Szechuan Empire - Livonia

Blog, blogging, and an updated blogger here! I recently had a shopping day for my family, and they were craving Chinese food. I must say, the service was excellent, and the staff were really friendly. They wanted sweet and sour chicken with the sauce on the side. I ended up doing a pickup order since they didn’t offer curbside service, but it was similar enough. I placed the order, picked it up, and drove it to our family gathering. The restaurant was clean and well-organized inside. Definitely worth a visit!

I was brought in to photograph a selection of dishes at this restaurant and discovered that they have been a family-run business for over 30 years. Mrs. Lin, one of the owners, shared a touching story about how she used to serve children who are now parents, and she is now serving their kids—what a remarkable full circle moment! The food here is both authentic and delicious. I tried the Happy Family Reunion and the Walnut Shrimp, and they were amazing! Unlike most Chinese restaurants where General Tso's Chicken is deep-fried, here it is not, and it’s absolutely delicious with just the right amount of spice. It’s such a delightful experience. During the pandemic, this place has been bustling with carry-out orders, and it's easy to see why: they genuinely care about the quality of their food. I highly recommend visiting this restaurant, and don’t forget to check out their Coomer location at 14 and Haggerty.

The only reason I won't be coming back is the high prices for the portion sizes and the lack of substitution options. However, the food itself was decent, though a bit greasy. I found the spring roll quite disappointing; it tasted like it was straight from a frozen package, which was surprising.