The fraction of students with issues finding time to cook will be glad to know that there are at least three restaurants that deliver fast and satisfying food, sure to please even the pickiest eater. Art & Features editor Christa Balingit and Editor-in-chief Julius Rea set out to discover the most satiating dishes from the best delivery restaurants.
Ming’s is a Chinese restaurant located in Pleasant Hill. They serve a variety of foods including poultry, fried rice, fried noodles and tofu.
· 2653 Pleasant Hill Rd, Pleasant Hill, CA, 94523
· (925) 934-9393
The honey walnut prawns were definitely the winner out of all the dishes. It’s a dish that includes deep-fried shrimp in a creamy sauce, accompanied by glazed walnuts spread out over it. The dish was crunchy without being over done. It didn’t have to be chewed ten times before someone felt safe swallowing it. The balance of ingredients was pleasing. There wasn’t one taste that over-rode the others.
The honey walnut prawns also avoided what many other Chinese dishes suffer from when being served in sauce—the soggy texture that develops from over-saturation.
It was a nice contrast from the mango chicken, which was a little too sweet. The family deluxe tofu had an interesting quality to it. While it, too, tasted too soggy due to the fact that is was sitting in the sauce for too long, it had spices added to it, which gave it more flavor compared to the typical blandness of regular tofu.
The honey walnut prawns went the fastest. The other dishes, including the chow fun, was good, if just a little too greasy. One the other hand, the sweet and sour chicken tasted a little too watery for chicken and seemed to lack a certain something. The honey nut prawns were easiest to remember, and definitely reason enough to visit the restaurant again.
Sargam Indian Cuisine, an Indian restaurant located in Walnut Creek, offers dishes for everyone. They use fresh ingredients, balance flavor effectively and even offer vegetarian dishes.
· 140 North Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA, 94596
· (925)937-2700
The prawn spinach (sagwala), a dish comprised of prawns cooked in spiced cream spinach, was definitely a favorite. While the look of it doesn’t seem that appetizing, all thoughts of appearance were forgotten after the first bite.
The texture was great and the entire dish was extremely flavorful. It also had a spicy aftertaste. Not enough for someone to require a glass of water next to them, but enough to spice up the entire dish. Even those who are not a big fan of spinach will find the ingredients placed in the prawn spinach a nice twist.
Other dishes included the Indian chicken tikka masala, a dish that could have been better had the texture not been as watery. The naan also had a rubbery quality to it. While naan can usually be eaten in conjunction with any of the dishes, it seemed as if the prawn spinach and Chicken tikka masala stood better on their own. The naan only made the rest of the dishes more difficult to eat together. Regardless, the naan didn’t seem as offending while sitting next to dishes like the prawn spinach and chicken tikka masala curry.
Mingles Pizza, located in Martinez, is a close-by restaurant that offers fast delivery and good prices.
· 5860 Pacheco Blvd, Pacheco, CA, 94553
· (925) 288-0588
When eating pizza, a single slice normally leaves grease stains on your cheap paper plate and makes some less inclined to pick up a second piece. Mingles makes pizza that isn’t as greasy as other places while the pie itself is soft and the crust crunchy—exactly how a pizza should be.
Bocci bits, fresh dough balls filled with garlic butter and topped with Parmesan cheese, was the stand-out. While they could have been crunchier, they will definitely go quickly among broad demographics.
It was a simple ball of bread with marinara sauce on the side. Surprisingly, it wasn’t greasy or heavy. Rather, it was a tasty appetizer dish that will leave you wondering how they make it, and whether or not it is something you could make at home.