Chinese takeout is the quintessential late-night meal for those who like to eat dinner after dinner. Sticky rice or kung pow with an egg roll or two can never be done wrong, but there is a reason most people tend to get the food delivered instead of eating at the restaurant itself.
Toyko Mandarin, located right off of Delsea Drive next to the Mieneke Car Center, fuses the cuisine of both traditional Chinese dishes with Japanese food like sashimi and sushi, but an over reliance of Teryriaki Sauce makes the blended meals hard to swallow in a literal sense.
Despite setting a reservation for 8:30 p.m. I was greeted by the host who did not have a table ready for myself and my friend who was tagging along for a late meal.
The restaurant tries to evoke a traditional Chinese aesthetic with photos of Terracotta warriors lining the walls of the dining area with Japanese brush paintings sparsely integrated into the decor.
I ordered the Thai Mango Chicken which was coated in a teriyaki sauce that was extremely overwhelming. The dish offered a mix of chicken and shrimp to eat, but I was unfortunately unable to taste anything other than the sauce.
My friend ordered an egg roll and some sushi which she said was, in her words, “Fine, but uninspired and quite dull.”
While the restaurant was relatively empty I couldn’t help the feeling that the staff was rushing us to finish eating.
Three times we were checked on by our waiter to see how the meal went but there was a strong tone of urgency in his voice.
By the end of the meal I had only finished a third of my meal and got the rest to go in a doggy bag which I threw away in my kitchen’s trash can after I walked through my front door.
Now I know why they call Chinese “take out food.”
Name: Tokyo Mandarin
Rating: ★★
Address: 370 Delsea Dr, Glassboro, NJ 08028
Kind of Food: Chinese and Japanese
Price Range: $10.99-$25.99
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