3. Maison Shing Do

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The Ambiance

I'm a bit of a sucker for kitsch, and Maison Shing Do definitely delivers in that department. With its fake Tikki bar, abundant pink plastic flowers, strings of lights above the cash, and Asian pop/soft rock playing in the background, this place put a smile on my face right away. On the downside, the place is run down and sports an old, worn, dirty carpet with an extra tattered runner in front of the cash area, which a waiter actually tripped on (fortunately, without dropping anything). The clientlèle seems almost exclusively Caucasian, which I'm sorry to say is never a very good sign and in this case, foreshadowed my imminent soupy disappointment.

The Service

The person working at the cash was incredibly courteous and offered me a table near the cash while I waiting for my takeout soup. Unfortunately, it took an incrediby long time - nearly 15 minutes - for my soup to arrive, which I think is ridiculous given that the restaurant was nowhere near capacity (about 60%) and that wonton soup is a staple item that should be readily on hand. I hoped that the delay was due to the fact that the wontons were being made to order to ensure optimal freshness, but that was sadly not the case.

The Soup ($2.50 for a small, $5.95 for a large, and $6.95 for a Wonton Noodle soup)

I decided to splurge and get the wonton noodle soup to add some variety to my evening of soup sampling. The broth and wontons/noodles came in separate takeout containers to keep the noodles from getting soggy, which seemed like a great idea, but the wonton dumplings and noodles were completely flavorless, wrapper and filling alike. The broth was not much better, so letting the wontons soak for a few minutes only helped slightly. All in all, the broth was watery and greasy, and oversized pieces of un-chopped Chinese lettuce (around the size of my hand) were unruly. The wontons themselves looked pinched rather than folded, which I usually like, but upon closer inspection, they were actually more matted as if scrunched in a fist, making them overly large and misshapen. Some had abundant filing, others were completely empty. To make matters worse, the filling was fatty, gritty and almost completely flavorless. Finally, the extra noodles just added bulk and did nothing for flavor or texture. After a 15 minute wait, I was expecting some kind of delicacy, and was thoroughly disappointed with the end result.

Rating

Soup: 1 out of 5 stars - I actually threw most of it out

Service: 3 out of 5 stars - warm, friendly, but incredibly slow

Ambiance: 3 out of 5 stars - the décor is fun in a tacky sort of way, but the place is run down and it shows

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6. Winner and reviews by others

7. Complete listing and maps (includes link to menus)