Bryan chu | 210sa contributor

Mongolian beef with brown rice from Pei Wei gets high marks.

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A sister company of P.F. Chang's, Pei Wei offers quality and freshness you can taste.

WHAT: Pei Wei

WHERE: Multiple locations, including 11267 Huebner Road; (210) 561-5600;  www.peiwei.com

HOURS: 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

TASTE SENSATION: The self-proclaimed Asian diner offers several healthy options. For starters, the crab wontons are wonderful, and the minced chicken with cool lettuce wraps mimics that of P.F. Chang's but at a lower price of $6.25.

Go for the Asian chopped chicken salad, Pei Wei spicy chicken salad and Vietnamese chicken salad rolls if you don't want a heavy meal.

What makes Pei Wei the place to visit are the noodles, which include pad thai and thai blazing noodles (tomato black pepper sauce, scallion, snap peas, carrot, tomato, cilantro, Thai basil, rice noodles). Rice dishes include Japanese teriyaki bowls and fried rice. There are also signature dishes that range from Thai coconut curry to mandarin kung pao. For each of the entrees, you get a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp or vegetables and tofu.

TUMS-WORTHY: During a recent trip, the chicken lo mein was a bit bland. The meal was salvaged by the condiments of soy sauce, hot mustard and chiles.

THE 210 TAKE: Portions are hearty, and most dishes are $6.75. All the dishes are pretty much made in 10 minutes or fewer.

The food isn't oily or fatty. A favorite is the Mongolian beef, which comes with sweet garlic soy sauce, scallions and white mushrooms. Opt for the brown rice instead of white rice. Another favorite is the honey-seared shrimp, which costs $9, but is well worth it.

If you're looking for something different, try the dan dan noodles: chile-seared garlic soy sauce, minced chicken, scallion, bean sprouts, cucumber and egg noodles.

The décor at Pei Wei is welcoming (seeing different-sized woks hanging above the kitchen was fun) and the service is outstanding (you order, pick a seat and a waiter brings you your food).

Bryan Chu | 210SA contributor