I've always been told that the key to knowing how good a restaurant serving a specific type of cuisine really is, is by looking around and checking out the customers. As soon as I entered Mao Jia Hunan Cuisine, I couldn't help but notice how every table was filled with Chinese guests speaking in their mother tongue. There and then I thought, "Now, this is the real thing".
As soon as the menu was handed to me, I instantly realized this wasn't your run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurant. Hunan cuisine is known the world-over for it's hot, spicy flavors and true enough, from the pictures of the dishes on the menu, one noticeable ingredient that had a starring role in every dish was the red chili.
After salivating over every dish on the menu, my lunch date and I finally decided to order the Five Spice Beef, Eggplant Sautéed with String Beans and the Sesame Shredded Chicken. Despite having to wait unusually long for our dishes to arrive, the food we ordered did not disappoint. True enough, each bite was filled with fiery flavor and soon after, we were perspiring from the heat, both from the food and the sweltering summer day.
For those looking for a hot hole-in-the-wall spot, I think Mao Jia Hunan Cuisine is definitely worth a visit. read more