China Jade Restaurant: Chinese Food in Johnston, Rhode Island

A friend recently pointed out to me that what I consider Chinese food has been somewhat Americanized. That's okay with me because I'm American. When I first moved here we frequented a Chinese restaurant on the major shopping mile in Warwick. It went out of business a few years later and after a while of no Chinese option we decided to try the very local China Jade on Atwood Avenue in Johnston RI. We were pleasantly surprised and to this day it is our first choice and the standard by which we compare all other Chinese food.

The exterior of the building sports the expected mock art of red panels with carved dragons. And yes, it does have the display counter under the register where you can get your jadite Buddha, bamboo fan, fortune cookies and oolong tea. However the dinning room has recently been rehabbed. The green and metallic keystone border over dingy goldenrod wallpaper has been replaced by pleasantly white textured paper from the tops of the red leather and wood booths to the ceiling. Some of the paper lanterns and tassels have vanished and in there place is a fantastic 8 foot long light box with an amazing aerial shot of some city in China. At least my best guess would be it was in China I've only seen it from a distance when picking up my order so am not sure if there is a name on it or not.

The staff is very pleasant and consistently quick. Portions are massive, especially for take out. One large order of anything is at least six servings. The dinning room is always clean and the new color is much more inviting. They also have a function room for large parties or bookings.

The staple fried rice is fantastic with just the right mix of sweet onions, scallion, egg and pork to make every mouthful a complete experience. Without a doubt they have the best chicken fingers we have ever had. A crispy light batter enrobes all white breast meat and is fried until just golden making them a hit with all the kids and most of the adults too. Moo goo gai pan boasts the right amount of gravy and a delicate balance of crispy and tender items. Sweet and sour pork or chicken comes swimming in a sweet tangy sauce boasting large pineapple chunks and whole cherries over two-bite sized chicken or pork fingers.

Always on the order is wonton soup with wonderful lightly gingered pork in the wrappers and an oriental spiced broth loaded with greens and pork strips it's a bargain at under $3 per serving. In fact the soup wontons are the reason we started ordering dumplings as an additional dish. I'm partial to the occasional shrimp lo mein and was thrilled to discover the chow mein was very much like the one I enjoyed from Mark You's in Fall River Massachusetts while growing up.