Counter Culture.

Wok This Way To Kirin Court in Richardson.

Kirin Court Chinese Restaurant
221 West Polk Street #200
Richardson

Ambience: 3 out of 4 egg rolls
Service: 3 out of 4 egg rolls
Food: 4 out of 4 egg rolls

Located off of Central Expressway, Kirin Court is a first-class Chinese restaurant, even if the decor inside feels a tad dated (an unfortunate truth about most Chinese restaurants, actually).

The bottom line: It serves up quality food at cheap prices.

The Kung Poa Chicken was spicy and delicious — and the lunch portion is far bigger than you'd expected, especially considering that it also comes with rice, an egg roll and dipping sauce, and all for just $6.95. The sauce was spicy and full of flavor, while the chicken and vegetables (onions, red and green bell peppers and garlic) were cooked perfectly. The serving of rice alongside the dish was the right proportion, too — not too small to make a customer order seconds.

The whole idea behind Kirin Court is pretty interesting as a whole. For starter's, the place is huge. But despite some modern lighting fixtures on the walls, the restaurant mostly looks just like your Asian grandmother's house. I don't get it personally, but it draws a crowd.

Another interesting feature — one that I did not partake in — was the mobile buffet. Rather than a stationary buffet, servers walked around with carts of covered dishes. You have a card at your table with about 25 to 30 options on it to select from, and you tell the mobile buffet server which dish you desire. The server then gives your choice to you off of the cart. It looked great — just dangerous for my waist, is all. So I held back.

But I won't hold back from recommending Kirin Court — assuming you're not one of those types that gets nosebleeds when you travel north of I-635.