China Sail Restaurant

You can't go wrong with China Sail. The honey garlic pork is the best. Food always arrives in a timely fashion. It's the only place I'll eat Chinese food in PG.

Great. Very good Chinese food! Some of the best in town.

Middle of the road... (3/5) .... Middle of the road... (3/5)

Tastes the same as almost all the other Chinese Food restaurants in town. The atmosphere is classy looking for a Chinese foot joint but never seems to be busy enough to warrant the giant building.

The honey garlic pork is too sweet. Tastes like a cheap, store bought, corn syrupy mess and the pork is sliced thin and overcooked.
The ginger beef is the savory style and an over abundance of thick sliced ginger that you have to pick out. If you are looking for the Calgary style sweet ginger beef, pass this dish over.

What I do like about China Sail is the combo options. Well above other restaurants combo dinner options.

Prince Gastronome. Eventually, I'll be forced to discuss off-topics in order to pad out these reviews of Chinese restaurants. I know I've at least two more to go through (I only know of one-meaning there's another hiding somewhere). Little filler will be required when dealing with China Sail although you could argue these last sixty words were positively padding.

China Sail, for those not living in Prince George since 1990, is the largest Chinese restaurant in town by a considerable margin, isolated from competition or even other businesses, being nestled in the center of an entirely rural development. There's a gas station across the street; the nearest competition is nearly a mile away. China Sail isn't blessed with complimentary business neighbors. You can't walk by China Sail on your lunch and stop in for a bite. This must indicate some customer retention given the struggling economy.

The Sail looks Chinese, I'll give them that. If it wasn't for the seasonal Santas and snowmen hanging over the bar, this could pass off as any number of family restaurants in Hong Kong (it's not far removed to one I actually ate at). However, unlike those traditional Chinese restaurants, China Sail still falls back upon the stalwarts of westernized Chinese food to define its business, thus explaining its obvious success. Thankfully, there are a few notable deviations. The first one that immediately caught my attention was the Szechwan meals literally leaping from first page of the plastic menu. It's not long before I decide to order the Szechwan peppery chicken. Given its $14.50 price tag, I opt out of the soup and egg roll and just order an egg roll.

Waiting for the main dish, a second set of customers finally roll it. That left about thirty tables unoccupied; this place is huge. I took a glance at the rest of the establishment. The Chinese zodiac placemats, a perfectly replication of the ones at Great Wall were properly on top of the table rather than inside of it (just to remind, I'm a tiger). The seats with short legs and a high back were quite uncomfortable. Paper lanterns hung down in front of framed murals. There was even a triumvirate of ceramic medieval warriors against the far wall. A few hanging wall scrolls and folding screens wouldn't be found out of place in my own apartment.

I'm still padding.

In truth, China Sail is one of the better looking and better tasting Chinese restaurants you'll find in Prince George. The prices are slightly higher than those I found on the Hart, but the overall presentation is superior. The offer of Szechwan, hot pot, and vegetarian dishes like tofu and straw mushroom is pleasantly appreciated...

...I found myself curiously gazing at the distant wall, with gold dragons perched with actual glowing eyes flanked by the aforementioned Chinese warriors, all with a pair of neighboring Santa heads doing the Uncle Sam "I want you" point.

The arrived Szechwan was a heaping plate of spicy sauced chicken, peppers, and onions with a side of rice and sesame seeds. This was another chopstick optional location so I was finally offered a set. I admit to not being particularly adept with the sticks, but I still insist on using them at least until getting so frustrated, I toss them on the napkin and switch to the fork. It does force me to regulate the speed of my food intake as many people comment I eat like a horse. By noon, the Sail was buzzing with customers, well more than eight, considerably more successful then much of their competition. And there is reason for this. China Sail, in the lackluster community it finds itself in, stands close to the front of the pack. I don't know if it takes the lead, but it shares a front row with only one or two others.

Finally at thirty minutes, I dropped the sticks in frustration and switched to utensils. I'm weak....and hungry. Plus the Szechwan had oil in it, which coated the sticks and made them slippery. By the end, I was still satisfied, proof that China Sail is going nowhere for the foreseeable future. I can't say "if you're in the area" because chances are, you'll probably never be, but if you're looking for above average Chinese, or if you badly need a location to serve sixty friends, China Sail is a good option. As I left, my previous thought was confirmed as a dozen business executives arrived for a lunch meeting, China Sail's raison d'être.

I'm trying to determine which was creepier-the dragons with red lights in their eyes or the Santas apparently judging me for something I've done. My fortune said "Don't worry about money. The best things in life are free." First of all, that ain't true. Second, that's a strange fortune to get in a restaurant with prices slightly higher than their completion. The message is duplicated on a pair of fortunes. Okay, yeah, I get it; I focus on money a lot. Quit rubbing my nose in it.

Food: 4/5
Service: 3.5/5
Presentation: 5/5
Value: 3/5
Recommendation: 4/5