Hong Kong Palace
Did Jetto leave again? Or do they have new cooks? The food I got was not as good as it used to be.
happiest girlYou know my mantra, call them directly and ask. (908) 850-4212. Unless the owners or management are on this site presently or very often, the answers garnered will be either opinion or speculation. Perhaps someone may have asked already and are in the know but that is a slim possibility. Typically the responses will include posts stating how the food is great or good as well as posts exclaiming they are the worst Chinese food on the planet. On the other hand you will also receive several recommendations for the "best" Chinese in our area or if you happen to be in East nowherenearhereville. LOL.
Greg Hi happiest, I took my Niece to Hong Kong Palace on Saturday, March 23rd for dinner.
I asked Ben (one of the two waiters who has been there forever; he's the tall thin man) how Jetto was doing because I know for several years he has had some mobility problems. He said Jetto was in the kitchen. Anyhow, if you call and want to ask a person who can definitely answer your question with accuracy ask for Ken. He is Jetto's brother.
Mrs. Pipes```` 
Skippy Two weeks ago, they told me Jetto was in the kitchen. After they went down hill, I always ask if Jetto is still there, prior to ordering. He’s got to teach all his chefs to copy his recipes. Their food is great....only if Jetto is there. He’s NOT allowed to retire. If he does, their food will suck, again. Hopefully, Jetto is ok. They’ve been very good to us, over the years.
Guilty-Remnant Before opening Hong Kong Palace, Jetto worked at the New York Tea Garden in Morristown which was well-known and one of the two popular go to places for Chinese food. NY Tea Garden has been gone for a long time. When Jetto opened HKP around 30 - 35 years ago it was the only business in that small strip mall. We've always enjoyed going to HKP and had many a chat with Jetto when he used to come out of the kitchen to chat with the customers. He did retire once a few years ago. Anyhow, like Guilty-Remnant, I hope he is doing okay with his health.
I think they may be making the best ribs in town.thick meaty and great taste.get a big bag of them for 18 dollars
mel Ditto to that, mel. We don’t usually get such an expensive add on, but when we do, they have been awesome. Juicy, meaty and delicious. Very fresh tasting. The ONLY place we would get them is Hong Kong.
We got dinner the other day from Hong Kong Palace- soups, two different main dishes, vegetable friend rice................sadly it was mediocre at best. We were hoping - Any other suggestions?
4catmom Do yourself a favor. You may not eat anywhere else again.
https://asiankitchenhackettstown.5menucities.com/default.aspx
Roywhite 
Philliesman 
Luca I wonder how accurate the coding on the Asian Kitchen menu is. There are only a couple of entrees that have the 'v' for vegetarian, but it seems like other ones could also possibly be. Even the appetizer cold / hot sesame noodles isn't indicated 'v'. I've never had any other Chinese restaurant say those were not vegetarian. Same for the Vegetable Spring Roll.
I'm also wondering the accuracy, because there is no peanut next to the Thai Cashew Chicken & Shrimp.
I've been getting food from Hackettstown Chinese for over forty years and never been disappointed.
Melissa A Nolan I’m not arguing that you enjoy Hackettstown Chinese, my opinion is its mediocre at best and maybe one of the dirtiest places locally. Give any other one a try, see what you think.
@Luca... I got the Pad Thai at Asian Kitchen and it was terrible. I mean absolutely awful. I threw the entire container away after literally 2 bites. Possibly an off day? Maybe. It was my first time ever eating there and I'm just not down to try again.
King Wok in Budd Lake does excellent Pad Thai.
Weebiekins Hong Kong Palace has gone down hill since this COVID thing started. I don't think Jeto is there. He has retired.
I would not waste my time and money to go there any more.
Bernie What's the name of the small restaurant that is across from Target (eastbound side of Rt. 57)? I think they opened up 1-2 years ago at most.
thanks.
Hackresident I agree the Pad Thai at asian kitchen did not taste like any Pad Thai I have had before, it was good, just different. I have found ALL of their others dishes to be excellent.
