Panda World Delivers Fresh Chinese to Butler

Every day, Hongming Jiang, owner and chef of on Main Street in Butler, goes to the market to buy fresh ingredients for his restaurant. And if you eat there, you will notice.

For the past two years, Jiang has been cooking up fresh Chinese food for his customers and seems to really enjoy it. He always had an interest in food preparation and even trained at a cooking school in China.

When you are standing inside the small establishment you will see that it does not have any tables, just a wooden counter facing the window that can seat about six people. However, what you may not realize are the culinary delights that await your hungry taste buds. Don’t let the humble atmosphere fool you-the food is good.

Jiang said that one of his specialties is the General Tso’s Chicken, which can be ordered by itself for $9.75, as a lunch special for $6.45, or as a dinner special for $7.75. The specials come with an egg roll and your choice of steamed white rice, natural brown rice or pork fried rice. Another specialty that Jiang recommends is the Grand Marnier Shrimp, which is crispy, coated jumbo shrimp blended in a Grand Marnier sauce, topped with honey walnuts for $13.95.

Naturally I had to try them both, so my guest ordered the General Tso’s dinner combo while I ordered the Grand Marnier Shrimp. We also ordered an appetizer of steamed shrimp dumplings for $5.50.

It’s funny, I very rarely order shrimp in a takeout restaurant or even in other Chinese restaurants that I have been to, and I think it is because many times, the shrimp is smaller than I expected it to be, or never tastes as fresh as I would like it to. This was absolutely not the case at Panda World.

The Grand Marnier Shrimp was far superior to any other shrimp dish I have had at a Chinese Restaurant. The shrimp were not only super fresh, but they were big and plump and were fried to the perfect crispiness, with no extra batter to take away from their flavor. The sauce was creamy, rich and sweet with a distinct flavor from the Grand Marnier, and was perfectly matched with the shrimp and the crispy honey-coated walnuts, which Jiang makes himself (part of me wishes they came from a jar so that I could buy them and have them at home any time I want).

As you might expect, I tasted my guest’s food as well, which he claimed was the best General Tso’s Chicken he has had in a long time (and he has tried this dish in many places). I could not disagree. It was crispy, the chicken was tender and the sauce was a little sweet, yet also had a perfect degree of hotness. You could see the little bits of red pepper throughout the dish and taste them in every bite. The pork fried rice also tasted fresh and was not greasy or over done. Even the egg roll, which is not usually my favorite item on a Chinese menu, had a very crispy coating and great flavor on the inside.

Finally, the Shrimp Dumplings were also cooked to perfection and were not too doughy, nor did they fall apart as you ate them, which happens when they are steamed too long. They also were quite delicious, especially with that wonderful tangy-salty-sweet dipping sauce that usually comes with dumplings.

Panda world offers much of the usual Chinese fare with a few unique items mixed in, like the Szechuan Dumplings in Hot Oil on the appetizer menu for $4.50 or Edamame for $3.95, which is typically found on Japenese restaurant menus rather than Chinese. They also have party trays ranging from $20 to $39. Furthermore, they have vegetarian items as well as a diet menu offering steamed foods with sauce on the side. Plus you can opt for brown rice, rather than white. And finally, they deliver to all of the tri-boro, as well as Riverdale and parts of West Milford.

Aside from the fact that I wished I had a better view while enjoying my food at the counter (which I would recommend if you are a people-watcher), my overall experience at was a delight. Jiang and his wife, Liming, who also works the counter, were just as kind as they could be during my visit. Great service seemed to be their second highest priority. However, it is exceedingly clear to me that preparing delicious fresh food would definitely be their first.