I don't know what happened but I've had three people tell me recently that they were served spoiled/rancid tofu and/or meat. The idea of this restaurant falling that far this quickly is heartbreaking, but I don't want another person going here on my Yelp recommendation only to throw their takeout in the trash.
Review Source:After an afternoon of holiday cookie decorating, my friends and I were starved for food that wasn't covered in sugar. Sesame was close, so we decided to get take-out and watch a movie.
The restaurant was empty when we arrived. Service was prompt and we quickly ordered beef & broccoli, sesame chicken, and general tso's chicken. We were told 10 minutes and not long after we were out the door with our food.
Unfortunately, only two of our entrees were edible. The rancid smell from the sesame chicken was so strong when we opened the container that none of us could do anything but throw away the whole thing. The rest of the food was okay, definitely nothing to return for some other time. We'll be looking for somewhere else to be our go-to.
So I think this place polarizes people. I'm chinese and I think the place is pretty decent  NOTE: I didn't say good or great. On the other hand, my wife won't step foot back into Sesame.  Make no mistake, this is not upscale high quality chinese food. But rather chinese food cooked by a chinese person which gives it a more authentic flavor. The prices are good and portions large. So, when the family is out of town, I come here to get take out. But otherwise, no go for the family.
Review Source:Yelpers, ya steered me wrong. Or else they were having a VERY bad day!? I was so excited to try it after reading about authentic chinese food. Low prices, big portions, great food.... hmm I really got jipped! I even took my parents because they love authentic food.
The shrimp smelled horrific :( Â i think it was bad.
The hot pot was the biggest disappointment ever. the flavor was horrible almost inedible. Â nothing was good. Â everything had a funky old smell to it. Â my parents were NOT impressed. Â My fiance was totally not impressed. The service was horrible. Â there was only 1 lady and she changed her mind multiple times about what she was telling us. Â We ordered ALOT of food. So much that we needed 2 tables, and NOTHING was good. Â You can't really mess up wonton soup - mostly if you're asian and they messed it up. so many things got sent back uneaten :( so disappointing because we really wanted to like this place.
The fish was decent but only because they dropped a whole tilapia in a deep fryer. It came with absolutely no sauce! Go to thai taste and learn how to make a flavorful fish please.
We left and I feel like we wasted everyone's time and energy to eat there and no one was satisfied. Let's hope no one has food poisoning. My fiance said the fortune cookie was the highlight of his meal and he LOVES egg drop, kung pao, general tso's, and spicy soups. We left most of the food on the table and my parents hate to waste food. They usually take it home for the dog but not even this food was worth the trouble.
I will NOT be going back to Sesame. Â I ordered the Mongolian Beef the other day and it was possibly the worst Mongolian Beef I've had ever. Â It was as though the meat was...soggy. Â The fried rice had no flavor at all. Â I did like the egg roll but I'm not sure if they make them there or just buy them frozen. Â My friend got the General Tso's chicken and he said he didn't like his either. Â
I mean, I realize the lunch specials are only $5 but I'd be willing to pay the extra dollar or two charged by restaurants nearby that serve better quality food. Â Maybe we should have taken the fact that throughout our 1 hour lunch time there, we were two of 4 people in the restaurant as a sign.
I couldn't find a menu for Sesame Chinese anywhere online. I looked through reviews and such online because I really wanted to try this place. I found something mentioning chicken in garlic sauce lunch special. Ding! That would do.
So that's what I ordered.
I found the place behind Half Price Books on 86th and Ditch. It was in a strip mall and very small- and dark. I think the only lighting might have been what came through the windows. The place was pretty colorless, too. One table was occupied.
I walked in, and I can't really remember if the host smiled at all (I don't believe she did). That's okay, though. This place is more about the food, I can tell. I asked if I could take the one carry out menu near the register- Yes, thank you (I'll try to take a photo and upload or something. Somewhat technologically  challenged).
I was surprised to hear my total was $4.50 (or thereabouts). Really? A pretty heavy meal UNDER 5$? Nice!
I got back to work, and a lot of the sauce had fallen out of the box into the bag it was in. I'm glad they put the to-go box in a bag! There really was tons of food. The eggroll tasted very strong of cabbage. That's fine, though, because the cabbage is one of the best parts.
The meal itself was HUGE and very garlicy. It was a bit sweet- I'd prefer a spicy garlic sauce. But it was FULL of flavor.
