Palm Bay, Florida: Chinese Food at Siwon Tasty

 

We drove from Orlando to Miami and stopped in Palm Bay seeking a bite. It was late afternoon but too early for dinner. Finally I spotted Siwon Tasty, a Chinese restaurant. I was somewhat doubtful but I also like the challenge of getting the most authentic Chinese meal anywhere.

We started out with wonton soup with a combination of meats (BBQ pork and chicken) as well as a medley of veggies including very fresh snow peas. It wasn’t bad though the wontons were a bit sloppy. Still, a warm bowl of soup feels very Chinese.

 

Siwon Tasty had a few customers lingering over tea and fortune cookies when we walked in. They were still doing quite a brisk take-out business and their door opened repeatedly for people picking up to-go orders.

While we perused the menu, my friend wanted to get egg rolls. I idly wondered if we were going to get the big doughy kind that New Yorkers tend to favor or the more thin-skinned version familiar at Chinatowns on the West Coast.

We got the New York kind but oddly they weren’t bad. Mind you, they were veggie based and came with a couple of sauces including mustard and plum. These kinds of egg rolls are not my favorite but Siwon Tasty’s were edible. And possibly that crunchy-crispy exterior can become addicting.

 

To be honest, I did not grow up eating General Tso’s chicken but had always read about this dish as being one of those Chinese-American dream dishes. My friend said this was the sort of thing they ordered in Ohio and she relived her childhood memories by ordering it. After a bite or two, I much prefer orange sesame chicken. And I never order orange sesame chicken.

 

 

I did say I was going for a more authentic experience, right? So that means shrimp chow mein for me. This was probably the best dish of the day. There were plenty of nice big shrimp in the dish. I did wish for more crispy noodles but I started to realize this was a lot of food and we had more coming.

 

I can’t help but order eggplant everywhere I see it. My friend wasn’t into the gloppy sauce and I can see it didn’t help the eggplant which was a tad overcooked. The eggplant was quite mushy. Excellent for smashing into white rice, not so good if you crave fresh vegetables.

 

Finally, to round out our meal, we got the stir-fried yu choy. The fresh Chinese greens were my friend’s favorite part of the meal. We may have had an authentic Chinese meal fighting with wily Chinese-American dishes at the table but in the end, we did leave full and happy to have experienced this Chinese food in South Florida.

 

Siwon Tasty

6050 Babcock St SE, Ste 1, Palm Bay, FL 32909  — (321) 726-8140

 

© The Minty 2015