By Brett Callwood
A mini chain with locations with ten regional locations including this one in Gardena, the people of Chicken Maison say online that, “We are a family owned-and-operated restaurant. We started in South Torrance in 2005, with our father and us four brothers.”
Since opening those doors in Torrance 18 years ago, Chicken Maison has become something of a local favorite when it comes to casual Mediterranean fare, and it’s easy to see why as soon as you enter. The interior decor is warm and appropriate given the style of food/restaurant, and the staff wear beaming smiles when greeting you. It feels like a nice place to walk into. Maybe that’s why they have the slogan, “Happy people, serving happy people!” What more could you want?
Well, quality food for one thing. Thankfully, Chicken Maison doesn’t let you down there either. Feeling the need to eat healthy, we opted for the Chinese Chicken Salad, which instinctively feels like an odd choice at a Mediterranean place but it makes sense as soon as you start eating.
The Chinese dressing is Maison’s own – oily and sweet, and the staff will either put it on the side or toss it. We didn’t want to mess around, and they mixed it for us, perfectly.
The leaves are a wonderfully balanced combination of Romaine lettuce and shredded cabbage, and both are fresh and vibrant and, especially when coated with the Chinese dressing, full of flavor.
More salad veg arrives in the form of carrots, green onions and sliced cucumber (yes, we know cucumber is technically a fruit but you know what we mean). All add glorious crunch and more fresh salady flavor.
Here’s where it gets interesting though. The salad is topped with sweet and juicy mandarin oranges, which sit beautifully alongside the traditional salad veg. That’s a Chinese Chicken Salad staple.
The actual chicken is delicious. Not at all dry, there’s a generous portion of the white meat and it’s simply bursting with flavor. It works perfectly with, in particular, the orange slices and Chinese dressing.
Rather than the Chinese crispy noodles that you might normally find on a salad of this type, here we have pita chips – that’s where the fusion element really comes in. It’s an unexpected ingredient, but a magnificent one. The toasted bread is crunchy and soaks in the dressing and mandarin juice wonderfully well.
The salad is dotted with sesame seeds, and served with a slice of soft, fresh pita bread. Put it all together, and magic is created.
Chicken Maison is located at 15900 Crenshaw Blvd., Gardena 90249. Call 310-327-7373 or visit chickenmaison.com.