We went here with a group of friends (10) for a birthday dinner. They were able to accommodate all of us at one table even though they have limited space.
The menu wasn't your typical, americanized Chinese food. There were a lot of vegetarian/vegan options. Their tofu was fried just right. We also tried some of their other meat replacements (fake duck, fake chicken). I was less impressed with those. They were a little slimy. All of the food was good, just not as good as it would have been had I just stuck with tofu.
Service was prompt and she listed the ingredients for every meal we chose, which is nice since you don't always know what is in the mix of veggies and such.
I definitely recommend for those looking to a little variety to their Chinese food options.
The food is very good. Â They have all the most common dishes, but they aren't all exactly as you expect them. Â In fact, they are much more delicious at Sesame. Â Maybe it was an odd time, but when I went in, there wasn't anyone younger than 85 in there, so the environment was a bit dull.
Review Source:I've eaten here off-and-on after I found out this was the reincarnation of the former Cheng Du. Â Most times it has been OK to fairly good, their salt-and-pepper shrimp (by request) is decent though not outstanding, their shui chee yee (fish in hot chili oil/broth)(by request) etc OK to so-so, their English menu samplings at least OK with one or two having the odd smell or two...
The last lunch I had here, however, I thought was disappointing even though it was tasty enough. Â I ordered hot & sour soup, shrimp with ginger sauce (substituting for fish fillets), and a half portion of Buddha's Delight - all from the English menu. Â The hot & sour soup was bizarre, tasted like a stir-fried pork/ham dish (with dicey pork to boot), watery with very little stuff - if any - in it. Â Fail. Â The shrimp with ginger sauce [for which the server consulted with the kitchen before agreeing to the substitution, using shell-less shrimp which was fine with me] was just shrimp stir-fried with mixed veggies in a white sauce splashed with Shaohshing cooking wine, no trace of ginger detectable, nice crunchy vegetables and somewhat tasty, but it was really just a nondescript Americanized stir-fry. Â The "Buddha's Delight" was tasty enough (a bit salty) but was the exact same mixed veggies as the previous dish, stir-fried in what seemed to be the same white sauce but minus the Shaohshing wine. Â It was certainly NOT Loh Han Chai () which was what I was expecting. Â It was just "mixed veggies in an American stir-fry". Â I was hungry and ate up but it felt like an insult of sorts to me. It wasn't Chinese food, let alone food in a popularly esteemed "Sichuan" restaurant. Â [Yes, I'm Chinese, grew up eating authentic Chinese (largely Cantonese) food and cook my own as well]
Although this restaurant is now called Sesame, I still refer to it as Cheg Du. My family went there every Sunday, after it closed we stopped eating Chinese food, Then one miraculous day we were walking into marsh supermarket and saw a handwritten sign in the window of this new Chinese restaurant in the marsh strip mall that read "formally Cheg Du" we literally ran over and were greeted by the same hostess as always, and we called the rest of the family to meet us there immediately. The same waitress as always even remember our usual orders. The food is as excellent as it has always been. The atmosphere may seem a bit seedy, but it is a family restaurant that will treat you like family. The food is also great as take out, but the restaurant is just so charming I suggest trying one of their many fantastic dishes in house. They are more than willing to accommodate to specific tastes (for example, shrimp with just snow peas, instead of shrimp with mixed vegetables) and for a very decent price you'll be served your (quite large) entree with your choice of steamed or fried rice, soup, and an egg roll or chicken wing. Over the year my family has tried nearly every item on the menu, and have yet to find a dish they do not make perfectly.
Review Source:Searching for good chinese in Indy seems to be like finding water in the desert... Â I tried to like this, but it didn't quite make it. The house lo-mein smelled SO funny, I was pretty sure it had something spoiled in it, and tho I tried a tentaive small bite I ended up throwing the whole thing away. The Dan-Dan noodles WERE great, the cucumbers very good but too "raw", should have been marinated longer. I also ordered a pork and beef mixed BBQ - I'm sure it was all beef, not the worst thing, it tasted OK, and I have to say it was almost ALL meat, not filkled with "filler " vegatables. Pressed duck was pretty lousy. Tho the meat was moist and fresh, it was soggy and had no taste, not crisp at all.
Review Source:This was, hands down, the worst Chinese food that I have ever eaten. Â My husband and I got take-out from there last winter, and were greatly looking forward to it, as we had been HUGE fans of Cheng Du. Â And look, it was even the same lady from there!
