When we were told we had to go to a Chinese Restaurant for a meal with our partner, immediately 2 restaurants came to my mind: Rainbow Garden and Peking Garden. I am lucky Steven did not have a place in mind so i got to choose where we were going to head to for a nice Chinese meal. I finally decided on Rainbow Garden because their setting beats every other Chinese eatery around Champaign hands down! And of course, their food is DELISH too. I have been there 3 times already, and I always come away looking like this:

Sooper Satisfied, before food coma

So, this time i went to Rainbow Garden with the same expectations of having an awesome meal. When we entered, we were greeted by one of the servers dressed in his monochromatic attire of white shirt and black pants. He showed us to a table at the side and served us water first. They had an extensive menu and Steven was spoilt for choice!(; The waiters had come around thrice before we were ready to order. Steven went along with my recommendation to get the Peking Duck where they served the duck together with the pancakes, plum sauce and the fresh veggies. I went along with my all-time favorite, Tofu with 8 treasures (sounds like an imperial treasure, but it really is just claypot tofu with seafood!).  Steven also chose a side of crab meat rangoon, which came very very quickly.

Crab Meat Rangoon

It was basically fried wantons with cream cheese as filling, which was pretty good!

Then came the heavy weights:

Peking Duck on the left, Tofu with 8 Treasures on the right

They were served on this HUGE tray and the same waiter who met us at the door, put the tray on the serving stand and dished out the dishes. This is my favorite part of the whole dining experience at Rainbow Garden because it makes it more authentic! Only the higher class Chinese restaurants in Singapore serve this way; hence I always feel like I’m given royal treatment every time I dine here.

Oops, I forgot to reveal the gorgeous inner beauty of the claypot tofu in the previous picture, so here it is!

Very, very delighted me with my treasure

And there’s Steven too, looking mighty excited to start on lunch!

Happy Steven!

Well, of course the whole meal wasn’t just about us starring at the food and admiring the decor of the place. I really enjoyed Steven’s company! I learnt a lot about him over lunch at Rainbow Garden. I bet none of you could tell that Steven bakes! And he is really really good at this Amish dessert, which is a pie made up of condensed milk and coconut. Haha, the next time we have a craving for sweet stuff we know who to look for!

Btw, Steven is real quick in learning how to handle chopsticks. (makes me wonder if he youtubed how to use chopsticks before the lunch) He managed to eat a block of rice using chopsticks! I have a feeling he is going to be so good at using chopsticks when we get to China that he will continue using them eating everything else when he gets back home.

Anyways, after 1.5 hours of good food and company, we left with more than two thumbs up!

Us and our friendly Rainbow Garden-ers

Steven:

Growing up in a small, rural town, I have had limited interaction with Chinese cuisine.  My experience at the Rainbow Gardens in Champaign was a delightful and pleasant one.

Upon first entering the establishment, guests are welcomed with a warm and inviting décor and atmosphere.  Next, guests are greeted by kind and courteous staff.  The restaurant is not too large or too small.  It’s big enough that patrons do not feel cramped, and it’s small enough to make you feel like a valued customer.

The menu at The Rainbow Gardens is quite extensive and filled with an array of options to fill anyone’s desires.  Looking over the menu, I wanted something that would represent a traditional Chinese plate, something that was considered a house specialty, and something that I had never tried before.  With a little help from my partner, I settled on the Peking Duck.  This entrée is pulled duck and spring onions in a sweet sauce all wrapped in a pancake.  This was my first experience with duck, and I was delightfully surprised.  The plate was served with six wraps, plenty for any size appetite.

I also ordered their Crab Rangoon, an appetizer that I was familiar with.  Again, they came in a serving of six.  This Crab Rangoon was a little different than some that I have had before.  I am sure this is a food that each restaurant has it’s own variation of.  They were good, but I did find these to be just a little too sweet for my liking.

I was also able to sample my partner’s dish, a dish mostly of seafood and vegetables.  Seafood is that one food that I am very particular about.  Rainbow Gardens exceeded my expectations again though and delighted my taste buds.

Between all of the delicious food, I was able to hear all about Meiling’s global travels.  She has been all over the world! (And secretly, I am very jealous.)

Also on this little adventure, I tried to develop some chop stick skills – I’m still far from having it down, but I am a little better at it now.

All in all, my review of the Rainbow Gardens in Champaign would be excellent.  The combination of warm atmosphere, friendly staff, wonderfully flavored traditional foods, and extensive menu made my experience wonderful and something I would like to share with other people.