Gold Chain --- Seeking Increasing Perfection

Gold Chain --- Seeking Increasing Perfection

Gold Chain in Montgomery, New York, well deserves the “Top 100 Healthy Menu” Award it received from Chinese Restaurant News in the 6th annual awards ceremony. Owner, Hong Lin, is very particular about the freshness of each ingredient and how each dish is prepared. “Chinese restaurants in the United States are a lot alike. If the ingredients are fresh and the ingredients, seasonings, and preparation come together perfectly, this will determine whether or not a restaurant is successful,” he explains.

Simple and Cozy
Montgomery is a small town located at upstate New York, about 75 miles North of New York City. Just take the fifth exit of 84th Highway and keep driving to the north from 208th highway, Gold Chain is right before your eyes. It is located at ShopRite Plaza at the outskirt of Montgomery town. (The shopping center contains the only supermarket within the town of Montgomery)

The 1,200 square foot restaurant can seat up to 20 people, but the primary focus is on take out. Mr. Lin has decided to keep the interior décor humble, with a Chinese water painting on display to give the room a cozy feel. However, in the coming months, he plans to revisit this design and make some adjustments, all while keeping the simple and cozy ambiance.

Fresh and Healthy
The menu consists primarily of Mandarin cuisine. The large menu boasts healthfulness, quality, large portion sizes, and authenticity.

According to Mr. Lin, the restaurant’s signature dishes are Gold Chain’s Chicken with Kidney Beans in Ginger Sauce, Teriyaki Beef, Sweet & Sour Chicken, General Tso’s Chicken, Dumplings, Hot & Sour Soup, and Green Jade Delight.

The Shredded Chicken with String Beans in Ginger Sauce is one of the original house specialties. The ginger sauce is made of Szechuan bean paste, ginger, scallion, and a variety of other seasonings. This unique dish at the same time tastes sweet, sour, and a tad bit spicy and these flavors come together perfectly.

Boneless Spareribs, a must ordered dish of the restaurant, is very delicate in taste: aromatic but not greasy, crispy but tender. Scallion Pancake, which Lin describes it as Chinese Pizza, is made of traditional spices, fresh scallion and without lard. Crab Rangoon is also very exquisitely prepared with crab meat, cream cheese, garlic powder and vanilla.

The dishes most popular among the customers are the Double Cooked Pork, Chicken with Broccoli, General Tso’s Chicken and Lo Mein. Those mentioned before are just some of what Mr. Lin is proud of. But no matter what a customer orders, they are sure to be pleased by the homemade sauces, which are made from fresh stocks derived from chicken bones. Many people come specifically for buying Gold Chain’s garlic sauce (to Chinese it’s known as Yu Shiang sauce)

There are also plenty of options for the health conscious eater. Plenty of tofu and vegetables dishes are featured on the menu. According to Mr. Lin, his favorite healthy ingredients to work with are soy beans, celery, garlic, onion, ginger, and tofu because they are used in traditional Chinese recipes. Additionally, he confirms that no MSG is used in his kitchen.

But, again, Mr. Lin emphasizes the importance of fresh food. “We promise to supply each customer with the freshest food, every day,” he says. While this costs the restaurant quite a bit more, it’s well worth it because it keeps the customers coming back to the restaurant. Mr. Lin personally inspects the ingredients everyday to make sure they’re up to par.

The Service
Mr. Lin strongly believes in the culinary arts, and thinks that service is a part of this. “Each of my staff members is experienced and capable of handling any customer’s needs,” says Lin. “They’re hardworking, polite, and honest.”

In the more than fifteen years that Gold Chain Chinese Restaurant has been in business, Mr. Lin and his staff have formed many substantial relationships with the regular customers. In turn, the restaurant has a large and loyal following of dedication people who continue to tell their family and friends about the restaurant.

One adage Mr. Lin follows when it comes to service is “don’t bite off more than you can chew.” Restaurant owners and staff need the knowledge, skills, and qualifications in order to run a successful restaurant.

The Philosophy Behind The Success
According to Mr. Lin, “Innovation is key to keep a restaurant lively. Recipes can always be altered, nothing is permanent. But, most important, high standards can never be lowered.” He also believes that everything should be kept at an upscale level regarding the plates, table cloths, and furnishings. Quality is much more important than quantity. 

In addition to the philosophies Mr. Lin follows, there is more to why the restaurant has such a large regular customer base.
1. The menu is authentic and ever changing to keep customers interested.
2. High levels of flavor, service, and sanitation are always kept.
3. The prices are reasonable and the portions are large.
4. The service is serious.
5. Every customer is treated as a VIP.

Additionally, Mr. Lin engages with other people involved in the culinary arts. He’s able to learn from them to help make improvements to his menu and restaurant.

All About Mr. Lin...
Mr. Lin first traveled to Singapore to study Southeast Asian food. Then, in 1989, he moved to New Jersey and began his career in the restaurant industry. He worked in quite a few restaurants up and down the east coast before opening his first restaurant at 1994 in a small town not far from Montgomery. He then took over Gold Chain at 2006 and immediately applied his philosophy of cooking.

In the future, Mr. Lin plans to continue his hard work. He would like to invent more Szechuan inspired dishes to expand his menu and please his customers.

Mr. Lin knows his is fortunate to have a steady business in a suffering economy. He thanks his customers constantly for their continued support. In return for their support, Mr. Lin is excited to continue learning from his colleagues to invent new culinary creations and a cozy ambiance for his customers.

Name: Gold Chain
Location: 129 Hawkins Dr., Montgomery, NY 12549
Cuisine: Americanized Chinese Cuisine
Offers: Take-out, Dine-in
Phone: (845) 457-3346