Mark I'm definitely going to have to try Asian Kitchen, it's always good to hear good reviews about a new place in town.
Nothing beats Pandan Room's Pad Thai. If I have a pad thai craving I don't go anywhere else.
I don't feel Hong Kong Palace has gone down in quality, though I always did feel their takeout wasn't nearly as good as their dine-in menu, and of course I haven't dined inside there in months.
honestyseasy Good to know about the pad thai at Asian Kitchen - I'll avoid it & try the Chinese offerings instead!
Asian Kitchen is my go-to for Chinese food. Their Thai dishes (other than pad thai) are very good. They are also great at accommodating special dietary needs.
SquirrelGrrl Asian Kitchen, order online, review your order, input for special orders, confirm your cost, receive confirmation of order. All good!
http://asiankitchenhackettstown.com/ I've ordered from there a few times now and everything has been great. Adding a +1 for them.
Iampc SquirrelGrrl --
I was wondering about that .... concerning vegetarian dishes. Sometimes Chinese restaurants list something as vegetarian but might saute with chicken broth or use a fish sauce. Is there any issue with communication (sufficient English ability) to ask questions like that with them?
Asian Kitchen is our new favorite place for Chinese! The Thai basil is good and all of their Chinese has been great! With Pandan room in town, I'm not that interested in trying the other Thai dishes to be honest.
Hong Kong Palace does certain dishes GREAT like Kung Pao Chicken and Lo Mein but their General Tso's has unrecognizable sauce that does not satisfy that craving or taste like the normal, I'm guessing highly "Americanized" dish so depends on what we're in the mood for!
somechick1 I haven't eaten at HKP in well over a decade, but the Szechuan-Style Shredded Beef was always my favorite...
ianimal 
GC pad thai at asian kitchen was not edible....it must be their recipe and it's awful. everything else from there was tasty.
friendly mcface Just had Hong Kong Palace and it was as good as it used to be! They must've straightened out whatever they had to. Maybe it's worth another try.
LL Don't go to a Chinese restaurant and expect the Thai food to be good, Asian Kitchen may have "asian" in it's name, but the Chinese is amazing and should be the only option you choose.
Pburgisdirty Tried the Asian Kitchen and the meal I had was terrible, the worst tofu meal I ever ate. I had General Tso's tofu. The portion size is excellent, an enormous amount of tofu and white rice with two thumb sized broccoli sprigs. The sauce was sticky but not very spicy.
The problem was the tofu, empty cubes is how I can best describe it. I cook my own tofu and order it often enough to know how it should taste and what the texture should be. Asian Kitchens version is thin boxes of air, no actual tofu, just air.
CBGB Want to try Asian Kitchen but was wondering if there is any problem with communication ( ie English proficiency ) to request strict dietary needs.
Thanks.
I think Mr. Fan is cooking. I had a beef dish for dinner and it was great! The fried r ice was great!! Prices are reasonable as well.
Mmadone Tried Asian Kitchen twice - dumplings were mostly a huge amount of dough - hot and sour soup - not good - and main courses were unimpressive with the possible exception of moo shu pork..............Still looking for good NYC style Chinese food
Steve 
3wbdwnj Oh how I miss Hong Kong Palace. Heard this place is not so good anymore.
Went to Asian Kitchen tonight. One dinner was beef and peppers and the other was lemon chicken. It cost $27.00 and brought it home.
Neither dinner was good and ended throwing most of it away.
There is a Chinese food place on highway opposite M&M's in strip mall by pizza place. The food is better, fresher, and plenty of people coming and going. This is a good sign.
Wish JETO was still around. He ran a great place !!!!!
Bernie -- the place across from M&M's is not Chinese, it's a Japanese restaurant. Gaza Ramen & Sushi.
The food I got from Asian Kitchen was very good. *Spicy Hunan Vegetable & Fresh Tofu* (I had the tofu fried) was delicious ...... mostly tofu with some vegetables. *Vegetable Lo Mein* had a very good taste and was not drowning in sauce. It had a larger ratio of noodles to vegetables (compared to Hong Kong Palace, which has a lot of vegetables)
Looking forward to going back for other things.
