Not another Chinese buffet
High on the Hog
Robert Garner
Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: Lifestyles
Having written about Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese restaurants, I feel like we've been to plenty of Asian eateries. However, one of the countries I just happened to be missing was the big one with more people than any other country in the world.
But where do you go for good Chinese food? Are they not all just delicious buffets with the same dishes?
I was, until Wednesday, in the same legion as those that believe that Fayetteville, and most cities in general, has only Chinese buffets and some expensive Japanese establishments. However, my Asian connoisseur, who many of you might remember from previous articles, recommended sampling food from Hunan, a province from China. So we drove down Wedington Drive to enter Hunan Manor.
Recently remodeled, Hunan switched over from the score of Chinese buffets to the more select group of sit-down restaurants. And, I must say, they did an excellent job remodeling the building. The interior is a cool combination of elegance, modern chic and Asian tradition.
While that's good and all, I went there for the food. And food I ate.
Hunan cuisine is one of the many regional cuisines of China and is well known for its rich and spicy flavors.
We started off with the crab rangoons and egg rolls. Fellow crab rangoon lovers, look no more and don't eat any more from a buffet. Hunan Manor has the best crab rangoon I have ever eaten. The order came with four pieces for $2.95, and the egg rolls were $1 each. Speaking of the egg rolls, they also were among the best I have ever had, though I wish that they had meat. They did, however, have fresh and perfectly prepared cabbage and a nice, crispy shell. Dipping both of them in the provided sweet and sour sauce was a cause for euphoria.
We also ordered green tea, which completed our quintessential Asian experience.
My friend ordered the shrimp and chestnuts in hoisin sauce, a type of plum sauce, and I opted for the Peking duck. Now, when you read the menu, the Peking duck is listed as coming with pancakes. Sounds odd, right? It turns out that the "pancakes" are actually tortillas, which taste and look oddly like the same kind my family buys from Walmart.
But where do you go for good Chinese food? Are they not all just delicious buffets with the same dishes?
I was, until Wednesday, in the same legion as those that believe that Fayetteville, and most cities in general, has only Chinese buffets and some expensive Japanese establishments. However, my Asian connoisseur, who many of you might remember from previous articles, recommended sampling food from Hunan, a province from China. So we drove down Wedington Drive to enter Hunan Manor.
Recently remodeled, Hunan switched over from the score of Chinese buffets to the more select group of sit-down restaurants. And, I must say, they did an excellent job remodeling the building. The interior is a cool combination of elegance, modern chic and Asian tradition.
While that's good and all, I went there for the food. And food I ate.
Hunan cuisine is one of the many regional cuisines of China and is well known for its rich and spicy flavors.
We started off with the crab rangoons and egg rolls. Fellow crab rangoon lovers, look no more and don't eat any more from a buffet. Hunan Manor has the best crab rangoon I have ever eaten. The order came with four pieces for $2.95, and the egg rolls were $1 each. Speaking of the egg rolls, they also were among the best I have ever had, though I wish that they had meat. They did, however, have fresh and perfectly prepared cabbage and a nice, crispy shell. Dipping both of them in the provided sweet and sour sauce was a cause for euphoria.
We also ordered green tea, which completed our quintessential Asian experience.
My friend ordered the shrimp and chestnuts in hoisin sauce, a type of plum sauce, and I opted for the Peking duck. Now, when you read the menu, the Peking duck is listed as coming with pancakes. Sounds odd, right? It turns out that the "pancakes" are actually tortillas, which taste and look oddly like the same kind my family buys from Walmart.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
j gillespie
posted 11/14/08 @ 6:54 PM CST
Horrible uninspired writing aside, you neglected to mention that Hunan Manor has a buffet every day for lunch, and on weekends, the buffet is available in the evening as well. (Continued…)
John
posted 11/16/08 @ 9:13 AM CST
I am glad to here the positive report on crab rangoon! There is no better appetizer. I can't wait to experience the described euphoria.
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