Authentic Chinese hard to find but worth a try

Yini Liu
Tue, 25 Oct 2016 04:04:19 +0000
Arts & Life, Buckeye Bites, Dining, a&l, a+e, arts & life, arts and life, authentic chinese, best of columbus, buckeye bites, china bistro, columbus food, food, moy's chinese restaurant

Double coooked pork slices from China Bistro. Credit: Yini Liu | Lantern Reporter

When eating out, Chinese restaurants might be a good place to consider. Chinese food is many people’s favorite, but a lot of restaurants fail to provide authentic Chinese food. These restaurants modified the food to appeal to an American taste. If you are looking for real Chinese cuisine, here are two options that will cater to your needs.

Moy’s Chinese Restaurant

1994 N. High St.

Moy’s is located right across from North Campus, and for those who prefer mild tastes, this is your place. Moy’s provides Cantonese cuisine, a well-known traditional type of food in Chinese history. In a wide array of dishes, one of them that stands out is Char Siu, which is BBQ roast pork. Pickled by garlic and sweet malt and seasoned with soy sauce, salt, sugar and cooking liquor Char Siu has a taste that is sweet, tender and juicy.

Another standout is the Hong Kong-style wonton noodle soup. Wontons look like dumplings and combine various filling ingredients in a thin wrapper. The fillings can be pork, chicken, shrimp, fish, mushrooms or vegetables. Topped with green onion and sesame oil, Wonton noodle soup is quite palatable and would be a good choice for dim sum or a midnight snack for work late.

Other good choices would be roast duck, shrimp with scrambled egg and curry fish balls.

China Bistro

4052 Presidential Parkway, Powell, Ohio

If you have a vehicle and can go farther from campus, China Bistro is a worthwhile choice. It is a small place with only three to four tables and is always booked and people need to reserve seating hours ahead to have a spot. China Bistro provides authentic Northeastern Chinese food, a type of food that serves as a staple of Chinese food. Different from Cantonese food, northeastern food is simple and economical.

My first recommendation is the double-cooked pork slices, made from combined tenderloins and eggs. This classic dish has a long history and was created during the Qing dynasty for kings to welcome foreign guests. With a taste of sour and sweet, double-cooked pork slices is crispy outside and tender inside.

Besides double cooked pork slices, fried eggplant, potato and green pepper is another a frequently ordered dish. This conventional, well-known Northeastern dish combines the most commonly grown vegetables in China. Simple and nutritious, fried eggplant, potato and green pepper is a perfect choice for vegetarians and a good option for an appetizer.

My other recommendations are the marinated ribs, which are braised spare ribs in brown sauce. Braised pork with vermicelli and General Tso’s chicken would also be good to try.