Happiest Girl, Bernie is correct. In addition to the restaurant you mentioned, there is a Chinese restaurant in that plaza called Bamboo Kitchen. I've gone there a few times. The food was ok, but Szechuan is my favorite.
Sunburst There is Chinese there too. It’s called bamboo. A store or two over from Gaza.
Independent observer 
TJS The restaurant the last three posters are referring to is Bamboo Kitchen, same Plaza as Gaza and Sonny's.
JrzyGirl88 Happiest Girl: IMO I did not like Asian Kitchen and it is highly recommended on this site.
YOU try my place called Bamboo Kitchen up by Sonny's. Appease me!!!!!!!
Unlike some time in the past, we haven't found one we liked enough to return to - including those named above-
GeneK CBGB --
I see what you meant about the General Tso's Tofu at Asian Kitchen --- airy pockets. But it tasted good, just not solid tofu pieces. I wonder if they used tofu skins to make it, rather than solid tofu. That's what it seems like, unless they have some magical way to make the tofu like empty pockets!
I was quite disappointed with the Cold Sesame Noodles, though. A glucky thick mess of sauce on top of the noodles. I could barely mix the 2 together, and it was not tasty like others I've had. Adding soy sauce to the mixture helped it quite a bit.
Anyone have good Cold Sesame Noodles anywhere? The location where Bamboo Kitchen is, used to be run by this woman who made fantastic sesame noodles. She sold the noodles and the sauce in 2 separate containers for you to mix yourself. The sauce was incredibly good.
We ate at Szechuan Royale in Hastings recently and enjoyed it. I know the went downhill before Covid and had stopped going. Glad we gave it another try.
Bessie I was going to Asian Kitchen but had some disappointing lunch specials and decided to go to China Garden on Stiger Street
Great move on my part !!
So much better!!
Hotdogchili 
MB Balinese curry at Pandan Room is second favorite tofu dish.
My own tofu surprise being my favorite.
gave Pandan room a 4th try - over several years - never again - neither meal was good - not like any Thai food I've had elsewhere - what a disappointment
Another good tofu meal I get is Ma Po at Bamboo Kitchen.
It makes me think of an old fashioned beef stew but with tofu and Chinese.
CBGB -
Is the Ma Po at Bamboo Kitchen strict vegetarian?
Next time I'm near there I'll pick up a menu -- can't find one online.
Pandan room really only does Indonesian. I once asked them to make a very basic Thai dish and they did it; but it was just mediocre. Pandan Dim Sum is great otherwise ok if you are into a curry dish.
iJay Jetto has retired. The new owners completed a significant renovation about a month ago. The only booths now are the ones along the short wall, they face the entrance. The other side of that short wall no longer has booths, that entire side is table seating. With new furnishings and design it looks very different. They are waiting for artwork for the walls.
A dish we have had a many, many times before was prepared significantly differently.
OnTheEdge We visited the week after Mother’s Day
They had opened for Mother’s Day hoping to “catch” a crowd on the holiday but definitely were not ready….wife still hanging for light fixtures. Food not available, stale fortune cookies etc
We were extremely disappointed and will not return. We left a note stating how disappointed we were not only in the food but in the atmosphere as well.
IMO they took what was once a Hackettstown mainstay and turned it into a Morristown wanna be. But not a good one ! Not that a renovation wasn’t needed but a nice quiet sit down restaurant was nice to have in town….
I say know your crowd and know your location
I wish them luck but still won’t return
Btw I wonder what they did with the “money” on the walls. Two of our good friends from Penn Stage who were Olympian’s signed bills and left them for Jetto. Always proud to have them hanging there. I hope they weren’t tossed with the old “stuff”
Ziggy 
MTSO 
danny zucko When did new owners take over? I got my usual takeout I believe in February and it was not good. Did new cooks come with the new owners?
