The décor of Chopsticks is not really what one would expect when entering a typical Chinese restaurant. Chopsticks is a bit more elegant and subdued. What attracts the eye most are large stone columns that start from the ground and lead up to the second floor singles section. Assuming they don’t serve a load-bearing function, it was an interesting choice considering the potential table space that they must take up. At the same time, they do lend the place a certain subconscious appeal of grandeur.
Beyond that, the environment is generally cool, sleek, but slightly generic. The main color scheme is a stone gray with dark wood, hints of beige and others offering highlights to draw the eye. While the establishment does have a certain Asian cool to it, it is also slightly lacking in any sort of standout character. On one wall are two large pictures of flowers, and on the wall opposite are 12 small posters of the Chinese horoscope. While pleasant, it is not really memorable. I did find it enjoyable, however, to read the year of the dog horoscope and found it to be surprisingly accurate to myself.
As my group took to our table we were served with complimentary shots of Italian soda with some kind of green syrup; while a nice gesture they were a bit too sweet. The menu is vast in its selection. While the menu is quite elegant, the bottom of each page has four or five pictures of the various selections, which is a move I tend to associate with takeaway Chinese restaurants. Given the wide selection of items it took us a little while to finally decide what wanted. Then again, it certainly is better having too much to choose from than too little.
To start with, we ordered the vegetable spring rolls, duck wraps, steamed shrimp dumplings and the Kweilin-style shrimp balls. The vegetable spring rolls were nice and crispy, but honestly it is hard to get spring rolls wrong. These rolls, however, were comparatively huge, like small chimichangas. The shrimp dumplings were adequate but a bit lacking in flavor. The duck wraps were quite good, nicely combining the meatiness of the duck with the freshness of cucumbers and tortillas. The shrimp balls were certainly the most different and interesting of the bunch. They’re basically fried balls of some sort of shrimp mixture. While fried, they’re not especially greasy. I couldn’t help but imagine eating one as an apple, or considering the possibility that they could be served on a stick at some sort of fair or circus.
For our main course, we had the chicken with garlic sauce, Szechuan beef, the crispy duck and egg fried rice. The chicken with garlic sauce was nice and tangy, the chicken being slightly crispy on the outside while soft on the inside. The Szechuan beef was good and had a nice spiciness to it. Both dishes were drenched in their sauces and had a certain undertone of sweetness to them; I wouldn’t be surprised if this described many of their items. Still, despite the thick soup that was inevitably left behind at the end, I enjoyed both.
The crispy duck was also very good, but it was essentially the same dish as the duck rolls we had for our first course. The only difference being that you put everything together yourself with the crispy duck, whereas it all comes prepared for you with the duck rolls. I would suggest going for the crispy duck so that you can make it the way you like it. The egg fried rice side dish was quite nice with a bit of soy sauce.
The service was fast and friendly and the prices are quite reasonable for what you get. While Chopsticks may not offer anything especially new, different, or memorable from other Chinese restaurants, it is pleasant enough with good company and does its food well. I would not be especially tempted to give them a second visit, but I would go there for takeaway to satisfy a craving for Chinese.