When we got home, and opened the bag, my husbands Sesame Beef had an odd odor. Â Like, unappetizing odor. Â But this was the new incarnation of Cheng Du, right?
WRONG! Â
He went ahead and took a bite, even though every instinct said "This Is Not Edible," and wow should he have listened...it was essentially rotten. Â The off odor was the fact that the meat was spoiled. Â He spit it out, and couldn't eat anything for about 24 hours, he was so put off. Â
If I can save anyone else that trauma, a negative review is worth writing.
This place had delicious food and great options for vegetarians. The Crab Rangoon and Egg Rolls were some of the best I have had. The only reason I didnt give it 5 stars was the ambiance was a little lacking but I am sure that will change soon! Very good, if you are a foodie that normally avoids Chinese restaurants I believe this place will have you pleasantly surprised!
Review Source:I ate at Sesame Chinese a few weeks ago with some girlfriends. It was on a Tuesday so we were seated right away. The restaurant was on the small side but it seemed like they had a lot of carryout traffic. The food was awesome! We ordered a lot so we could try a variety of items. We tried the sweet and sour soup, the egg rolls, crab rangoon, spicy green beans and several other dishes. Everything tasted great and the spicy green beans were my favorite! I will definitely go back again!
Review Source:Lunch specials are huuuge! I had the sesame chicken and hot and sour soup. Both tasty, although I like my soup a little spicier. I also wished the sesame chicken was spicier, cuz despite being labeled spicy, it really was pretty sweet instead. Â I usually ask for things to be spicy, though, and this time I forgot, so... yeah. Â I'll definitely go back, and they had lotsa vegetarian options which is nice even though I'm a carnivore.
Review Source:I love Chinese food for lunch! After reading some of the wonderful reviews and because I was driving right by, I decided to stop in and give this place a go! I feel disappointed. I feel robbed and lied to. For the life of me I can not understand why everyone has rated this place so high. Now I'm one for little hole in the wall places and this place definitely fits that bill. The cleanliness had a lot to be desired and it was freezing inside. Let's get down to the nitty gritty. I ordered off the dinner menu just because I like the selections more and I can do without the egg roll and rice that accompanies most lunch combos. I asked for suggestions on some sort of spicy seafood dish with no green peppers ( I despise green peppers). The server was kind enough to suggest shrimp and scallop in a spicy sauce with broccoli and onions and egg drop soup. Sounded great to me so off she went. Came back with a cup of egg drop soup that had corn in it. I'm not saying this was bad but it was definitely different. Then the shrimp & scallops came in all it's steaming goodness or so I thought!! The stench, yes thats right I used the adjective "Stench" to describe this dish, was horrific. It just smelled like bad seafood. I thought to myself for a moment and thought about how much I love Thai food, and how it usually smells like a dirty foot but tastes awesome. Sad to say this was not the case here. There was no flavor at all except for the fishy smelly flavor. I put a heaping amount of chili paste and tried it again and still the same taste. I'm not sure if I caught them on a bad day but if this is indicative of the usual cuisine. Please beware!! I took the remainder to go just in case I became horribly ill!! Funny I left the take out bag with the remainder of the swill in it, in my car. 2 hours later my wife got in and almost vomited from the smell. It was really that bad! Â Sorry guys I can't see eye to eye with you on this one!
Review Source:Indianapolis has really disappointed me in Chinese fare. It all seems to be like diner-style, super greasy, mouth parching saltiness, store bought pre-made sauces dumped all over a dish, etc, etc. You know the type. It feels mcdonalds-ized. I've been dying to go to a place that uses really fresh ingredients and balances flavors delicately, maybe resulting in a little bit healthier dishes, but it's just not to be found in town as far as I can tell.
That stated, this place wins best in town. The owners and staff are really kind and attentive, and they have several signature dishes which make it worth checking out. I tried and loved the vegetarian "duck" which was really just kind of a rice paper vegetable potpie. It was nice.
My oh my, was this a surprise treat! If you enjoy Chinese food, not that slimy noodle stuff you can get at the mall, but real, flavorful, healthy Chinese food, then head here for sure! I was only in Indianapolis for five days, and unfortunately I only had the opportunity to dine here once. I found the place late in the week and wanted to check out their most similar competitor in the area - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/sichuan-chinese-restaurant-carmel">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a> the next day.