We got take out last night. For someone who doesn’t really eat Chinese and hasn’t been there in years, I thought it was pretty good and the ingredients seemed of good quality
Disappointed with Hong Kong Palace. Food was not great, some items to spicy for me, not marked spicy. Waited quite awhile for food, and food was so so.
gave it a try again-----never again --- won't go into why but neither of our dishes were any good - we left most of it -yes disappointed - always hoping there's a good quality chinese or thai restaurant in town
we did like the new set up -
Luca- not true. Asian Kitchen in Washington (by Brass Castle) is fantastic.
Not greasy- not slimy gunk, not sugary sweet- just tasty, clean, well done.
I've never tried their other location.
Josh True that, Josh. Asian Kitch in Wash is great, I go over there couple times a month.
Went to Hong Kong Palace a week ago... its depressing. Everything is black and gray.. The inside looks like a dentist office now. Doesn't have that classic 90's Chinese restaurant atmosphere we all loved back then. No music or anything, maybe they are still renovating?
On to the food. The homemade egg rolls are just as I remembered them. The wonton soup though? Not good. Bland, no flavor at all. I got the General Tso Chicken because I always remembered it being a unique dish there and unlike any other I've had. Now, its that generic round chunks with a different sauce. Not at all like it used to be for years and years.
This place was going downhill for a few years now, but this is the final nail in the coffin for sure.
Oh yeah, now they have Thai and Japanese food on their menu... maybe focus on making your Chinese food good again first?
Eli Eli - we liked the remodel -need a few pix on the walls - but - but there is no reason to give a chance when the food was not good - chicken skin instead of chicken in a dish - 2 different mediocre soups---- sorry - wish it had been better -
I'm sad to say that the food has gone down hill over the past few months. I have been a loyal customer ordering takeout there at least once a week.
We order 2 QTs of Wonton soup each trip, the coloring has gotten darker and darker, there are less wontons in each container than usual, and my past trip on Tuesday it was so salty nobody could eat it.
The various dinner portions we order on a regular basis (chicken wings, general cho chicken, chow mei fun) and so on have all shrunk in portion size.
Even the steamed dumplings have had a change in texture becoming more mushy inside and out.
Maybe its the quality of food they are buying, maybe its the lack of goods available due to shortages, or maybe its just poor management and cooking. I cant be sure but what I will take a pause from the restaurant for a while and try again in 6 months to a year!
Daddy of 4 We miss Jedo. He learned his craft working at The New York Tea Garden in Morristown before he opened Hong Kong Palace. Both Jedo and his wife cooked at Hong Kong Palace, and it was always good. Jedo's brother, Ken, sometimes ran the front. We wish the new Hong Kong Palace good luck going forward.
The place is not worth going to. Miss Jetto so much. I remember when he got his training in Morristown Chinese restaurant.
Jetto was the best. My dad and him where great friends. When my dad passed jetto did all the food for the repass.
Jim s We are very long time patrons of Hong Kong Palace (decades...how long have they been there ...and next door?), so we decided to check it out today.
The wonton soup was excellent - better than before.
One of us had sweet and sour chicken, and it was terrific. Very similar to before. One difference: the rice now comes on the plate rather than in separate serving dishes. Actually, we liked it like that.
I had pork egg foo young - my go-to. It was fantastic! The omelets were *huge* and chock full of onion and pork, and the pork was really nice. The same for my fried rice - lots of really nice pork. The one difference: the sauce on top is now on the side. It used to be more of a gravy, but now it's more like a Hunan sauce. I put aside my expectations and it turns out, I loved it.
We still got tea and noodles with duck sauce. The mustard isn't super hot like it used to be.
There is one server left from the "old" days. He's super sweet. He said everyone else retired.
The interior still needs work. They need color on the walls and plants to soften things up. It is very stark in there. The table tops in the booths by the windows are gorgeous!
I'll go whenever I'm in the area. I brought home enough leftovers for 2 meals. We thought it was *very* good.
Best of luck to the new owner. It's awful to open a small business these days. We'll be back.
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