Golden Chopsticks - Guilty Pleasure

*** To see how Golden Chopsticks did in the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wing Challenge - go here.

I've got a special place in my heart for well made American Chinese food; after all I was literally raised on the stuff back home in Hawaii. If you've been to a Filipino Pot Luck in San Diego recently, along with the lumpia and pansit, you've probably had these:

Those are salted pepper chicken wings ($5.75) from Golden Chopsticks. These are like crack, once you start eating them there's no stopping! Crunchy, salty, garlicky, with a slight sweet taste, these are addicting. Luckily for us, Golden Chopsticks is located in National City a pretty good distance away, in the same mall as Ohana Family BBQ and Seafood City. I guess if I had to categorize GC, it would be Filipino-American-Chinese Food.

As with most food in the Filipino community, there's been great debates and conversations over who makes the best salt-and-pepper wings, there are some who say that Mandarin Canton in Chula Vista makes the best, but the over-riding opinion is that GC makes the best. The first thing you'll notice when you enter, is that most of the customers are Filipino. Also, no one's using chopsticks, spoons and forks are the norm here, they don't bother with chopsticks unless you ask, or if you look like us..... The other thing you'll notice if you go on a weekend, are the endless stack of trays ($25.00/tray - 60 pieces) and styrofoam containers of wings lined up for pick-up. This weekend we decided to partake of other items on the menu, in addition to (of course) dem' wings.

We started with the Shrimp "Chow Mein"($6.25):

I'm not a great fan of the style of noodles used, but this dish is nicely flavored, and large shrimp are used. I actually liked these.

The next dish was the Sizzling Shrimp/Beef/Chicken, one of the most expensive dishes on the menu ($9.25), but the very friendly Waitress (she's Chinese, if you need to know) recommended it:

Flavored with garlic and black bean, and placed on a metal plate and sizzled, this dish was pretty good.

The last dish was the Tofu with Brown Sauce ($5.50):

This was the blandest dish, in need of more aggressive seasoning. This dish actually tasted much better the next day(mmm-leftovers!!!), but I think I'll pass the next time.

With a large bowl of rice and a pot of tea - $33.00, not bad! And we've got lunch and tonight's dinner with the leftovers. We did finish all the wings though, and probably could have gone through another order....Yes, I'm still the same person who loves Ba Ren and China Max, but I really think that Golden Chopsticks also has a place in there somewhere.

Some Notes on Golden Chopsticks; I'm pretty sure they use MSG, so if you're hyper-sensitive to it, you may want to take a pass. The service is very friendly, and very quick. Don't forget those wings....

Golden Chopsticks
1430 Plaza Blvd #E/22A-23A
National City, CA 91950
619-336-1888

I can't believe I ate it all......

View Larger Map

Comments

[clare eats]

Those wings look so tasty!

[Reid]

Hi Kirk,

Those wings certainly look addicting. I'm sure I could have eaten that entire plate of wings by myself. =P

[Jo]

Is that Sammy or Frankie? I want to say it's Sammy...

Those wings look oh so TummyYummy! How do you suppose they are made? It appears that they were fried first (what seasonings are in the flour? what seasonings on the chicken directly?) then sauced? VERY lightly sauced? That wonderfully bland tofu looks right up my alley! ::laughing:: I love the shitakes and SWEET SWEET peppers!

[milgwimper]

Wooo, *gulp* Those wings look so appetizing. I'll have to agree with Reid, I could eat the whole plate by myself.

I wonder if the chicken was marinated first then dreged into the flour, and then fried. Then the chili garlic seasoning was placed on top. *pondering* hmmm I might have to experiment on some chicken soon.

[clare eats]

I love salt and pepper squid mmmmmmm
have you guys managed to procur any sechuan pepper yet?

[elmomonster]

Those wings look fabuloso!

My mouth is watering!

[Jo]

I've got a bag of wings in the freezer and was thinking the very same thing myself Mills. I need to call you! It's been a crazy day!

As a matter of fact Clare, my classmate brought me a bag to class last Saturday. She also told me where she got it from. She got it from a store that just happens to be VERY close to the home of some friends and we had a play date scheduled for today so after we left their house I scooted right over and picked up 2 bags to send to Kirk! ::laughs:: Amazing how things like that happen! I'll try to get them in the mail tomorrow morning.

YOU DIDN'T HEAR A WORD OF THAT KIRK! IT'S A SURPRISE!

[Kirk]

Hi Clare - Yes, there's not end to these.

Hi Reid - I've brought an entire tray to parties and they're gone in no time - even by those people who don't like "garlic" or "salty" things....

Hi Jo - The little bugger is Frankie! He's such a clown. The wings are pretty much battered and fried and a topping added.

Hi Mills - I don't think these are marinated. But sounds right on the rest.

Hi Clare - They also do a good salt and pepper spare ribs.

Hi Elmo - Yes, these are pretty addictive - I've had most of the other "crack chicken" - i.e. Furaibo, etc...and these are more addictive IMHO - most addictive chicken since Chicken Alice.

Jo - No Mas! No Mas!

[milgwimper]

Jo,

I want to know where that store is!

Kirk,
Just grin and bear it and make something tasty with them!

[clare eats]

Are you ok Kirk?

[Kirk]

Mills - Grin and bear it, huh?

Hi Clare - I'm ok, took a little spill last night - messed up my aging back a little and smacked my head - good thing I landed on my head! But I'm ok.

[clare eats]

oh that's ok! I just read about it on TT and I was worried!!!

[Kirk]

Hi Clare - Thanks, but no worries! Just get that new oven going, ok?

[milgwimper]

Kirk,
Yes gryn and bear it. *smiles* Stop falling down and hurting yourself! HUGZ I'm glad you are O.K.

[clare eats]

I AM SO EXCITED! I know then after the bake off I will stop whingeing about it :P hehehhehe

[Jo]

You FINALLY got the new oven Clare? Bake a mustard plaster for Kirk's back would ya? ;o)

[Kirk]

Hi Milly - Could have been worse - I could have "tripped over my treet" - another one from Jo's Joke Book....

Hi Clare - I'll await the Vegemite for Dummies post...

Jo - So long it's not mustard plaster baklava - I'll be ok.

[Jo]

EEEWWWW!!! MUSTARD PLASTER BAKLAVA?!?! EEEWWW!

[milgwimper]

Well it wasn't a treet that you fell on your head. ;P But I'm glad your OK. EW mustard baklava! *shudder* the HORROR

[Jo]

Actually, after considering it... how about mustard, corned beef, sour kraut, and a tad of tomato baklava... Sort of like a Rueben?