Empire Chef - Aurora

I have to tell you. This place has ended a three year journey for me. We used to have a favourite Chinese food place within walking distance of our home. We were loyal customers. Then, they changed something. The flavours were no longer there or vastly different. So we stopped going and started looking for a new place. That was three years ago. Today we found a new home. We ordered a few standards and came out smiling because this place now has our complete attention. The flavours were there as we remembered. There were some issues but we are going to work on them as we explore the rest of their menu. I must also say that the Lunch Specials for $6.95 are an amazing deal. If you are in the area, you have to try them out. If you are not, well they do deliver within reason.

Ambiance Decor<br <br I wasn't aware this place is mostly for pickup so I went in to dine. It was very clean, there are only a few tables. Beautiful bamboo plants along the wall. It's a good place to grab a bite but not for a date night. The kitchen was also very clean!<br <br Food:<br They have a lot of options to choose from, the platter combinations they offer have a $1 charge for each item you want to substitute. There's also dinner for 2 3 etc.<br <br Hot Sour Soup: it wasn't really hot and there must have been a lot of cornstarch added as it was a bit thick. It was also lacking in flavour. I really wanted a good soup and I didn't like this.<br <br The spring rolls: I found them to be undercooked and they werent really filled so it was my least favorite.<br <br Chicken Fried Rice: the rice was flavourful, however there were enough veggies, the chicken in the rice was kind of. Soft (chewy)<br <br Hunan Beef: it was seasoned and cooked well and the portions were good<br <br General Taos Chicken: Very delcious! Full of flavor and it comes piping hot!<br