Chow Down Atlanta

Once in a while, a craving for Szechuan cuisine hits and Sichuan House is the answer. Szechuan cuisine is characterized by very spicy foods with lots of heavy sauces and gravies. Because of the geographic location of the Sichuan province in China, the climate lends a hand in food spoiling very easily. Thus, food preservation is necessary. Pickling, smoking, drying, and salting are techniques that have been perfected in the region. Personally, I like Cantonese food better (having visited Hong Kong yearly while growing up so my taste buds are more accustomed to it); but that’s just me.

Sichuan House boasts of authentic Szechuan cuisine. Their Traditional Choice Menu includes items geared more to the Chinese palate — the Tea Smoked Duck is fantastic, the Stir-fried Beef Tripe is delicious, the Roasted Whole Tilapia with Scallions is a must try, the Cumin Mutton (or beef) is also a must try (very flavorful); however, the Spicy Sichuan Pork (salt and pepper pork with tons of chili peppers) is disappointingly all heat and no flavor.

Other items form the Traditional Choice Menu that I never tire of include the Winter Melon Chicken Soup, Ground Pork with Mustard Greens and the not-on-the-menu Shredded Chicken in Spicy Garlic Sauce. The Winter Melon soup is comforting with big chunks of chicken and slices of sweetish winter melon. It’s a good take on the plain chicken soup. The pork with mustard greens is absolutely delicious with a good bit of bitterness from the greens balanced by the saltyish pork. The chicken in garlic sauce with julienned winter melon, wood ear mushrooms, red and green bell peppers is a spicy, tasty dish. Get past its oiliness from the chili oil and you have a dish that’s truly a winner.

For a truly authentic Szechuan food, Sichuan House offers a piece of China. For the not-so-adventurous, a toned-down American version is available. The place is clean and bright while the staff is helpful but can get absent-minded (especially when they’re busy shucking vegetables in a nearby table. No worries, just flag them down to get service.

Insider tip:
All orders come with house roasted peanuts (roasted at home by one of the servers) and pickles.

The scoop:
Sichuan House
5900 State Bridge Rd
Duluth, GA 30097
Located on the corner of 141/Medlock Bridge/Peachtree Pkwy and State Bridge Rd/Pleasant Hill Rd where Target and Home Depot are.

Technorati Tags: Sichuan House, Duluth, Gwinnett, Atlanta, Szechuan cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, spicy food, Chinese cuisine, Cumin Mutton, Tea Smoked Duck

Royal China’s owners have been in the food business in Atlanta for over 25 years starting with Barbeque Corner inside the Din Ho food court and its sister BBQ Corner II on Buford Highway (I practically grew up eating their food). In the mid-80s, the owner wanted to bring authentic Cantonese cuisine especially dim-sum to Atlanta so he imported hand-picked one of the best Cantonese cooks in Hongkong and brought him to BBQ Corner II. Later on, he opened Royal China and moved the Hongkong chef to it.

I can understand why some people think Royal China isn’t as good as their favorite places and I can’t fault them because that can be attributed to the fact that authentic Cantonese cuisine takes some getting used to. In other words, it’s an acquired taste for the average Westerner’s palate. Most Chinese restaurants in America serve Mandarin, Hunan, and even Szechuan cuisine (or a combination) and these are what people are used to (read: heavy sauces). Dim sum is a Cantonese invention and as such, has Cantonese flavors and style of cooking (steaming, boiling).

Royal China has the best most authentic dim sum in Atlanta hands down. Not only that, the food is fresh, delicious and unique, and the prices are inexpensive. Dishes are served hot via steam carts (unlike other places) that roam around the restaurant. You point at what you like, the server places your selection on your table, then marks it on the food card which also serves as your bill. If you’re not familiar about what to order, my tip is to try everything you think looks good because I assure you, each and every dish is really good. On weekends, there are special items such as clams on bean sauce or steamed Chinese broccoli which are only available that day so do try those as well. I do have a few suggestions, however…

Don’t miss the siu mai or dumplings. They come in several varieties such as pork (a must try for its tastiness), shrimp, shark’s fin, and other combinations. If you’re feeling a little adventurous, go for the beef tripe — fork-tender slices in ginger broth — the clean taste of the broth balances the texture of the tripe. There are also items for the hard-core such as the chicken feet (tasty but bony). The fried minced shrimp wrapped in bacon served with spicy sweet and sour sauce is another must-try and goes well with the lotus-wrapped rice (sticky rice topped with chicken and pork sausage, hard-boiled egg, and spices wrapped in lotus leaves then steamed). Other dishes worth trying are the char siu bao (pork buns) which are steamed dough buns filled with barbecued pork simmered in vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce; fried eggplant with shrimp (slices of eggplant topped with steamed minced shrimp served with sweetish-salty sauce); steamed Manila clams in ginger-soy sauce; radish cakes (mashed radish mixed with shrimp or pork then steamed or fried); egg custard cups; steamed cake buns; and, better save room for the tofu dessert — silky smooth soft tofu in ginger-sugar sauce. A perfect way to end your wonderful dim sum experience.

Insider tip:
Dim sum is served daily with weekends having a more extensive selection. Plan to go before 11 am on weekends as it’s common to have an hour wait around noon. If you’d rather not wait, ask to share a big table. Not to worry, you won’t share the bill or the food. Just the space.

The scoop:
Royal China Restaurant
3295 Chamblee Dunwoody Road,
Atlanta, GA 30341
Phone: (770) 216-9933
Major Credit Cards accepted
Plenty of parking

Technorati Tags: Royal China, Cantonese cuisine, Chinese Cuisine, dim sum, Buford Highway, dumplings, tofu dessert

I went to Super H Mart on Pleasant Hill Rd in Gwinnett to get a huge bottle of Kimchi. I used to get my Kimchi at Han Gang Korean Grocery on Steve Reynolds Blvd in the early 90s. It was the first big stand-alone Korean grocery store in Atlanta where they sold meat and seafood aside from the usual fresh veggies, canned and dry goods, and also had a food court inside although very small. Since that has closed, I’ve been going to three other places.

At Super H today, they had three different kinds of fresh firm tofu: Plain, Carrot, and Spinach. The carrot tofu had only the slightest hint of carrot taste in it. Not overpowering. Just a tad carrotish if there’s even a word. The spinach tofu is equally awesome, with just a slight infusion of spinach so as not to kill the true taste of the tofu. These faintly flavored tofu aren’t really the type you’d use in cooking. Instead, you eat them as they are, cut up into cubes and drenched lightly with Korean sauce made with soy sauce, peppers, scallions, sugar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. They’re great in salads, as appetizers, or as an accompaniment to grilled meat and seafood. By the way, these gems are less than $2 per block.

Technorati Tags: Super H Mart, flavored tofu, tofu, spinach tofu, carrot tofu, plain tofu, Pleasant Hill Road, Gwinnett, Korean grocery, food finds Atlanta, Atlanta, kimchi