A Lee 88 Waltham

Jiang Nan in Waltham is gone and has been replaced by A Lee 88. The awning outside still says Jian Nan. They have parking in front and on the right side. During the week, it seems that the body shop uses side parking. The best parking is the two spots on Main Street.

The inside looks pretty much the same. The chairs have not gotten any more comfortable.

I got there just before noon, and the only person there was the chef, who said that the rest of the crew would arrive soon. The website said they open at 11:30, but at least on the weekend, it seems to be at noon. I ordered the Szechuan Flavored Kimchi ($6.95) to keep me occupied. Not Cabbage, but something crunchy with chili oil on top. This is as far away from kimchi as you can get. 01/16/22

The owner said that the Mongolian Shui Mai (lamb) ($11.95) wouldn't be available until after lunch. He returned and asked if I could wait 30 min? Of course. About 15 minutes later, tops, they arrived. This is really soup dumplings on steroids. The top is fluffy, and the wrapper is really, really thin. Be very careful when removing them since the wrapper is paper-thin. They were really delicious and soupy. The black vinegar poured into/over them is a must-have. 01/16/22

I'll be back for lunch since they have pork trotter on the lunch menu!

And here is the aforementioned Lunch Combo Signature Braised Pork Trotter ($11.95). Braised Egg, Side dish & Soup are included. There were no choices, so I got Egg Drop soup, Cabbage, and half a braised egg. The picture on the menu shows a whole egg. Nor does the menu picture or what's on my plate look like a trotter. Longjiang Pork Knuckle Rice is what Google translate comes up with. This is from the leg and not the trotters. The Cabbage was OK, nothing special. The pork was excellent, tender, tasty, and a good-sized serving. There was some braising liquid included. Lots of takeout at lunch, only me dining in. The Google Translate app is now way easier to use. 02/09/22

Lunch Szechuan Spicy Chicken ($11.95). Today I got H&S soup that was delicious. It could have been sourer but was really peppery. The chicken was dark meat, and the fry job was spot on, just very lightly crisped up. There were some finely chopped peanuts among the other good stuff. The Cabbage is still OK; it could have been seasoned more. The chilis were crispy and actually edible. So many places serve chilis that have plastic consistency and are not edible, or even worse, not even broken open. My braised egg was absent, and when I mentioned this to my waitress, she brought back a steamed egg and some soy sauce. They must have run out of the real deal. Only me at lunch again and just a few takeouts. 03/02/22

Lunch Black Bean Fish Fillet ($11.95). The egg seems to be gone for now. I tried to get them to hold off the fish for 5 minutes, so I could finish the H&S soup. As you can see, it failed miserably. The fish was cooked perfectly, and so were the onions and peppers. The black beans are usually a bit salty, and I missed that here. There were also no beans present. Still a good dish with plenty of fish. 03/16/22

On my list were:

Lunch Spicy Cummin Beef ($12.95).

Lunch General Tso's Chicken ($11.95).

As of 03/31/22, they are closed. They might reopen in Belmont. Will be sorely missed.

Address: 922 Main St, Waltham 02451 MA Phone: 781-893-6663

One does not get better but different and older and that is always a pleasure.

-- Gertrude Stein