How in the world did I not find this place sooner? And the answer is simple, I wasn't at all impressed by the number of reviews (73), or the overall 3 star rating, especially when contrasted with the 4 star rating, driven by 186 reviews, for one of my very favorite Chinese restaurants, Gourmet Kingdom, only a short distance away. But, recently I looked at the reviews in detail, and came away with the impression that there was more here that was in tune with our tastes than the summarized rating might suggest.
The restaurant, which opened in 1982, has always been in this location, and was the first Chinese restaurant in Carrboro, one of the few at that time in the entire Chapel Hill area. Over the years the place has obviously changed, added delivery early on (and still does a large delivery business), and the menu has changed, as has the ownership - the current owners bought the restaurant in 2011 or so.
As noted in other reviews, there are 2 sections of the menu - the majority is taken up by Americanized Chinese choices (Beef & Broccoli, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Lo Mein, etc), and a smaller section offering more traditional Chinese dishes, with an emphasis on Szechuan influenced dishes (including a variety of Hot Pot choices), some with substantially elevated spice levels. There is a surprise or two to be found there, such as Kimchee Fish, and West Lake Soup, neither known for their Szechuan characteristics.
So, we came for lunch today, anxious to be impressed, and indeed we were - indeed! We were quickly and warmly greeted, just as quickly seated, supplied with a substantial menu, and our drink orders were soon at the table. We had already made ourselves familiar with the menu (both traditional and not), and pretty much knew what we wanted, and there would be plenty to take home.
Our choices - to start, the Kimchee appetizer (I know, but I like freshly made Kimchee), and Fried Chicken Wings (I KNOW, but a reviewer had so gushes over them that I felt compelled). We had settled on Potato & Shredded Pork (the potato part was the clincher), Twice Cooked Beef (no parenthetical comment seems appropriate), and Tri-Pepper Chicken ( if 1 pepper is good, you must TRI 3).
The Kimchee was out first, and it was simply that, a dish of sharp tasting Kimchee (mostly cabbage, of course), with some definite backbone. The wings followed shortly, and at first glance, I thought they were Buffalo style wings, but they were much more than that - they were well marinated, well fried Chinese wings with a very nice, addictive ginger and soy hook - none survived to move to the take home boxes.
The entrees rolled out in something under 20 minutes, and the plating was beautiful, the aromas were intoxicating. Each dish was amazing in taste, texture, and spice level. The Potato and Shredded Pork so went together, and was the dish with the least heat, but perhaps the best combination of flavors - the potatoes were julienned, and cooked to an al dente (Italian term I know, but Marco Polo went to China, not a coincidence I think) level, perfect with the tender pork pieces, and the slices of crunchy green pepper - we double heart this dish!
The Twice Cooked Beef was only marginally less exceptional - thin slices of very tender, very flavorful beef, mixed with an abundance of chopped scallions, in a savory, spicy brown sauce - mixed all in with a bit of white rice, and you're near perfection.
The Tri-Pepper Chicken was the hottest of the entrees, and while it was a bit different than versions we tried previously (much more vegetable content), it was a superb dish. The chicken was very flavor - chunks of real chicken, not postage stamp thin strips of ugh! The dish contained lots of chopped red and green peppers, as well as plenty of fresh tasting, crunchy zucchini - the amount of vegetables in this dish was disappointing at first glance, but the tale was in the overall taste and texture of the dish - freaking amazing - zucchini is not just for grilling any more.
The service was excellent - friendly, accommodating, charming. The waitress was all you could hope for - drinks refilled, plates removed as needed, every request handled promptly, pleasantly. The entrees were brought to the table by one of the chefs/owners(?), our overall satisfaction, and the spice levels were discussed, other menu items suggested for future visits (Whole Flounder, not de-boned).
There was an older Chinese gentleman who stopped by our table, just to say hello & talk a bit - told us is grandson, who was in the restaurant, was 5, in preschool, and very good at English. Just a pleasant moment. Just a memorable experience. Very HAO! read more