Plum Blossom

From my experience living in Connecticut and New York, I have found that Chinese restaurants are typically hit or miss. This type of cuisine is common in this area, and it is easy to compare restaurants as they generally have the same menu, just cooked with different styles. Plum Blossom is a restaurant that I am a regular at, and I am pleased to write a review about it.

Review: Plum Blossom
Location: 685 Hoosick Street, Troy NY, 12180
Business Type: Chinese Restaurant

Plum Blossom has received a makeover for the interior of the restaurant a little over two years ago. When you enter, you are immediately welcomed by statues and art that engulfs you and transports you to China. The style of the restaurant is unique and the atmosphere is welcoming. The relics and statues are not overdone, and ensure a quality experience when you sit down for lunch or dinner.

The waitstaff and hosts are all pleasant, and usually the owner (I think) is to seat you and welcome you. You will either be seated in the middle of the restaurant which has bigger tables for large parties, or on the rim of the restaurant which has booths and other seating.

When it comes to any type of restaurant, the atmosphere is important, but makes little difference to the overall experience. What I mean is that you can have a terrible atmosphere with amazing food, and it's still an excellent experience. The opposite is true for an amazing atmosphere and terrible food. The food is what matters. Plain and simple.

I frequented this restaurant with my two other business partners for meetings a while back. We would come once every other week to discuss business. I also celebrated at least two birthday dinners at this restaurant. I say this so you understand that this is a restaurant that I have been to more than fifteen times.

The menu at Plum Blossom is typical of most Chinese restaurants. You can get the typical chicken, beef, seafood, and vegetable dinners available at any Chinese restaurant. Your meal begins right when you sit down with unlimited pots of jasmine tea and fried noodles with duck sauce. You can get fried rice and lo mein, as well as spring rolls and soups. The first few times I ate here, I got the General Tso's chicken, which is a classic at all Chinese restaurants. This is the dish that I most commonly get at any Chinese restaurant. Their General Tso's is good, but not the best item on the menu.

I truly discovered this restaurant when John let me taste his sesame chicken; since then we (John, Sandro and I) have all gotten that dish every time we eat at Plum Blossom. There is no need to try anything else because it will only be compared to this perfect dish (in my opinion of course!). The sesame chicken here at Plum Blossom is the reason I still go back. It is partially crunchy but maintains a great flavor. The sauce that accompanies it, is to die for. This is probably my favorite Chinese dish I have ever gotten at a restaurant. If you get this dish, you will understand. The texture, taste, and consistency are perfect. It is not too greasy as can be common with Chinese food.

The portions here are always amazing, and you will be sure to take leftovers unless you are a power eater.  If you get a combination platter you get an egg roll and soup with your meal and rice. Again, plenty of food for most.

On occasion I get the spring rolls which are fried and crunchy, and very good. The miso soup has too big of chunks of tofu in it, but tastes good. The egg rolls are huge, about two inches in diameter and 4 inches long. They are great as well. The wonton soup is average, nothing to call home about.

Overall the experience at this restaurant is of excellent quality. You will enjoy a great atmosphere with great food and portions. I would try other dishes in order to be less biased, but I feel I would be wasting my money because I know the sesame chicken is a great hit. Based on the two dishes that I have had at Plum Blossom, I assume that everything else is great as well. If you visit this restaurant, make sure to comment here and let us know what you thought of the restaurant! Thanks for reading!

-Joe Balestriere