Cuisine Review

I have done two Asians in a month. Two Asian-style restaurants that is. Since I have been writing restaurant reviews, I periodically receive e-mails asking me where to find good Chinese food. This area is littered with super buffets, full of gooey Kung Pao, wilting green beans, banana pudding and fried chicken wings.

I just cannot eat them anymore. My hung-over post-college days are behind me and my tastes more advanced. Until recently, I have responded “nowhere” when asked. But, a couple of months ago I ran into some longtime friends who insisted I try Hong Kong Island in the Dauphin Street Food World shopping center behind Taco Bell. These two have followed the chef all over town for years and swore the food is fantastic and NOT to waste my time grazing at the buffet.

Requests kept rolling in before I could make it to Hong Kong, and when another friend called me in a panic, with a very pregnant wife who wanted Chinese, I told him to try it. Since then they have eaten there several more times, so I knew I had to go. So I took the family in one recent Tuesday night. While not gorgeous, the restaurant is very neat and clean with plenty of seating. Most people were eating from the buffet and most seemed to be regulars with several ordering as well. Most eating the buffet did not seem to be in need of doing so.

The menu, as at most Chinese restaurants, is fairly large and typical in make up. All of those tacky wall screens, Buddhas and dragons are there. It can’t be helped. Our waitress was friendly and made some good suggestions and the service was good.

We began with me ordering the Hot and Sour Soup ($2.65 cup, $4.95 bowl). I can only imagine how large the bowl is, for the cup was regular bowl size. A steaming hot bowl of light translucent broth, rather than the viscous type typically found was brought to the table. I could tell immediately that this was made in-house. Large chunks of chicken, tender strips of pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, mushrooms and noodles were crammed into the bowl. It was delicious and immediately filling, and as the other food began to arrive I asked to have it packed up.

If you purchase three egg rolls ($.95 a piece) you get one free. These are the smaller variety, but as far as we could surmise they appeared to be prepared on site rather than from Sysco. The egg rolls were good, but none of us finished them as the parade of main items came out soon after. To try a variety of the menu, we chose four items.

My son desperately wanted the pork dumplings ($3.95) so that was one. My friends had told me I had to get the salt and pepper chicken ($5.95), we choose the moo goo gai pan ($5.95) and our waitress suggested the Hunan beef ($6.95) since it had lots of “fresh” vegetables (and she was right). And like those found in the soup, none of the meats appeared processed and were all generous in cut and size.

Eight of the largest dumplings I have ever seen flopped around on their platter. My son thought he was going to eat them all, but was quite mistaken as the rest of us sneakily convinced him that we each needed one (well of course I did). Plump and full of pork, these tender dumplings could make a meal.

Then the food began to arrive and the table was over-laden. Our waitress at first tried to get us to move to a larger table but we resisted. We could barely pass the platters around we had so much. Do not order the amount that we did unless you are in a much bigger party. In fact, we had plenty for a repeat dinner of leftovers the next evening.

I had not eaten salt and pepper chicken before. Probably about 20 pieces of breast meat had been fried with lots of pepper and just enough salt to be on the borderline of being too much. It was delicious and I would have overindulged had there not been so many other dishes for me to try. The Hunan beef has a hint of hot to it, but not overpoweringly so. Long strips of beef, carrots, rather large “mini” corn (an oxymoron I know, but they really did look like genetically altered mini corn) and fresh broccoli were simmered in a light brown sauce.

I tend to stay away from the sticky, sweet sauces but sometimes all dishes seem prepared this way and heavy with oil. This just is not the case at Hong Kong Island. The sauce pulled it all together; it did not dominate the combination.

The moo goo gai pan had the usual vegetables and chicken and was not bland like so many are. It was not my top choice but was quite good and again did not taste like it had been thrown in a wok in a bunch of oil real quickly. To accompany the meal a mixing bowl size serving of fried rice was served as well. This could have been someone’s meal. We asked for white rice for ours, as no one in my family really likes fried rice. I ate a bite and it was good, basic if you like fried rice.

The place has been found. Go eat. Slide your way past the buffet for some fresh, well-prepared and excellent Chinese food.

Editors Note: For all of you writing and asking me if I ever give bad reviews, you must not read often. Lately they have all been good, which bodes well for our area. I’m also trying to unearth good restaurants, not highlight the bad. Plus remember that I may have a good experience and yours may be awful or vice versa.

Kinnon Phillips is Lagniappe cuisine editor. Contact him at kphillips@lagniappemobile.com.

Archives