cheesecake Factory kind of food. You'll be sorely disappointed if you're expecting hole-in-the-wall authentic food. We ordered Fongsa Soft-Shell Crab, Tamarind Jumbo Prawn, Lamb with Cumin, Eggplant Tofu, Chowmein, and Egg Roll. The dishes were very exotic and a bit spicy except for the Egg Roll and the Chowmein, which was a bit salty. The portions were decent, too. My favorite was the Fongsa Soft-Shell Crab. They have a kid's menu that doesn't involve chicken fingers or mac & cheese. Despite the number of dishes we ordered, all came out in a timely manner. Don't forget to order steamed rice!
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I don't know where to begin. Um. Well, I'm finally writing a review that I've been dying to write ever since I started working there. And I finally get to because I am FREE and no longer working there! Hooray! (Just kidding guys.)
Ginger Cafe's stuff is GOOD. To me at least and for a lot of people that eat there (seriously, there's one family that keeps coming in every week.) In no way does this place claim to be 'authentic Chinese food', and please do NOT come here expecting it to be a traditional hole-in-the-wall restaurant, because it's not! It's got a bit of everything. I love the food there because they give you pretty big portions and it's yummy. It's also meant to be served family style.
That being said, let's move to the food. Items like orange chicken or sweet and sour pork is good, yes, but it's not OMGIT'STODIEFOR. I don't think it's meant to be that way, because it's not their specialty. Try their Potato Beef (or chicken. The potato's almost like fries...except in half moon shaped), or Twice Cooked Pork Tenderloin, or Mango Chicken (a popular choice), or Wor Ba Prawn! These are amazingly good, depending on your taste buds. I'd suggest Salt and Pepper Calamari or Catfish, Black Bean Sauce Catfish, or Sea bass if you're feeling fishy. Personally, I don't like sea bass...but the sauce for the steamed one is SO good *_*. Their lunch specials a good deal too. Their best daily soup is on Friday, Beef Stew. (Only up until 3:00pm!) It is so, SO good. I wish I could take the whole stock home.
Also, you can definitely modify to however you want the dish to be. Less salty, more spicy, or change the chicken to beef, they'll do it for you (don't feel afraid to tell your server! It's not a bother at all.) I've even seen someone order Mandarin tofu in Thai Curry sauce!
They have a full bar, plasma TV if you don't want to miss on your sports, a pretty bathroom, outside seating, and it's very clean. Really. I would know because I was the one scrubbing down the chairs and tables. T_T
Anyways, definitely give this place a try. Even though it looks alot like P.F. Changs, I like Ginger better because of the taste, food portions, and friendly fast service. I used to be iffy about the prices, but hey, they give you alot of food. It's upscale like P.F.'s, but I suppose more bang for the buck. For some dishes at least.
Oh, for the record, I can speak Chinese. So can the owner of the place, the cook, few servers, and one of the managers, David. :] All my love Ginger, it's been a great 5 and a half months working with everyone.
*update* They have this new dessert called Coconut Mango Shot ($2.00 for one, $4.50 for three) and it is SO good. It cleanses your palate and makes you want more. Be sure to check it out!
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Went here with CNP and more family members before out jaunt to Rooster T Feathers, which is RIGHT down the street. I got their pomegranate mojito, and CNP got the pineapple mojito. Both were yum-yum-yummy. There were 5 of us, and since they all enjoy beef and seafood, they ordered a variety of dishes with those key ingredients, and I got the vegetable fried rice and Chinese Chicken Salad (which I always have to try to see if I can find something better than Tao Tao's, which is the best ever). The fried rice was fine, not the best, but not the worst. The salad was interesting. The chicken was a breast of chicken, cut in strips and laid on the top, as opposed to shredded into the salad. The chicken was amazingly good. I don't know what sort of seasoning they used, but it was delicate and yummy. It totally wasn't what I was expecting the salad to be, but it was good, nonetheless. They have a whole vegetarian section of the menu, which I thought was great.
My family enjoyed their food, as well.
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Went here for dinner with some friends last night and was pretty impressed. While the restaurant is located in a strip mall, once you walk in you sort of forget about that. The high ceilings and dark wood decor make it seem a little bit more special.
