Tucked away in an alley that not many would think about going to, this restaurant truly thrives off of word of mouth and a loyal customer base. It was my groups first time, but it felt like one of our regular haunts. The staff were courteous and gave us time to look over the menu. Even though we were not ready to order, they did not look upset when we sent them away to continue to browse. \n\nThe food is hit or miss. There were dishes that I loved and then there were the lackluster misses. As everyone has stated, the wild mushroom hot pot was delicious. The spice was tame and more on the sour side. It was apparent that the chili they used was the red vinegar chili sauce. The mixture of pork, straw mushrooms, onions, red and green bell peppers gave the dish a visual appeal. The sauteed potatoes in vinegar sauce was tame for my taste. I like a vinegar dressing to be extra tart. The flavor was simple and clean. \n\nThe dishes I was disappointed in were the sweet pork and the fried rice. My friend speaks Chinese and ordered a dish he got while in California. It came out and tasted like sweet and sour pork without the pineapple and vegetables. When he ordered, I believe he was hoping for a Mandarin style pork dish that has a deep red sauce. The fried rice was also mediocre. I had a scoop of it and went back to the white rice. The pieces of spiced pork was sparse and added little flavor to the overall plate. \n\nThe menu is extensive and has many uncommon dishes. When I do go back, the more exotic dishes will be higher up on the list to try.
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