What do a rabbit, a rooster, an ox, and a dragon all have in common? They make up your Lunch Ladies!

This week we went to one of Jennette’s favorite restaurants. You know, those tucked away places that you probably wouldn’t try unless someone tells you personally that you’ve GOTTA go there, because it’s tucked away, and even though you’ve driven past it 100 times, you can’t say you’ve ever really noticed it. And if you had looked too closely you aren’t sure if it would have been on an episode of “Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives” on the Food Network. Yeah, that kind of place … understated, yet secretly delicious. That’s where we went — and its name is Chen’s Noodle House.

Jennette has been going there for years, but it was a new experience for some of us Lunch Ladies. Located right by the University Mall, I was kind of surprised I had not really noticed it before. And being a huge fan of Chinese food, I was surprised I hadn’t tried it before, but that’s the thing about Chinese restaurants, I usually only go off of recommendations. But here we had a solid recommendation from a fellow Lunch Lady, so what could be better?

We headed up and were inside the rather quiet, quaint, sit-down restaurant in no time. A little older interior and exterior was in no way a deterrent, after all we’ve enjoyed all sorts of Provo and Orem landmarks that are way less flashy, but still had great food and ingredients.

Polite wait staff offered us our seats and menus full of options at amazing prices! We perused and placed our orders, and then turned our full attention to our place mats. The Chinese Zodiac was broken out. Each animal sign, assigned depending upon the year of your birth, and corresponding personality traits were listed.

The Lunch Ladies had several friends with us that lunch hour so we had a great time finding our animal, as well as those of our friends. We compared traits, found out who we were compatible with, and who we should avoid. It was pretty much dinner and a show, so to speak.

Wonderful attributes such as affectionate, articulate, bright, patient … oh wait, and then someone got selfish … um, we will not disclose which Lunch Lady is which sign, of course. Fun, entertaining conversation, and before we knew it our warm meals were brought out.

Here is what we ordered:

Jennette: Manager’s Special, Saturday, Sweet & Sour Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mein — $7.50

I love Lo Mein, and Sweet and Sour Chicken, so when I saw that the Manager’s Special for Saturday combined the two, I knew that this was the meal for me. The meal includes soup of the day, egg roll and rice. I chose hot and sour soup — my favorite. It was the perfect combination, hot and sour. The Lo Mein was so good and very fresh; full of broccoli, cabbage and bean sprouts. The Sweet and Sour Chicken was just the right amount of crispy and covered in the right amount of sauce. The meal is served with ham-fried rice, but I substituted steamed rice, egg roll and extra sweet and sour sauce. This meal is just enough food to fill me up and doesn’t leave me looking for an afternoon snack. Chen’s only flaw is that they serve Pepsi.

Lyndsi: Vegetable Lo Mein Combination — $5.99

I will be the first to admit that I am not an expert when it comes to Chinese cuisine. So from someone who doesn’t regularly or really ever eat Chinese food — Chen’s Noodle House is good. I ordered the Vegetable Lo Mein combination plate and was satisfied with my choice. It came with a choice of soup, pot stickers, rice and of course Lo Mein. I opted for the egg drop soup and just the white rice — I am not a fan of ham-fried rice. Everything overall was pretty tasty, but my favorite thing was actually the pot stickers and the delicious sauce they came with. Next time I may just order those as my meal!

Sylvia: Szechuan Chicken — $7.49

I had a cold, so unfortunately didn’t join the ladies for this luncheon outing. Sad. I did, however, go at a different time and chose the Szechuan entree to go, thinking that the spice would help clear my stuffed head, and it worked. Though not a cure for my cold, darn it, the mix of chicken, broccoli and carrots was pretty tasty.

Gabby: Stir-Fried Chicken Flat Rice Noodle — $6.75

As soon as I noticed the menu option for rice noodles, of course I wanted to give them a try. So many places only have rice options, so finding rice noodles, and at such a low price, was exciting. But the real test was the quality. I was not disappointed in the slightest. The heaping plate of deliciously cooked flat noodles reminded me of a Chow Fun dish I get whenever I go to visit my sister in San Francisco. The noodles were cooked to perfection-firm, yet slightly chewy, avoiding all mushiness. An almost smoky flavor was woven amid the sauce on the chicken, onions, carrots, green onions and crisp, plentiful bean sprouts, which I love! I could eat this dish again and again. And such a great price and generous portion! I had to get a to-go box, because it was too fantastic to leave behind! I will definitely be going back soon.

From Thai food to Mexican, salads to sandwiches, and now Chinese, we have been hitting a lot of great spots. We have been receiving some great suggestions for the future via Instagram @LunchLadies. And we are really enjoying trying out these places and then recommending dishes to our readers. And we are excited to now add Chen’s to our list of places to visit again. This week’s mission of finding another tempting lunch spot is now complete!

• Chen’s Noodle House. 435 E. 1150 South, Orem. Open Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Sundays.