First, the prices are amazing! Now maybe, food in Indie is just super cheap, but I would doubt it. In fact, some of the other places I tried were downright pricey. My lunch entree was $3. Yes, $3. Ok, I had a vegetarian dish, but still! After adding an appetizer to the mix, my entire out of the world lunch was still only $5. I'd takes that hands down over Arby's any day.
You must get the Spicy Green Beans. I don't care if you don't think vegetables are the way to go. I myself, am a die hard fan of meat, but these are beans are tasty for sure, and NOT TO BE MISSED. I got a lunch portion. It was huge. Super, duper huge. I could have shared it with someone and we both would have been full. The flavor was, uh, awesome. Spicy, crunchy, delicious.
I added to this Crab Rangoons. Despite the relative few number of ingredients in Crab Rangoons, they are often messed up. These were warm, the crunch shell was light, the the crab/cream cheese filling was balanced... not to crabby, not too cheesy. Just all in all good. They were served with mustard and sweet and sour sauce.
The service was excellent. Like other reviews have said, there are just two ladies who run the joint. My water was kept full the entire time. They made sure to ask me how my meal was and served me a fortune cookie when I left.
Now this place is not huge on ambience. It isn't where I'd bring a first-date, unless he/she is a foodie and atmosphere is pretty low on the list. But the food is top notch, the service is great and the prices are almost embarrassingly affordable. Yum, yum, yum.
Well, the game has now changed. Sesame Chinese is now the best restaurant I've been to in Indianapolis! The food absolutely amazed me, both in flavor, price, and presentation. We were the only people in the place on a rainy Saturday night, but that did not detract at all from the experience. The 2 ladies working there were very kind, constantly checking on us to make sure everything was ok, but not in a bad way at all. We ordered 3 courses... The Dan Dan noodles and hot and spicy cucumbers for an appetizer, both of which were amazing! I won't lie, I found myself eating the sauce that came with the dan dan noodles with a spoon when nobody was looking ;). Then we had some soup, which was extremely flavorful and authentic tasting, not overly salty like you'll find a lot of soups at chinese restaurants. Then we ordered the Buddha Special and the Sesame Bean Curd (tofu), both of which were mind bogglingly good. I couldn't stop thinking about how this is how food is supposed to taste when you go out to eat. Most restaurants I've been to cram a gigantic portion of overly salty, overly creamy, overly sugary food down your throat without  any regard for the authenticity of the meal. Sesame Chinese does the very opposite. Everything was served in perfect timing, perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked... just amazing. Everything also made excellent leftovers, to boot! I can't wait for my next trip, I'll have dan dan noodles on the mind until then!
Review Source:Sesame is great for vegans and vegetarians, who miss general tsaos chicken, and sweet and sour chicken, you can swap out any of the meat on the menu for wheat gluten, the food is delicious the environment is calm, and the two ladys who run the place are a delight, The price is awesome too 2 people can eat for under $20.
Review Source:A great place to eat, whether you're an omnivore, vegetarian, or vegan. That's right- there's actual real options for the vegans/vegetarians w/ the same rich delicious sauces the meat eaters get to enjoy. It's so nice to be able to go out for Chinese food & not be stuck w/ the same ol' boring, bland steamed vegetables & tofu or veggie lo mein/mei fun. They'll make anything with wheat gluten, like General Tso's wheat gluten or orange wheat gluten. Seriously delicious food. Â Not much for atmosphere, but the food & attentive service more than makes up for it.
Review Source:Not sure why I haven't reviewed this yet! Â Sesame is THE place to go if you want Chinese-style mock meats in Indy. Â Service is good, prices are right. Â However, the food isn't that good compared to Chinese-style mock meat restaurants in other cities- I've had better in Houston and Lexington KY, not to mention Austin and San Francisco.
Still it is nice to go to every once in a while if you are vegan or vegetarian and craving Chinese food.
i hit this spot once a week. you can't beat their lunch menu. most dishes are around the $4.50- $5.50 range and that includes soup. portions are plentiful. i usually can't eat it all. the menu what you would expect from a traditional Chinese restaurant. they also have great veggie options (vegetarian sesame chicken is my favorite). i love the two ladies who run it. "soup is hot. enjoy." every once and a while you catch a glimpse of the jolly looking cook.
Review Source:
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