Combo King tantalizes with delicious Asian cuisine

• By LISA TRAMONTANA
• Restaurant reviewer
• Published: Sep 11, 2009

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Chinese Combo King, which just opened last spring, is set to be a popular dining destination not just for college students, but with others as well. Prices are reasonable, the menu is varied, and the management seems to go out of their way to make sure diners are satisfied.

On our week night visit, we passed a number of diners enjoying their meals at the outdoor tables of this small Asian eatery tucked away on Chimes Street at the edge of the LSU campus.

Inside, the décor is simple with modern furniture, a big-screen TV on one wall and a large glass window that looks into the busy kitchen. Customers are greeted soon as they enter.

Our party of four sampled the sesame chicken combo ($7.99); the beef with broccoli combo ($8.49); the Kung pao shrimp combo ($8.99); and the chicken lo mein ($7.50). The last item was ordered as a substitute for the sweet and sour pork, which was not available when we visited. (A staffer apologized profusely for this, and went out of her way to make other suggestions.)

All of the combos were attractively presented on colorful square plates. Each combo comes with a tasty egg roll and a generous helping of fried rice, which is moist and delicious.

The sesame chicken is all white meat, cooked just right and bathed in a light, sweet sauce. The key word here is “light,” not heavy and gelatinous like some Chinese sauces.

The beef and broccoli was our favorite. The beef was extremely tender and cut into very small, thin pieces … much easier to eat than the large, tougher cuts of meat offered at some restaurants. The brown sauce was a lighter version of what we’re used to, and featured a spice we couldn’t identify, but which gave the dish a distinct, pleasing flavor. The broccoli were plentiful, fresh and crisp.

The chicken lo mein was good, but didn’t stand out. It’s a generous serving of noodles, very tender chicken, green onions, spices and mushrooms (that we didn’t care for).

The Kung pao shrimp was very good, but be warned that it’s extremely spicy and hot. At least a dozen plump shrimp are mixed with green onions and peanuts in a light brown sauce.

We were pleased with all the entrees we sampled, but we didn’t like the plastic forks, which give a mixed signal to diners. Real silverware would be more fitting for this restaurant.

Chinese Combo King also offers a la carte entrees; a CCK feast that feeds 4-5 people ($35); and CCK party packs for catering larger gatherings. The party packs are also very reasonably priced.