Jing Jing, which appropriately translates into “gold” from Chinese, has established itself as just that, the gold standard for Asian cuisine in Palo Alto. Jing Jing runs the gamut of flavors, from sweet to sour, but — as we would find out the hard way — it specializes in spicy.

It’s tough to find someone at Stanford that has yet to experience the wonder that is Jing Jing, but freshmen should definitely make a pilgrimage as soon as they’re done reading this. The atmosphere compliments the food quite well. A friendly staff that was not shy about giving recommendations, spicy food warnings or just partaking in our witty banter made our stay quite enjoyable. Jing Jing is a perfect place to have dinner with friends, bring family or even a date for an affordable price. For about $17 you get soothing tea, an appetizer and any one of their delectable entrees, and (of course) a nice helping of rice.

Walking into Jing Jing, you can’t help but be taken aback by the beautiful artwork that places you in the rural province of Hunan China, a region famous for its spicy dishes. It all started with a Won Ton soup that hit the spot. From there, we went right to work. We tried the classics: Kung Pao Chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork. Both were lathered in a sauce so good, you could almost drink it (we tried, but can’t recommend it). Then we progressed to the Mongolian beef, so tender, so delicious, but oh so spicy. Luckily for us, our waiter had anticipated this, promptly refilling our water and bringing us the ultimate anti inflammatory: prawns in a honey walnut sauce. Yeah, you read right.

If eating past your stomach’s limit isn’t the mark of a good restaurant, then we don’t know what is. Towards the end of our meal, we were “painfully full, and not stopping.”

But hey, if dining in, enjoying conversation and great food isn’t for you, fret not. Jing Jing offers multiple ways of accessing its cuisine. That’s right; Jing Jing will deliver right to the Stanford campus. They also do pick-up, and maintain a website with their menu for those who take hours to decide what to eat.

And there you have it. For affordable, delicious Chinese cuisine with a spicy kick, look no further than Jing Jing Gourmet.

Jing Jing

443 Emerson St., Palo Alto, CA 94301

$-$$

Lunch: Mon-Sat 11:30-2

Dinner: Sun-Thu 4:30-9:30,

Fri-Sat 4:30-10