MARY FURR -- Dining Out

How can you resist a restaurant named Village Green? The restaurant,

which opened last month on Slater Avenue and Ward Street in Fountain

Valley, offers food as fresh as any garden, prepared with authenticity by

owner Andy Chan from Hong Kong and his brother, Jackie, who is no

relation to the box-office star of the same name.

Together they have developed a place with truly fresh ingredients in a

simple, friendly atmosphere. Open the door and Andy is there with a menu

and a pot of tea. You won’t believe the prices -- 30 lunch choices from

$4.95 to $5.75. Family dinners, which can be enjoyed at the big, round

tables with a lazy-susan center, run from $7.95 to $11.95.

The egg flower soup with lunch is thick with egg whites and crunchy

with bits of water chestnuts. Family dinner soups include hot and sour,

won ton and, my favorite, sizzling rice. The chicken broth is filled with

fat shrimp, thinly sliced white asparagus, carrot, snow peas and

mushrooms that sizzle and pop when squares of fried rice are dropped in,

sending up a cloud of aromatic steam. Indulge sometime and order a bowl a

la carte ($6.75).

My lunch plate of crisp, fresh snow peas, celery, carrots, peas and at

least a dozen of the big and tender shrimp ($5.75) was a delicious dish

sprinkled with sesame seeds and only a whiff of garlic. Seasonings are

mostly modest here but can be as spicy as you request.

If you are looking for vegetables, order Rock Cod ($5.75) with bright

fresh broccoli, carrots, onions, bok choy (Chinese cabbage) and

mushrooms. With lunch comes fried rice and crisp,

fried-in-100%-vegetable-oil egg rolls with a still-crisp vegetable

stuffing -- not overcooked.

You’ve got some choices if you decide on Three Ingredients in Sizzling

Platter ($11.50). It’s a combination of shrimp, beef and chicken in one

of three sauces -- Szechwan (mild), black bean or kung pao (hot and

spicy). the dinners come with good egg rolls, a not-so-good won ton with

only a dab of meat in a big square of won ton skin, foil-wrapped chicken

with an excellent and potent dark sauce, two fried shrimp and two

barbecued spare ribs.

It’s an appetizer platter prepared with variety and fresh ingredients.

However, Village Garden tends to use lots of chicken in proportion to the

beef and shrimp in this selection, as well as in others.

If you like beef, go for Beef with Black Mushrooms ($11.95), which has plenty of tender pieces along with mushroom caps that are as big as

silver dollars. They are fleshy and sensual -- a taste to savor and

remember. This is a heavy dish, and an a la carte order of Chinese

Vegetables ($7.50), Snow Peas ($6.25) or String Beans ($6.50) would be a

good addition to be shared family-style.

Desserts are limited -- a nice cooling order of Lychees ($1.95), seven

white cherry-sized fruit on ice, is good.

According to Andy, the most popular dishes are those with authentic

Szechwan ingredients or the sweet-and-sour selections prepared by Jackie.

Steamed fish is also popular, a specialty prepared Cantonese-style.

Village Garden is true to its name, a bright spot on the Fountain

Valley scene, where if you prepare good, fresh food, they will come.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments

or suggestions for her, call (562) 493-5062.

FYI

Village Green

WHERE: 10585 Slater Ave., Fountain Valley

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 9:30 p.m.

Sunday

CALL: (714) 962-1700

MISC.: Beer and wine are served. Take out is available. Credit cards

accepted.