Formosa Chinese Restaurant

Formosa Chinese Restaurant

This is a little make-shift Chinese restaurant located in Columbus, Texas. I have always loved the feel of the town because, like La Grange, it is rich in history and culture. However, this restaurant did not impress me near as much sadly...

My spouse and I decided to venture out on our first lunch date in what feels like an eternity and being that we are both Chinese food lovers we decided that we would pick a restaurant close to us that was a new visit. Now, upon entering the restaurant it very much had an authentic Chinese feel to it and despite the size of the converted facility, I went in with an open mind. The initial meal I chose was a Seafood Hot Pot which I was told they were, "out of." If I can be honest, it took everything in me not to walk out of the place then because that tells me that the food is likely made from frozen ingredients as opposed to fresh ones. However, I elected to try another dish which ended up being Cashew Chicken, another one of my classic favorites! The meal itself came with chicken, cashews, carrots, cabbage, onions, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, broccoli, mini corn, and sauce. The side I chose with this dish was steamed rice, and I also decided to order the add-ons that came with it which included one cream cheese Rangoon, two deep-fried butterfly shrimp, an eggroll, and a bowl of egg drop soup.

The same dish I ordered, though the side is different in this image.

Naturally, I got the appetizers first! I ate the Rangoon first, which honestly was delicious given how fresh it smelled and tasted. The eggroll was also on point with the crisp texture and rich flavor; however, the shrimp were a tad too dark for my liking so that turned me away from that part of the extras. Right as I finished my teasers, my food arrived at our table! I was sore when I saw the plate initially, because 75% of the plate were large chunks of cabbage leaves and onions. The chicken was incredibly dry, and the broccoli was nowhere near tender enough for a stir fry, in my opinion at least. It seemed to me the sauce was very watered down which was a severe disappointment as well. To come right to it the only parts of that plate I actually enjoyed were the mushrooms and cashews. As for the steamed rice, well it seemed like it had been sitting out for the majority of the morning...

Cream cheese Rangoon, fried shrimp, and an eggroll.

My spouse decided to try the broccoli shrimp and wasn't too impressed with his meal either. Given how bland the entire plate was, and how raw the broccoli seemed to be, I can't say I blame that response too much. The one other thing that really annoyed both of us was that the food overall, didn't really seem very hot... I can't say for sure why, but it's almost as if they have a buffet that they fill soon after opening and just serve from it all day, needless to say we won't be visiting Formosa Chinese Restaurant any time in the future... 3 out of 10 is my official scoring for this facility, because honestly it leaves a lot to be desired.