Great China Restaurant

Established eighteen years ago, the Great China Restaurant is a happy and bustling little corner of Fallbrook. Jeff and Nancy Dai have owned the establishment since 1987, and the key to the restaurant’s longevity is not only the great food but also the wonderful service. Nancy’s smiling face is the one you usually see; she’s full of energy, gracious and always ready to make your day a little brighter. The Dai boys also help out on weekends, but they are losing one to UCLA in the fall.

Can’t make up your mind what you want? Take a couple of friends and share dishes! The Mandarin Dinner is $10.95 per person (two person minimum) and begins with marvelous Egg Drop Soup, which is creamy and tasty and not too salty. The egg roll, fried shrimp and paper-wrapped chicken follow, then each person orders one entrée from a menu of eight selections. Hot tea and a fortune cookie complete the traditional and delicious meal.

My friends and I shared Imperial Shrimp, Sour Chicken with Garlic Sauce and Shredded Pork Szechwan. All the dishes were delicious. The Imperial Shrimp is served with large, succulent shrimp mixed with snow peas, broccoli and other vegetables. This dish has a delicate flavor. The delicious Sour Chicken with Garlic Sauce is presented with broccoli, mushrooms and sliced carrots glazed with a hot and sour sauce over petite chicken slices. Shredded Pork Szechwan is served with bamboo shoots, celery, water chestnuts and cabbage in a deliciously spicy sauce over tender shredded pork. All the dishes blend well together and if you share food with your friends it is difficult to tell where one dish begins and the other ends.

Great China Restaurant is located at 835 South Main in the Major Market Center. The Mandarin and Szechwan establishment is open Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Call (760) 728-8889 for take-out. Credit cards are accepted with a $10 minimum.