Hello everyone, this is running on empty
food review
Well, hello, ladies and gentlemen and everyone watching
This is running on empty food review and I am your host the report of the week. Thank you for tuning in and
Well, we are back with another review this time from Panda Express
That's why I always like giving this metaphor
We're hopping aboard the Panda Express here and we're gonna try out their newest item
Now this more so isn't necessarily trying something out for the first time because I've already tried this. I've already tried it
I've already reviewed it and
What I want to see this time around is it as good as it was the last time?
Because I mean look at it this way
This item from Panda Express the honey sesame chicken. They just brought it back. It's returned
I think for the second time now, but let's let's just pretend this is the grand return and
People are saying well I'm excited I want to try it out
I enjoyed it the last time but is it still good this time and
that's what I'm gonna find out did Panda Express drop the ball this time or
Are they still maintaining the standards now the honey sesame chicken? I?
Raved about this thing about it. Everything was about a year ago when I last tried it
Oh I've raved about it. I was saying this is the best thing from Panda Express
best thing on the menu
Favorite item. I've rated it a nine point eight out of 10, and I almost never rate things that high
So this this was really as some people say stinkin good the honey sesame chicken. I just I loved it
I was I mean after the cameras off
I was just lapping up the little remnants of the sauce from the feeding dish and everything
I was just going all out. I was going crazy over it
But here's what it is the honey sesame chicken for those of you who aren't familiar with it. It is white meat chicken breast
with string beans
yellow bell peppers
Sesame seeds and then of course their famous, honey sauce
and one other thing that isn't mean we mentioned but you do see in the ads and in the pictures that you'll notice and
again
I noticed that the last time that I tried it out where these little red pepper flakes that were on the chicken itself and
I believe that it goes down probably to
probably a chili pepper
Flakes, you know, they're not they don't disclose it. But that's probably what the likely ingredient is either way
it gives a little bit of a
Spiciness nonetheless price for this was six dollars and 67 cents
But it should be mentioned you can get in a variety of ways. I got the bowl
With one side that being their rice fried rice a standard
Combination so that's what this entails so this is the bowl. I mean, it's
bigger than I actually
Thought usually I get the plates but this is that the bowl looks like right there. You can see in a shade
It's covered up with that for now. It'll be
unraveled but there I am with it with
Panda Express in the background there
yeah that
Now open it up. I just wanted to make sure nothing fell out
You see if there you see the chicken kind of resting under the protective seal
There it is
There it is in the sunlight of the very direct
sunlight and glistening away
There it isn't kind of a better lighting there. I am with it
You can see the honey sesame chicken
if you're really looking and kind of see those little flakes that I was talking about into sesame seeds the
string beans there
The yellow bell peppers everything else. There it is
It's exactly that and that's what it all comes down to so with that
I think we all know all that there is to know about it and the big question is, okay
We know what it is. We know everything about it again
I raved about this last year now saying this is the best thing from the menu
Are they still maintaining the standards because sometimes these places?
Hey
It's just as good maybe even better than that was the last time one saddening trend you see a lot in fast food
Of course as places, they went you down, you know cut the quality, etc
Service goes downhill as does the product. So from one variation to the next sometimes it gets worse. Sometimes it gets better
Sometimes it's the same we're gonna find it out with that honey sesame chicken from Panda Express
Going in
And a little bit of a string beans there with it
I have another piece of chicken here and one of the bell peppers
Just one interesting
Observation take a look
That was the only
bell pepper
that was there just one little
Piece there's plenty of the string beans, but just one bell pepper
Which I can it's just be wary that that might vary that's a piece of egg right there
but usually
when they market it, you know, it's like it's in a sea of peppers and the string beans, but that's uh, oh
That's just how it is. I suppose so, here's the overall consensus. Let me seal this back up
Here's when it comes down to
It's still good, don't get me wrong there. It's still good and I continue to be impressed by it now
Maybe I did this to myself
you know when you set something to such a massive standard, you know and
You sit there and you rave about it it is the best thing ever it's the best thing on their menu
So on and so forth as a result when it's gone, and you kind of just maybe
Nostalgically look back and you're kind of saying why are they gonna bring it back?
and so on you kind of play it up quite a bit in your mind and
When I was initially anticipating this I was thinking to myself. Oh
Boy, this is gonna be good
You know, this is gonna you know blow me off my feet once again, and I try it and it's good. Don't get me wrong
But it is is it on that level of being like?
outstanding like I initially
Said that it was not necessarily
The sauce is good the sauce still has that again that very potent honey esque sweetness to it
Like it's marketed as being which is great. You know, you want to get what's advertised?
the thing that I noticed
It didn't have that
Necessarily that that little bit of a spiciness that it had the last time to it
I see those pepper flakes and I can taste them a little bit but it just didn't strike me as being pronounced as pronounced
I should say as it was the last time I tried it and
Again, that's an aside. They're not marketing it as being a spicy honey chicken and it's the honey sesame chicken
But that's just an observation not as spicy as I tried it the last time the other thing that I said
I'm a bit of an issue was texturally speaking. I
Remember when I tried it?
one thing I really liked was that the chicken was just really it was tender and
I was a big fan of that it had this nice little
juxtaposition of having this little kind of a crunchy
Somewhat breaded lightly breaded coating on the outside, but then just being very very tender on the inside
The one thing that I noticed this time around, especially probably the biggest thing I noticed with this
Negatively speaking. Is that when I tried it out it still had that little bit of a crunch to it
But the chicken itself was just a little on the firmer side
Not that it was chewy to excess I should say or rubbery or anything like that
but I just noticed that it was a little firmer that you know original just really
Tender quality was missing this time around
So with that, I mean, otherwise, I also of course wish that they were more bell peppers. I think that comes down to preparation
I don't think you're gonna get one bell pepper
But I just personally I wish there were more it tasted really good with the with the chicken. They were fresh
There's this a really nice offset. I wish there was more
There's plenty of the green beans and the string beans really which are which are fine
That's that's no problem they go along together
Nice as well can be a little chewy sometimes but the one thing that I wish there was more of course were those bell peppers?
Again, the price for this was six dollars and 67 cents out of ten
I mean, it's still good
But I think this is more along the lines of now being maybe an eight point four out of ten
Instead of being that nine point eight out of ten. Don't get me wrong look an eight point four
It's still a really good rating. This is still good. It tastes good. But just really the thing is being held to this high standard
It didn't necessarily meet that
Exceptional level like it did the last time but it's still good. Don't get me wrong
So with that, that's all that I have for you
I'm your host the report of the week and this is running an empty food review kind of trying out the honey sesame chicken
From Panda Express. Was it maintaining the standards or it did they drop the ball?
It didn't drop the ball, but there is a little bit of a decrease in quality, but it's still nothing terrible
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