Jani

Another trip with Lil Sis took us out to Long island, courtesy of ABF. He drove us all over the island, from Robert Moses Nature Preserve to the Horse Rescue/Vineyard (post soon!) on the North Fork, and back again to his town. We were pretty hungry and it was pretty late, and one shining option still open and welcoming was Jani.

Jani is a long, brightly-lit restaurant in Rockville Centre. Their wall is an elaborate, mirrored display of teapots of all kinds of shapes and sizes--I always find something new and fun with every visit (that dragon teapot is pretty sweet!)

I'm not that 'into' dragons, but even *I* thought that teapot was pretty awesome.

Jani sets you up immediately with a pot of hot tea and some crispy-crunchy things. I'm not a huge fan of fried things, but the mustard sauce that comes with it is too too good.

I was browsing the drink menu and saw an old favorite, The Shirley Temple, for TWO DOLLARS! Heck YEAH I ordered myself one! It was every bit as scrumptious as I remember: ginger ale, grenadine, and the flavor of my childhood memories.

As you can see, there is no 'Capital S' Shame in my 'Capital G' Game. I will order a Shirley Temple at any age, thankyouverymuch, and enjoy it thoroughly.

It was a cold night, so I decided to start with a ($3!) bowl of Tom Yum soup, one of my favorite Thai dishes. This was just what I needed--hot, salty, satisfying broth with tons of mushrooms, baby corn, chicken, and herbs.

I can't even tell you how good this is--and for $3 a bowl!?!?

Lil Sis ordered the Sesame Chicken, which just popped with color. I'm not a big fan of the fried Chinese dishes, but she did share a bite, and it was good, just not up my alley.

The broccoli was JUST like I like it...green but still with a lot of crunch.

And speaking of broccoli, there was a TON of it in my chicken and broccoli dish. Just as crispy-crunchy as that on Lil Sis's dish. I ate half of this and took the rest home for lunch a few days later (and it was still fantastic)!

ABF ordered the General Tso's chicken, which had a sweet flavor to it (again, not my thing, but he seemed to really enjoy it) and came in another thoughtfully-prepared presentation.

As our meal wrapped up, they brought us the bill and a plate full of juicy canned pineapple. It was a delicious finish to a fantastic meal.

This is not your run-of-the mill Chinese food pitstop. Jani puts careful thought into its expansive menu and various dishes, and you can taste the difference. They also offer so much food at such crazy-low prices that I wondered aloud how they manage to stay in business. My guess? Steady, loyal customers like us! If you stop by, let me know what you think, too!

Jani Chinese & Japanese Restaurant
294 Sunrise Highway
Rockville Centre, NY 11570-4906
(516) 766-2554

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