With an all organic menu, attractive decor and friendly staff, Green Zone’s Chinese cuisine draws people of all ages. In many Chinese restaurants, MSG is typically added to give Chinese food its enhanced savory flavor. However, this restaurant proves that using healthy ingredients doesn’t sacrifice the authentic, delicious taste of Chinese food.

The interior of Green Zone, located in the Golden Springs Plaza, is distinguished by  its modernness and simplicity. Ceiling lamps are spaced out across the restaurant, giving it a warm, comforting feel while the walls are decorated with potted plants and art made by children.

The restaurant offers various noodle soups, rice dishes and salads. My family ordered vegetarian rolls for $8, beef sukiyaki for $16, combo noodle soup for $10, chicken curry for $12, green tea for $5 and passion fruit tea for $4.

The waitress was very friendly and even comforted a fussing baby near us. Modern pop music played in the background at the perfect volume– soft enough to hear  conversations while still being able to listen to the songs. Within ten minutes, the food and drinks we ordered arrived.

For $5, the green tea was not worth it, even with free refills. The water wasn’t boiled long enough for the tea leaves to seep into the water. Additionally, the tea had too much ice put in as an attempt to cool it down. This made the drink taste even more bland and flavorless.

However, the passion fruit tea that I tried was the exact opposite. Despite being named passion fruit tea, the drink consisted of flavors from various fruits, such as orange and lemon. Unlike the green tea, this drink was refreshing and sweet, due to the tropical flavors of the fruits. This made the tea taste almost like a fruit juice, which I enjoyed. Considering the quality of the drink and the free refills, the tea was worth its rather hefty price.

The starter vegetarian rolls were filled with carrots, cabbages, Chinese mushroom and jicama. The sweet sauce that came with the dish perfectly complemented the rather bland rolls, and the eight rolls was perfect for a family of three. The variety of organic ingredients gave the rolls a great contrast in flavors and textures with the perfect amount of crunch in every bite.

On the other hand, the beef sukiyaki, which came with cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, onions and a medium cooked sunny-side up egg, was disappointing. The beef was bland, and the noodles tasted average. I didn’t expect for the noodles to have an al dente texture to them, but I didn’t care too much. The broth was savory and provided more flavor to the dull vegetables. Despite the tasty broth, this dish was on the pricier side at $16, and I wouldn’t order the sukiyaki again.

Green Zone is a good option for vegan friendly dishes, as the venue offers various salads and vegetarian dishes. However, the pricey cost of Greenzone’s food was not warranted by the dishes I tasted. I appreciated the effort they made to integrate healthier ingredients into their dishes but the quality of the food was subpar.