Imagine My Surprise

Written by Mike Stepanovich

I’m one of the few long-time Bakersfield residents who was unfamiliar with Great Castle Restaurant. but no more.

I say “was” because thanks to my editor at Bakersfield Magazine, Anika Henrikson, who assigned me to review this long-time local restaurant, I’ve joined Great Castle’s legion of fans. Yes, I’ve heard the raves over the years, people proclaiming it to be some of the best Chinese cuisine anywhere.

It wasn’t that I was avoiding Great Castle; I just hadn’t had much reason to go there. It isn’t near where I work. It isn’t near where I live. I remember going there with some work colleagues back in 1984, but I guess we must have been more focused on work that day because I just don’t recall being wowed.

Well thank you, Anika, for getting me there, because now I am wowed!

I’ll lump my wife, Carol, in with those unfamiliar with Great Castle’s charms—and she’s almost a native Bakersfieldian—because she was hard pressed to recall when she had last visited Great Castle.

Because of our unfamiliarity with the place we set out for dinner with great anticipation. We pulled into the parking lot at the corner of Union Avenue and 4th Street surrounding the white cinder-block building that resembles a small medieval castle. We entered the red door, which brought us to an alcove with a chalkboard listing the day’s specials. Beyond that was the dining room, where a polite server greeted and seated us.

The dining room has a certain ambience that I found soothing—depictions of Chinese gardens on the walls, a coffered ceiling, dim lighting, and no windows. When you come to Great Castle, you enter a different world, where peace and harmony prevail, which helps you relax. The effect is almost instantaneous.

The restaurant bills its cuisine as Chinese Mandarin—northern China, as opposed to Cantonese cuisine from the south. My experience with these two styles is that Mandarin is spicier, while Cantonese is blander. Seeing that Great Castle was Mandarin style, I anticipated a more flavorful menu.

Right at the top of the menu was the “House Special Moo Shih,” which captured my attention. I remember the first time I had the dish—it’s spelled moo shu in most other restaurants I’m familiar with—and fell in love with it. I lived in Stockton at the time, and thought that was one of the best Chinese dishes I’d ever had. I still do. The complexity of flavors—the pork, vegetables, and plum sauce all wrapped in a thin Mandarin pancake—had an instant appeal.

Just as I was deciding to order the moo shih ($10.95), Carol exclaimed, “Ah-ha! Walnut Shrimp!” We were both excited to see that because that’s another dish we don’t often see. We first encountered it while vacationing with friends Mike and Linda Rubin in Hawaii. The Rubins, who often vacation at Kailua on Oahu, took us to a fabulous Chinese restaurant in Kaneohe named Pah Ke Chinese Restaurant. Raymond Siu is the owner and chef there, and we have fallen in love with his creations. One is honey-glazed walnut shrimp.

Could Great Castle’s walnut shrimp ($13.95) compare? It could...and did! The toasted, candied walnut halves were a perfect complement with the large shrimp coated with a light, crispy batter that wasn’t at all greasy, melded together with a light, sweet sauce. Fabulous! We loved it.

And the moo shih pork was every bit as good. It was carefully prepared tableside by our server, who said the plum sauce spread lightly on the Mandarin pancake was made at the restaurant. That was an indicator of things to come, as the moo shih was one of the best I’ve ever had. The pancake was wafer thin and freshly made; the shredded pork was tender and flavorful, and the bean sprouts and scallions were fresh and crunchy. The flavors blended wonderfully on our palates.

One other dish that caught my eye on that first visit was barbecued pork fried rice ($7.95). I love Chinese barbecued pork and I love fried rice, so this combination seemed almost too good to be true. Actually, it was simply too good. The sweetness of the diced pieces of barbecued pork with the saltiness of the fried rice, with ample vegetables and bits of scrambled egg, were a great combination.

We left that first dinner wondering how it was that we hadn’t been there in all those years.

I concluded that, like Pah Ke in Hawaii, Great Castle’s success stems from that fact that it is a family-owned restaurant. It was founded in 1979 by Tzu Chun Wang, a Chinese immigrant originally from Tsingtao who came to this country in 1972 from Taiwan where he owned a restaurant. After a few years spent working in Chinese restaurants in Southern California, he came to Bakersfield in 1978 and brought his family from Taiwan. Though he died four years ago, his family continues to run the restaurant, with his daughter Yun-Li as the manager. We met her on our next visit.

Yun-Li is clearly one of the keys to Great Castle’s success. She’s downright funny, and if her husband happens to be there, anticipate a comedy routine. She’s the “straight man,” her husband the joker.

And then there’s Yun-Li’s sister, Mei-Li. Whereas Yun-Li’s humor is subtle, Mei-Li is outgoing, warm, and welcoming, greeting guests with a smile and friendly banter.

Yun-Li says that the restaurant’s success is due to the freshness of the food and the care in preparation. Our second visit affirmed that assertion.

One of Carol’s favorite Chinese dishes is sweet-and-sour pork. I tend to go for the spicy dishes. So we ordered the sweet-and-sour pork ($8.95) and the Kung Pao shrimp ($10.95). We loved both dishes. The chunks of pork were tender and flavorful, not at all tough as is often the case at other restaurants. The Kung Pau shrimp was splendid; the shrimp was cooked perfectly, crunchy peanuts complemented the vegetables, and a pleasant spiciness permeated the dish. Even Carol, who is not a fan of spicy, enjoyed it. Mei-Li told us, with a wink and a smile, “Just don’t eat the peppers!” The inch-long red peppers give the dish its punch, and biting down on one of them can be an unpleasant experience.

We also enjoyed the pork chow mein ($7.95) with our dinner. This soft-noodle creation was rich and delicious. Carol, not normally a chow mein fan, couldn’t get enough of it. Frankly, neither could I.

When I asked Mei-Li if Great Castle was open for lunch, she said jauntily, “We’re open all day.” That’s pretty much true: the restaurant opens at 11 a.m. for lunch, and segues to dinner at 3 p.m. It closes at 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 p.m. Friday. It’s open 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday for dinner.

Lunch is also a great experience. For $8.95 you get a fabulous combination plate with your choice of an entrée. Your lunch includes soup, fried rice, egg roll, and fried wonton. I’ve tried both the Hot Spicy chicken Shanghai style and the Mongolian beef. Both are delicious. What I noticed about both was the freshness of the ingredients. The Mongolian beef was particularly noteworthy. The beef was tender and moist, and had clearly been freshly prepared moments before it was served. Service is fast, so if you only have a short time for lunch, you can easily be in and out in time to return to work.

Great Castle accepts most major credit cards. For reservations, call (661) 325-3311.