Cooking Papa--Mountain View, CA

Sauteed Beef Fillet with Assorted Mushrooms

A few summers ago I was asked where I'd like to have my birthday dinner. I could have chosen any spot in the Bay Area and I picked Cooking Papa in Santa Clara. The variety, the lightning fast delivery to your table, the piping hot food and of course those egg puffs were an irresistible combination.

Fook-Kin Fried Rice

It was with excitement, then, that we tried Sunday the newly opened Cooking Papa in Mountain View neear El Monte and El Camino, only a few minutes from home. We ordered some staples, such as the Fook-Kin Fried Rice (above), Sauteed Beef Fillet with Assorted Mushrooms (top) and the Papa Roasted Chicken.

Chow Fun with Scrambled Eggs and Shrimp

For the kids, we got the Chow Fun with Scrambled Eggs and Shrimp. And, with my dad and the kids at the table, Cooking Papa's patented Hong Kong Style Egg Puffs were a must. Warm, soft, fluffy, airy and eggy, they didn't disappoint!

Papa Roasted Chicken (half)

The food was good and is worthy of the Cooking Papa we'd gone to so often in Santa Clara. That said, the Santa Clara location delivered food that was just a little bit better. The dishes were slightly hotter (in temperature), the roasted chicken skin was a tad more crisp and the puffs were fresher out of the oven. I associate these issues with the steep learning curve involved with opening a new (and very, very busy) restaurant. The service was reasonably attentive--when my dad dropped his chopsticks on the floor, another pair came to our table without us even asking. However, they didn't refill the water.

Hong Kong Style Egg Puffs

Cooking Papa
1962 W El Camino Real
Mountain View, CA 94040
(650) 988-6809
www.mycookingpapa.com