I'm Soy Into You, Lily Kai

Who is Lily? What culinary institute did she attend? Did she train under Guy Fieri in FLAVORTOWN? Lily Kai won the 2018 Petaluma People’s Choice (as well as in 2017, I believe) and it’s not difficult to understand why.

Some have called it the “Best Chinese outside of China Town” as well as the “Best Chinese food ever”, and while I cannot attest to the first statement because I eat at Lily Kai far more often than I find myself China town, I sincerely agree with the latter. None of the other Chinese restaurants in Petaluma even come close in terms of freshness, speediness or deliciousness.

You can be in and out of Lily Kai in 30 minutes if you want it badly enough. You could theoretically be in and out in 20, but if you’re eating that fast, please consider slowing down. I’ve never waited more than ten minutes for a table, and that’s only on an insanely busy night which I’ve only experienced once or twice in many years. Once you’re seated, the waiters and waitresses have your order down and are back to the kitchen in 1 minute, no joke. You’ll never leave hungry or thirsty—I’m convinced that one of the waitress’ only job is to fill water glasses to the brim. And I’m not upset about it because boy do I love me some good H2O. You could call me a water fanatic.

Nicoline, a close friend of mine who is as equally in love with Señorita Lily Kai as I am, doesn’t get to eat it as often as me because she goes to school in a land far, far away--some may know it as San Diego. We hadn’t seen each other in quite some time so we decided to catch up right before the new year over dinner at, you guessed it, Lily Kai. Nicoline calls it the, “best and most authentic Chinese restaurant in the area”. She says the menu has the “perfect variety of dishes”, from veggies, meat dishes, soups, all the way to her personal favorite, the Vegetarian Chow Mein, and she likes that everything is served family style, making it easy to pick and choose exactly what you want.

They can make nearly every dish vegetarian-friendly which is a big plus if you’re looking for a whole lotta flavor without wanting to eat a whole lotta animals. Although I’ve never substituted tofu for meat at Lily Kai, I’ve heard from friends that it’s just as satisfying if you’re into that sort of thing.

I can eat an entire meal only consisting of the Spicy Green Beans. I’m a huuuuuuge garlic gal and the beans are locked and loaded with it. Not only is garlic great for you health-wise—it’s anti-inflammatory, it has lots of vitamin C, it can lower your cholesterol (ya I googled and everything on the internet is true, including this blog)—but it’s Delish with a capital D. And let's not forget that garlic wards off vampires. That’s like a triple bang for your buck so what’s not to love? Remember this: If anyone tries to tell you that there is such thing as too much garlic, they’re not your friend and they don’t want what’s best for you. Enjoy as much garlic as your little heart desires! I’m here for you! You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life!

For funzies, I looked up Lily Kai on Yelp and found a one-star review (it was difficult). Dear ol’ Mr. Michael decided to write about his horrible experience and the “passable” food that took far too long for his liking. Ding dong, your opinion is wrong, Michael. I don’t know if he was having a bad day and looking for someone to take it out on, but Lily Kai was not the place. He claimed that the food was “very bland” and that the service is “among the worst” he has “ever encountered". I, a Lily Kai lifetime member, have eaten at Lily Kai so religiously for the past 10+ years specifically for tango the food does on my tastebuds and because the staff is so welcoming and quick on their toes. Regardless of my personal opinion (or Michael's), Lily Kai has incredibly high ratings and it's always busy no matter what time of day, so we'll let the numbers speak for themselves.

As Nicoline said (she was pretty proud of this one), “swing on by Lily Kai!” You'll be happy you did. Hopefully happier than Michael was.