China Yuan, family style
I can’t go for very long without visiting Peter Chen’s wonderful restaurant, China Yuan. It is easily one of my all time favorites. He specializes in Cantonese cuisine, particularly Hong Kong barbecue. The only real contender in Tampa is the Yummy House down the street.
On a cold rainy night in 2002, I drove down Armenia and craved hot soup. I decided to try a restaurant that had once disappointed me– China Yuan. I didn’t know at the time that Mr. Chen had taken it over and vastly improved the food. I was immediately hooked, especially because i lived just a mile away.
I interviewed Mr. Chen several years ago and learned that his uncle had owned a Cuban Chinese restaurant in Tampa years ago. Chen’s recent expansion and renovation project makes for a very attractive restaurant with live seafood and roasted meat on display. I highly recommend it.
These days, China Yuan is a favorite of my family. We especially like sharing the food via the table’s lazy Susan. Begin with hot tea and the honey roast pork. Shrimp wonton soup is light and abundant with fresh Chinese cabbage. The wontons hold ground shrimp and a nice punch of garlic.
We ordered the General Tso’s chicken for the kids, and found it was the best version we’d even tasted. The Orange flavored beef was similar, but with the aroma of fried orange rind. The walnut shrimp are my mother’s favorite, with candied nuts and a creamy glaze. Women in general seem to like this dish, including my aunt, who didn’t like Chinese food until we brought her to China Yuan.
The beef chow fun with black bean sauce is one of my new favorites. The broad noodles have a wonderful tender, chewy texture. The beef is perfectly cooked, the vegetables warm but crunchy, and the “dry” black bean sauce offers a wonderful briny kick.
Be sure to order vegetables, especially snow pea tips or Chinese cabbage. Mr. Chen grows the produce on his own farm in Plant City. The stir fried snow pea tips with garlic are the best greens in the world. I will have to get a picture another time.
For dessert, there is a nice Chinese bakery in the same strip mall. I prefer the walnut cookies and flaky almond bark. The savory buns are an ideal snack when traveling. The neighboring Din Ho market is among the best Chinese groceries in Tampa, along with Oceanic downtown, which is bigger.
I once took friends to China Yuan to celebrate some forgotten occasion, and announced I would pay the bill. This is usually a safe thing to do, as the prices there are so reasonable— most entrees average around $8-$11. We decided to order a fresh lobster. Mr. Chen brought it to our table, a huge specimen of writhing spines. When i asked how much it cost, I thought i heard him say seventeen. I was amazed, and couldn’t quite believe the price. When i got the bill, I confirmed that the beast cost $70. My friends had a laugh and I happily paid the bill— stir fried whole with vegetables and a light sauce, it was some of the best lobster I’d ever eaten.
July 15th, 2008 at 6:42 am
As of last Saturday we have a new favorite soup at China Yuan. The Beef with cilantro. If you have not tried it I highly recommend it.