Hunan-Szechuan Dilemma

I was in Visalia over the weekend to visit my brother.  He mentioned an amazing story in Chowhound and the newspaper about an Executive Chef in China who opened his own restaurant in Fresno.  To make a long story short:  Chef Zhongyi Liu is a former Executive Chef of the Grand Hotel Beijing and trained in the Chinese aristocrat cuisine called Tianjian cooking.  He is the lone representative of China to the 1999 World Cuisine Contest Bocus D'Or in Lyon, France.  He was invited here to head a restaurant in Evansville, IN.  In 2003, he moved to Albany, CA to run China Village where he made waves and impressed a Chowhounder and SF resident Melanie Wong.  He later left Albany and bought a restaurant in Fresno with two partners, the Hunan Restaurant.  She was so impressed with the Chef's skills that she tried to track him down with the help of another Chowhounder form Fresno.  You can read the whole story here.  They later arranged a Chef's Tasting Menu last Oct. 18, pictures here.

After hearing the story, I was dead set to have a meal at this place.  The Hunan Restaurant is located in a nondescript strip mall next to Long's Drug,  there are no big signs, just a small name bunched with other tennants of the place.  I was hoping to try the Chef's tasting menu but it is only by special arrangement on Monday nights when they are closed and at least 10 people.  Bummer.  

It so happens that the local regulars to the old Hunan restaurant had a hard time adjusting to the Chef's Szechuan food , so mainly Hunan dishes are served.   I wish there was a grant for Chef's as artists so they can practice their art without compromising freedom.

Here are some of the dishes we tried:

Chicken Salad with Black Beans,  sweet and salty dressing with added crunch from the black beans.

Dry Cooked String Beans, crunchy and fresh at every bite, wonderful.

Combination Fried Rice,  most of the dishes were heavy so plain steamed rice would have been the better choice.

Slender Bamboo Shoots and Shredded Pork,  this was really good, nice and spicy.

Butter Cream Prawns,  this was my favorite dish,  so delicious,  the shrimp was light and crispy outside, moist and fresh inside, with a creamy sauce.

Mongolian Barbecue Lamb,  cooked with peppers, celery, onions and carrots .  Yum.

Sweet and Sour Fish,  the fish was moist and fresh, coated in a light and crunchy batter even with the sauce.

Szechuan Hot Pot Chicken,  another stellar dish, chicken with mushrooms and hot peppers.  Most of the dishes we got were specified mild,  I wished I had medium heat.   

I walked out of the place with dry mouth and thirsty from the heavy, spicy and salty dishes.  Overall,  the food was really good, but nothing compared to the Chef's Tasting Menu.  Service was excellent.  

The Hunan Restaurant

6716 N Cedar Avenue Suite 104

Fresno, CA 93710

(559) 297-0336

info@thehunanrestaurant.com