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For the last several years, I've passed by China Villa on my way to my favorite "big box" sporting goods store, but I never knew the restaurant existed until I heard some of my neighbors raving about it. I made up my mind the next time I was in the area - three miles from my house, none the less - I was going to stop by, enjoy a meal, and publish an article on this web site. Today, Thursday, April 14, 2016, opportunity knocked on my door, and I found myself at China Villa, to enjoy one of the best Chinese meals in Western Placer County.
Photo: The staff had just turned on the "open" sign, for the 11 o'clock opening on this late Thursday morning, and I managed to photograph the restaurant without any cars parked in front, which is a rare thing to get to do. China Villa is located in an upscale shopping center, just inside the Rocklin City Limits. The restaurant has been in the same location, under the same owner, since 2005. It's late Thursday morning, April 14, 2016.
Photo: The dining room is spacious, clean and very comfortable. There are several large, round tables, each one with a lazy susan in the middle of the table, as Chinese food is meant to be shared. The seating is divided equally between tables, and booths. I sat at a small table for two, against an outside window. The large aquarium, which is located at the entrance of the restaurant, can be seen at the extreme left of the photo. The golden object aren't flowers... they're large goldfish!
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, there is a small area, and a "please wait to be seated" sign. For your entrainment, there is a 200-gallon aquarium stocked with a dozen or so large goldfish. I enjoyed watching them, as I think they're quite pretty.
Photo: If you're dining in, all selections from the "Lunch Special" section of the menu include soup of the day. If you're ordering "to go," you don't get soup, as I guess proper containers aren't available. I love all varieties of Chinese soup, but I'm especially a fan of "Hot and Sour" soup, which, along with "Egg Drop Soup" was offered today. My server places a bowl of delicious "Hot and Sour" soup on my table. She was quite camera-shy, so I didn't ask to take her photo when my lunch arrived. Like in all Chinese restaurants, soup arrives before your main meal as an appetizer.
Photo: Such a delicious bowl of "Hot and Sour" soup, which is definitely my favorite variety of Chinese soup. The soup has lots of tofu, onion, chicken, savory broth and other goodies. Such a delicious bowl of soup! The soup arrived hot, with steam still coming from the bowl, which slightly fogged the camera lens, which added a nice effect.
Photo: I asked my server to snap my photo when my lunch arrived, and although the professed ignorance using a simple camera - I had to show her the location of the shutter button, and had to "coach" her in what I wanted - she did an outstanding job. Thanks!
Photo: As it was time for lunch, I ordered from the "Lunch Special" section of the menu, that posts a whopping 43 different varieties of lunch plates, most of which are priced at only $7.50, as of this writing. The lunch includes a bowl of soup, if you're dining inside, rather than take-out, the main entree, an egg roll, and your choice of barbecue pork-fried rice, steamed rice, or chicken chow mein. Today, I opted for the #18, which is "Szechuan Pork," and I went with the chicken chow mein, and, of course, hot and sour soup. The lunch plate is BIG, big enough for dinner, and REALLY BIG for lunch; it isn't giant, but I would think it would satisfy any hunger. Everything about my lunch was PERFECT, including the marinated pork, the delicious Chinese sauce, and the vegetables, which retained just enough "crunch" to make them spectacular. The photo really does the meal justice, but trust me, the meal tasted even better than it looks in the photo! I have to confess that I'm a sucker for any Chinese restaurant that serves hot and sour soup, as it's my favorite variety of soup served at Chinese restaurants. China Villa serves delicious hot and sour soup, and when you throw in one of their awesome lunches, it makes for a meal to remember. Including tax, the total came to only $8.08, so by giving my server a 10-spot, plus a 1, that made for a great tip to reward her for her great service, and to let the friendly staff know that I enjoyed one of the best Chinese lunches that I've eaten in a long time. China Villa Chinese Restaurant Copyright(c) 2016 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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