Hi Everyone, This blog post was written in late 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, please call this restaurant to understand their updated hours of operation and policies. Due to the unpreceented COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants now have updated policies until we get back to normal. Thanks so much for stopping by the Cypress Self Storage blog, and we hope you enjoy today's review.
After a long weekend of what seemed like endless chores, neither my wife nor I were in the mood to cook dinner on Sunday night. We talked about ordering pizza, but since there were a few last errands we had to run near downtown Oakley, we decided to try out Silver River and see what their Chinese food was like. We had heard from a few friends and family that it was supposed to be really good, and had been meaning to give it a try for some time. And so, we fed the dogs, asked our son to join us, grabbed the items we need to return downtown, and headed over.
When we first entered the restaurant, I noticed two things right away. The first was the place felt a little small, and the second, was that it smelled amazing! For me, there is just nothing quite like the smell of Chinese spices to get my appetite going. I could already tell that our dinner was going to be good, just by the way my mouth was starting to water. I couldn't wait to get my hands on a menu.
At the time of our visit, there were two waitresses on staff. One of them greeted us right away, and asked if we were coming to pick up a to-go order. When we replied we were dining in, she informed us to take whichever seats we would like. Other than one couple already seated, the restaurant was empty. Usually, that's not a good sign, but it was barely past five o'clock, and I had noticed quite a few bags and boxes of to-go orders waiting for pick-up. We took a seat at a table in the back corner and quickly began to scan through the fairly standard menu. The waitress who had greeted us asked us for our drink order, which was limited to soft drinks, a few different beer selections, wine, hot tea, or ice tea. We placed our order, and then I had a look around the restaurant.
It's All About the Food
The décor on the walls was traditional Chinese artwork, with several large pieces of art designed to look like they were made of copper, some of which was covered in patina, hanging in large, heavy-looking frames. The tables and chairs were fairly basic, and were exactly what you might expect to find in a small deli or sandwich shop. But, then again, I was there to eat dinner, not to attend an art exhibit, and since the appetizer we ordered had just arrived, I turned my attention to the main reason we came, the food.
The appetizer we had selected was the Fried Vegetables, which is a mixture of broccoli, asparagus, beans, and onions, deep fried in a tempura batter, and served with sweet & sour sauce, as well as spicy Chinese mustard. From the first bite I realized why my family and friends had been after me to try out this restaurant. It was excellent! The vegetables were cooked tender-crisp, the tempura batter was light and crunchy, and both of the sauces they served were delicious. The serving size was also much more than I expected, and between the three of us, we barely finished half of what was there!
The Main Dishes Arrive
Shortly after we started into the tempura vegetables, our entrees arrived. We had picked three different items, mainly because part of the fun of going out for Chinese food, is bringing lots of left-overs home. I had chosen the Szechwan-style tofu dish, my wife picked the vegetable chow mein, and our son ordered a plate of the barbecue pork chow mein. All three dishes were piled high with food, and it was easy to see there was no way we would be able to finish it all.
Overall, I would have to give Silver River some very high marks for the quality of their food, the generous portions that they serve, and the reasonable prices they charge. After only one meal, it was clear that there would be a new take-out menu going into our junk drawer at home. I honestly believe this is the best Chinese food we have in town.
Cypress Self Storage – Oakley's Newest Self Storage Facility!
Silver River may be your best bet for excellent Chinese food at a more than affordable rate, but Cypress Storage is the name you need to know if you're in the market for a storage facility. If you're looking for something more than just the average, run-of-the-mill empty boxes to help protect and keep your belongings stored, then you owe it to yourself to come check us out. We have several different types of storage units available, as well as a state-of-the-art security system. Finishing up our final stages of construction, we expect to open for business very soon!
Silver River
3100 Main Street, Oakley, CA 94561
(925) 625-9783
