shanghaier’s Profile
Recent Comments
Flushing’s Hunan House: The Real Deal
I was so happy to see a review of a Chinese restaurant in Flushing. And it's a Hunan spot! I just spent a year teaching English in Huaihua, a city in far western Hunan, and I'm happy to say that this all looks pretty authentic. The flash fried fish stomach looks like something you can find in any little lunch spot all over Hunan, albeit with a price tag that is over seven times what it would be in Hunan. I mean should fish intestine ever cost that much? Then again New york rent is crazy... The tofu dish seems a little off though, maybe the salted-chopped chilies (the ubiquitious flavor staple of Hunanese cooking) are just left on top so that silly Americans can push them aside. That wouldn't be done in Hunan. The cold dishes look delicious. I have never seen or heard of the pork dish wrapped in lotus leaves, but isn't that one of the things that make dedicated regional Chinese restaurants great? You never know what you might find or what new flavors you will get to taste.
Also I just want to express I'm appreciation that the reviewer, Joe DiStefano, can speak and read Chinese and that he faithfully puts the names of the dishes in pinyin. Putting in the names in Chinese characters would make it that much better though.
See more comments by shanghaier »
Recent Posts
shanghaier hasn't written a post yet.
Recent Favorites
shanghaier hasn't favorited a post yet.
Recent Polls
shanghaier hasn't answered any polls yet.
Recent Quizzes
shanghaier hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
thesteveroller,
I was wondering where the fish heads were too.
I've never heard that Chinese expression (though it makes sense). However I have often heard the Hunanese share their dislike of some aspects of Sichuanese cuisine. The Hunanese say that Sichuan cooks add chilies and huajiao (sichan peppercorns) in excess for no reason other than that they want it to be insanely hot; whereas, they say, in Hunan chilies are added for flavor and never to such an unnecessary degree. Can't say that this always holds true, but it can often be the case.