Chow Down Atlanta

I’m an avid Peking Duck eater. I’ve had it almost everywhere (name it and chances are, I’ve had it there). I love the Vietnamese version here at Wong Kee — the duck is so lean, there’s hardly any fat between the meat and the skin. Oh, and the skin– crispy, glossy, crispy. I love that there isn’t that Cantonese taste of five-spice powder (my mom and sister would so appreciate this). The meat is tender and has just the right amount of salt and spices. Pancakes (actually crepes) are the more traditional accompaniment but many places (including here) also use soft buns which I prefer. This is my current favorite. I could eat this everyday.

But no, it doesn’t stop there. The House fried rice is amazing. It’s garlicky and smoky, with lots of stir-fried roast pork and clumps of egg. Delicious. Seriously. Go. Now.

Wong Kee BBQ & Peking Duck Restaurant
5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd.,
Norcross, GA 30093
678.205.0105

Technorati Tags: Peking Duck, Chinese, Vietnamese, Norcross

One word: Pork. Three words: Braised Pork Belly. Enough said.

Available during lunch only. Braised for 6 hours and they only make one pot daily. Comes plated with perfectly steamed Jasmine rice and a fried egg. I ate it 3 days in a row two weeks ago. It was greasy, fatty, tender, delicious. It is deadly. And all for $4.99.

Next best thing: Fried Chicken. Double-fried. Crunchy. Tasty.

Third best thing: hot pots. I’ve been waiting for this joint to open.  I even sent Sean when he was home during his winter break to check it out one day but they hadn’t open yet at the time.  The hot pots are just like from her older sister on BuHi. And same owner.  But it’s nicer here.  And bigger. They have lunch meals, not just hot pots.  It gets ridiculously busy during lunch.  Go now!

P.S. Get the spicy broth.

Mini Hot Pot 2
2174 Pleasant Hill Rd., Suite 101
Duluth, GA 30096
678-417-8888

Technorati Tags: hot pot, Duluth, soups

I’ve been hitting the new Assi Plaza Duluth food court for lunch for the last couple of weeks. My newest obsession: hand-pulled noodles. From the Chinese stall. You’d get a kick out of watching Mr. Noodles pull and whack his pasta on a table.

The noodles are just perfect. Noodles are made when you place your order. The black bean paste sauce is savory with a slight hint of sweet. The pork cubes are tender. I just love their Jajang Noodles.

Note: Jajang noodles were created in Korea by Chinese settlers back in the 1800s. This Korean version has a faint hint of sweetness whereas the original mainland Chinese version does not.

China House
1630 Pleasant Hill Rd.
#A8
Duluth, GA 30096
678-638-0822
Inside Assi Plaza Duluth

Technorati Tags: Chinese, hand-pulled noodles, noodles, Duluth

This Chinese family owned and operated authentic Sichuan joint has only been open barely two weeks yet they seem to already attract a bevy of Chinese customers. The chef came to Alpharetta by way of Mississippi where he used to own a Chinese restaurant for years. After 8 years here, he decided to open an authentic Chinese restaurant specializing in Sichuan cuisine.

The first thing I noticed about the dishes here is the authentic Sichuan flavors. Lots of garlic, ginger, chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns are used, and yes, the dishes are spicy as they should be. While the traditional menu, as of the moment, is sparse and very limited, the chef hopes to expand his repertoire and present a more enhanced menu in a week or two.

One of my favorite Chinese appetizers is pig’s ear. I love the chewy, crunchy, gelatinous texture. I’ve had many, many variations of this dish and my favorite remains to be the kind where it’s combined with deep fried, crunchy tofu cubes in a sweet-soy-based sauce. But I do like all kinds. Here, the boiled ears are cooled, sliced thinly, then laced with spicy chili oil and sweetish-salty soy-based sauce. Delicious. I could eat a whole platter of this.

The only other place I’ve had amazingly good, authentic Sichuan dumplings is San Francisco (and China, of course). I haven’t found the same taste anywhere here until now. These boiled dumplings are homemade. The wrappers are soft and chewy while the pork filling is very flavorful. I suspect they are boiled in chicken stock as there is no floury taste in them. The fresh minced garlic topping adds additional heat and pungency. The spicy, sweet-salty sauce with it is so fantastic, I was spooning heaps into my mouth.

MaPo Tofu is a yardstick when it comes to authentic Sichuan cuisine. This dish was so unbelievably good that it was demolished before I could even turn my camera on. The spicy chili and bean-based sauce is totally spot on. The spiciness is numbing yet the bold flavors of the sauce is retained. The tofu is creamy and the minced pork adds texture to this wonderful dish.

The Traditional Spicy Beef Stir-Fry included slices of dry-fried beef. It had lots of dried chili peppers, onions, celery, carrots, green peppers, and lotus roots to provide a crunchy balance to the tender beef. This is another fantastic, spicy dish with lots of garlic and ginger flavors.

A surprising hit, the Chicken Breast in Garlic Sauce sounds ho-hum on paper but delivered a knock-out punch. The tender slices of chicken were infused with a spicy-garlic-chili sauce that lightly coated all the ingredients. There were crisp pieces of cabbage, broccoli, carrots, and wood ear mushrooms that made this dish an exceptional one.

Overall, a fantastic and inexpensive meal. Everything was delicious including the bubble teas with very, very chewy tapioca pearls (just the way they should be).

Insider tip:
Cash only at this time.
Prices average $5-9.

The scoop:
Cafe Q Sichuan Cuisine
10475 Medlock Bridge Rd., Suite 105
Johns Creek, GA 30097
(770) 232-9388

Technorati Tags: Chinese, Sichuan, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, dumplings

I love Cantonese food. It’s my favorite type of Chinese cuisine. Unfortunately, we don’t have very many options for authentic Cantonese here in town. Well, we just got another one: Wan Lai. The kitchen with an all Cantonese staff churns out so much good stuff you’ll be hard pressed not to come back again and again and eat through the entire menu. Incidentally, I have.

Everything here is good so you’ll have the confidence of ordering anything on the menu and having the guarantee that you’ll like what you ordered. That is, of course, if you like Cantonese food.

The specialties here are the dumplings and the casseroles. The 3 Dumplings in Soup comes with, yes, you guessed it, three kinds of dumplings in a flavorful broth. It’s one of the best versions in town. I’ve had almost all of the casseroles on the menu and they’re all delicious but two that stand out are the sweet pork and taro casserole and the ribs and taro casserole. You can either get these casseroles with or without rice. The one with rice just means there’s rice in the bottom of the pot. Take note that these take 25 minutes to prepare so get your order in as soon as you get seated and nibble on other dishes while you wait. Believe me when I say they are so worth the wait.

The garlic fried chicken is an absolute favorite of mine. By the way, most (if not all) Chinese restaurants have garlic fried chicken but the Cantonese make the best. The chicken is marinated in soy sauce and other seasonings before being fried crisp then topped with tons of golden fried garlic. It’s my ultimate Chinese comfort food. The chow fun has the requisite grease and smoky flavors and a wonderful accompaniment to fried rice. The assorted types of congee make for a perfect first course. The stir-fried veggies are fantastic, as well as the usual veggies in oyster sauce (get the Chinese broccoli). Great choices are plenty so get here now!

For more on this great find, check out JZ‘s article here.

Insider tip:
All Cantonese staff except for the Mandarin owner.
Inside the plaza where Penang, Mini Hot Pot, and Hoa Binh Supermarket are located.

The scoop:
Wan Lai
4897 Buford Hwy
Suite 104
Atlanta, GA 30341
(770) 216-8587

Technorati Tags: Cantonese food, Chinese food, Buford Highway