Mr Chen is almost directly across from McDonalds in David.

What’s the rush on writing about them? They just opened.  Jennifer has noted a culinary deliemma eating in this region. Chiriqui is the vegetable basket of Panama but the local diet does not use them. Typico Panamanian food is a meat of some type with white rice, patacones, fried potatoes or beans. Jennifer needs green in her food, she is a bit of a nutritional expert and is trying to keep me alive through improved cuisine; a challenge indeed. Hence this prereview.

We stopped at Mr Chen to check it out and we had no expectations, we were surprised.

Behind this door is a nice new restaurant with a simple inexpensive menu and a bakery.

Try the Pollo con hoja de mostaza, Chicken breast with mustard greens in a simple clear sauce. Truely wonderful, simple and loaded with all the good things greens have as well as the low fat protein of chicken breast, it alone could have fed both of us for $5 but we did not know how large the portion would be.

Or try this one, Corvina y Brocolli. Where can you get a plate like this for $5? Brocolli and fresh sea bass again in the same simple sauce, again enough for two people on one plate. The brocolli was turning yellow, a sign of end of life but it was still excellent.

Our Entrada came last, poor timing because I expected the Shu Mai from the frozen section of El Rey, I am pleased to say I was wrong. These were excellent, in fact I ate three before I remembered the camera. Alone these at $3.75 could be a full but not very green meal.

We will return to Mr Chen, try more a write a review in depth after a few more meals.

They only provided a 10% discount on the Jubilado card but the value was excellent and we took a lot of food home.

It is difficult to live in Boquete and not include David in your life. For us a weekly trip from Boquete to David is the norm. Boquete is an island. David is where the real world of shopping, hospitals, our dentist and normal Panama culture exists. In Boquete you can get by with English, in David you really need some Spanish. In Boquete you can find many things that have evolved to entertain the ex-pat culture, in David you will find the culture of Panama.

Multi-cafe in David is a wonderful example of true Panama cuisine.

It is not the hibrow of Panama City but a cleaned up version of typico Panamaneo. A cafeteria that has a wide selection of dishes that can always include some type of chicken, beef or pork with rice, Patacones, potatoes or beans.

Lots of other dishes hove found themselves into the cuisine, pasta is common and fried or stewed to death are the operative cooking methods.

Panama is laden with wonderful fresh hormone and antibiotic free foods. Many restaurants are doing very creative things with those ingredients. But if you want to try the meat potatoes cuisine of Panama and are in David I recommend the Multi-Cafe, there are two both close to Parque Cervantes. Prices are low, the food is wholesome and the facility shining and well maintained.

We have written about three different Chinese Restaurants we discovered in David; we would rank them Chinese Steakhouse, Palacio Oriental and Hong Kong.

In response to our reviews several people in David recommended we try Cafe Don Sui in the Panama Rey Hotel. It’s easy to find. Starting at the KFC at the Interamerican Hwy turn left and drive into David until you are forced to turn right on Avienda Simon Bolivar. Make the turn and drive past the town square and soon on your left you will see the Panama Rey a tall white building on your left.

We arrived at 1:30 and the place was empty, the staff was very helpful and made suggestions.

Jennifer was feeling green and I was feeling spicey.

Lunch included chicken soup, tea and the entree. Cost $3.50.

Usually we do not write about a resaurant the first time we visit but since we likely will not be returning it is appropriate.

The soup was loaded with chicken, scallions, napa cabbage and had absolutely no taste.

Jennifer had the Vegatales Panama Rey, they were supposed to be fresh vegtables, they were a mixture of fresh vegtables and canned mushrooms and totally overcooked into another world.

Mine was a little better, Szechuan beef, the meat was good, the vegetables not steamed to death but not worth a repeat visit.

In all Cafe Don Sui is now number four on our list. I doubt we will return unless someone explains what we did wrong.