Golden Star Chinese Restaurant

Location: 990 E. Washington St. Ste. G, Sequim

Phone: 683-8860 or 683-8846

Hours: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Friday;

11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

Dine in or take out

After more than a decade of cooking for other Chinese food establishments in Sequim, Port Angeles and Seattle, brothers Jason and Daniel Li decided to become their own bosses and opened the Golden Star Chinese Restaurant in the QFC plaza on Aug. 4.

“Every day business increases,” said Jason Li. “A lot of people try our sauces and say, ‘Wow, we like it,’ and they like our barbecue, too,” he added, noting that the Pu Pu Platter, consisting of barbecued pork, crab rangoon, fried chicken wings, an egg roll and fried prawns, is a popular appetizer.

The Li family hails from Canton, China, in the southern part of the country, and the brothers are skilled in its cuisine as well as in Mandarin-style, the food of Beijing. The Li family is a close-knit group, with several members and friends contributing to the restaurant’s operation.

Before opening, the brothers remodeled the dining room to give it an airy and serene look, with both booths and tables. A great deal of thought went into the restaurant’s massive menu, too, with dozens of dishes to please local palates. There are 10 different appetizers, including pot stickers, always a favorite, and even salt and pepper squid for the more adventurous; or choose from among three appetizer combinations. The Golden Star boldly offers nine types of soups in small and large servings — in addition to the traditional hot and sour, egg drop and wonton varieties, customers may want to break the mold and try the seafood soup, the Golden Star Special (barbecue pork, prawns, chicken, beef and vegetables) or wor wonton, a blending of vegetables, chicken and shrimp wrapped in wonton skin.

The restaurant offers six rice and noodle dishes, nine seafood choices, five pork-, 11 beef- and 15 chicken-based entrees, a number of them advertised as “hot and spicy” for those who like a bit of fire in their Chinese food. To go guilt-free, order from a dozen “light and healthy” entrees including sautéed Chinese eggplant, dry wok-tossed green beans or dressed up tofu. Combination dinners are a good value — they include one of 16 entrees, soup, egg roll, barbecued fried rice and chicken fingers — or have your tastebuds dazzled by any of the Li brothers’ house specialties, including Jade Scallops, Sizzling Seafood Delight, Happy Family and Nine-Flavor Beef.

Lunch is served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and includes rice, egg roll, crab rangoon, soup and a generous selection of entrees.

Jason Li said he and his brother are glad to answer any questions diners might have about their dishes and requests for less or more spiciness are honored. The brothers are glad to be their own chefs and aim to make the Golden Star the prime source of “Sequim’s Finest Chinese Cuisine.”