Disappointing - vegans beware.
2
Posted on 09 / 19 / 2010
My fiance and I stopped by Ming Dynasty for lunch after reading some pretty positive reviews. We both love Chinese food, and having another option other than driving to Richmond or DC seemed pretty appealing. Upon arrival, there was only one other customer in the restaurant. They had a buffet set up, which didn't look particularly hot or fresh. We decided to order off the menu, which had a very extensive vegetarian section right at the front. I ordered the Veg Hot and Sour soup and Kung Pao mock chicken, and my fiance ordered the Hunan Tofu. The soup arrived quickly, but I realized it was not vegan as it had egg beaten into the broth. When I questioned the waitress, she seemed confused by my question and confirmed that it had egg in it. I asked if the wonton soup contained egg as well, and she had to ask the chef. It turned out that the wonton soup contained eggs as well. Feeling pretty discouraged, I settled on a spring roll instead. When our entrees came, I was hopeful as they were both decent portions with a lot of vegetables. My fiance enjoyed his tofu, which was simply lightly fried tofu, broccoli, baby corn, carrots and water chestnuts in a spicy brown sauce. My Kung Pao was disappointing. The mock chicken was battered and deep fried rehydrated soy protein chunks, but they were not at all crispy and had an odd powdery/slimy texture. The vegetables and sauce were decent, but swimming in grease. The white rice provided with the meal was dry and seemed like it had been sitting around for a while.
I really wanted to like Ming Dynasty, but based on the quality and lack of vegan options, I doubt I will return.
Pros: fast, inexpensive, quiet
Cons: few vegan options, uneducated waitstaff, poor quality
