Discovered Tong Soon Garden over 15 years ago when a co-worker from Applied brought me there for lunch. Located in the “Little Seoul section of Santa Clara along El Camino Real, the owners are Korean Chinese, and serve up spicy Chinese food. Their home made noodles make their noodle soups and chow mein very tasty. One of their signature dishes, in my mind, is the Hot and Sour soup. Normally a soup that is little more than broth laced with some vinegar, pepper, and soy sauce at other Chinese restaurants and something that I don’t even consider ordering, Tong Soon’s version is well stocked with pork, shrimp, tofu, wood ear fungus, bamboo, and “egg flowers” with the right balance of sourness and heat from lots of pepper.
Everyone that I have introduced Tong Soon to has loved it. If ordering for just yourself, like for lunch, order the hot and sour noodle soup, which is just the soup with their homemade noodles added. If you are doing family style, order some other dishes and perhaps a chow mein. Most everything is good there, but definitely don’t skip the soup.