My friends suggested we order some dim sum and another dish. We went with the pineapple fried rice (good, with a little bit of a spicy kick), and we ordered 4 of the dim sum (served all day). The only thing we were disappointed with were the Crispy Shrimp Puffs. They weren't bad per se, but a little boring considering the other dim sum we ordered (Siu Mai, Pork Steamed Buns, Porcupine Custard Buns). The porcupine custard buns win the award for cutest thing on the menu. They actually look like little porcupines - they're almost too cute to eat. Almost.
This was plenty of food between the 3 of us (we were all very hungry and left feeling full), and ended up being a reasonable price. I will definitely be eating at Ginger Cafe again.
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Gorgeous place - I love how hip the inside is decorated. I specifically came here for dim sum. Each dish is approx $3 - $4...a little bit oily but still very good. The service is fast and friendly AND IT'S CLEAN!! (which is rare for asian restuarants). I love finding new spots!
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From Sunday lunch:
Inexpensive, fresh, and delicious.
We tried pork bun, sesame balls, mandrin garlic tofu, kung pao chicken. The garlic tofu had excellent texture and just enough heat, the pork buns were fine--nothing more to say about them--the sesame balls also normal and up to par. For the price, and the quality, things are pretty much in balance here.
Definately great tofu dishes, though not that many of them on the menu. They seemed willing to substitute tofu in other dishes, though.
While it's nothing to drive out of the way for, this restaurant met my expectations and fills its boots just about how it should.
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Fresh late night eats are hard to come by ... especially when you've gone back and forth and exhausted 2 Pho restaurants in the Sunnyvale area and you're about to resort to In-n-Out (which you know is a choice that you'll really regret later on).
But all of a sudden, you see a gleaming "Open" sign in a newly built strip mall that looks like it might have some decent edibles inside. Ginger Cafe is like a Pasta Pomodoro for the Asian set - the decor inside was impressive, and the high ceilings had me mesmerized for a good minute! The Asian zen feel was quite apparent, and then I looked at the menu.
The food was a bit overpriced and not very "fresh" in terms of ideas or concepts. It seemed like an Asian one-stop shop, with Thai dishes, Vietnamese spring rolls, Chinese dim sum, and Asian salads on the fold-out menu. The waiter was nice enough, and took our orders for Hong Kong Pan Fried Noodles and Teriyaki Chicken Salad which was served promptly on clean white plates.
The ingredients were fresh (as advertised) but the flavors were either too salty or too run-of-the-mill. It was good, but not amazing. We definitely weren't picky at that time of the evening though, so it was satisfying enough. I would have loved to have a few spins on the typical Asian dishes so it would be step up from PF Chang's and a little more unique.
In short, Ginger Cafe needs to spice it up, otherwise we'll be better off going to the hole-in-the-wall family establishments and the local In-n-Out. I know a girl who works here, so it'd probably be better to visit when she's working. :D
UPDATE: Try the Caramelized Garlic Prawns - they were delicious.
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Ehhh. I have eaten at the Gilroy location and had a better experience there. For some reason the food didn't WOW me this time. What I come here for turned out to be not so good. Lunch for 4 was about $60. (incl tip)
Honey Walnut Prawns- C+
Thai Pineapple Rice- B-
Chow Mein - C+
Crab and Cream Cheese appetizers- B+
Orange Chicken- C
I would rather make a trip out to McCarthy Ranch for more authentic Chinese food. This place was a miss.
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This place fills a good niche spot. It's definitely modeled after PF Changs--Full list of drinks, chic atmosphere, professional wait staff, solid menu and consistently good food--but you won't have to wait for 45 min. to get your Americanized Chinese food. Plus Ginger Cafe ventures into Malaysian and Vietnamese cuisines, too. The Lemon Grass chicken was great (next time I'll ask for a side of peppers, though) and the appetizers (Vietnamese egg rolls and shrimp puffs) were both excellent.
My only complaint was that the produce (mint leaves) and the wilting basil I saw accompanying a co-diner's plate look like they'd spent the weekend in the sun.
But none-the-less, it's a great place that shouldn't disappoint.
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