Spicy Garlic Shrimp from Cathay 22

Oddly situated between Macy's furniture and Goodwill on the right side of Route 22 Westbound,  has served Sichuan cuisine in Springfield since 1985. It is almost buried among the warehouses here, in an unlikely spot for a restaurant. And don't confuse it with Chen's 22, about a mile down the road.

Once inside, the dining area flows with green carpet and peach-colored walls. Vertical blinds on the south side of the restaurant let in natural light while partially shielding a beautiful view of Route 22 and the newly opened Dunkin Donuts in the median of the highway.

“Would you like a drink from the bar,” is not something we ever hear upon sitting down for lunch in Springfield. But that's how my meal at Cathay 22 started – not with a drink, but with the offer for one. Yes, Cathay has a full bar and wine list.

Specials last week included shrimp and scallops in Cathay sauce with or without black beans ($21.95), steamed Chilean sea bass in a ginger scallion sauce ($26.95) and soft shell crabs in a garlic sauce ($17.95). The regular menu is divided into "from the sea," "from the land" and "from the garden" sections.

In addition to these selections, the menu also includes about 20 lunch specials, some for $7.95, some for $6.95. All come with a pot of tea, a salad, and a choice of egg drop or hot and sour soup.

The steaming pot of black tea was not the fragrant jasmine tea served at  on Morris Avenue, nor was it brewed inside the pot, but that didn't stop me from drinking several cups.

Immediately after I ordered, soup and salad were brought to my table. The hot and sour soup was filled with tofu and Chinese veggies, and sprinkled with fresh cilantro, a refreshing touch to this thick, spicy soup.

Next came the salad, a mix of colorless iceberg lettuce, a slice of cucumber, two slices of carrot and a large tomato slice, topped with what looked like a thousand island dressing. I generally turn my nose up at iceberg lettuce, but this salad served its purpose well. Nutritionally, it may have been worthless, but it's crunchy texture and sweet dressing refreshed my palate, preparing it for my entree, baby shrimp in a garlic sauce.

The entree successfully avoided the two pitfalls of many Chinese restaurants: burying the meat, or in this case, the shrimp, among an abundance of vegetables, and over salting the food. My dish included a generous amount of baby shrimp, perhaps as many as two dozen. The sauce was spicy and full of garlic, but not in an overpowering way that might keep people away from me for 24 hours. Accompanying the shrimp in the sauce were water chestnuts and snap peas. White rice was served on the side. 

Cathay 22 rises to the top of a short list of good Chinese restaurants in the Springfield area, coming very close, but perhaps not surpassing the Morris Avenue restaurant that is still our favorite, Hunan Spring.