We have enjoyed everything we’ve tried from bok choy in mushroom sauce, dan dan noodles and the astoundingly good spicy crispy chicken.Īt Lotus Garden, don’t expect to find General’s Chicken, sweet and sour or other Americanized Chinese food. Authentic Szechuan dishes are served to large groups of Chinese students who pack the place every day. But, the food is amazing and well worth the extra work it may take. Service is sometimes challenging as the staff speak little English. We decided there must be something worthwhile going on and a visit was required. For the past few months I noticed the mob of cars at the business, a corner that had been quiet for quite some time. The restaurant, located at the corner of 17th and Walnut streets, came to my attention driving home from work every day. The most recent and most exciting new Chinese restaurant in Bloomington has to be Lotus Garden. The business also offers bubble teas in a variety of flavors. It has an eclectic menu of authentic Chinese and more Americanized dishes. The restaurant still offers the buffet on weekends for guests who prefer to taste a variety of items.Ĭhow Bar opened a few years ago, just across the street from the IU Mauer School of Law. Great Wall, one of the larger buffet restaurants, has been moving back to a regular menu restaurant, offering a mix of familiar and more traditional Chinese specialties. The menu is posted on the wall on sheets of paper offering the English translation as well as the Chinese name for each item. Our method of ordering at this business is to look around at what the Chinese diners are enjoying and trying to figure out what they are. Lucky Express at Third and Lincoln streets is a small restaurant with a few tables and a big carry-out business. These businesses cater largely to Indiana University students from China and offer dishes that many of us have little exposure to. In the past few years, several more authentic Chinese restaurants have opened in Bloomington, bringing with them more unusual dishes and ingredients and a large helping of Szechuan cooking. Think dry stir-fried dishes with lots of seasonings, many quite spicy. Hunan dishes also found their way onto menus and buffets. Most of these restaurants were focused on carry out with little attention to dining room decor.ĭishes made with tofu, hot and sour soup and the famous Peking duck are from the Mandarin influence, actually the cuisine from Beijing. It has always been my “go-to” place for a plate of chow fun noodles. Of course, a few Chinese restaurants with menus still remained, such as Dragon Express, which has been around for many years. The focus was still on Cantonese cooking, but additions of Mandarin, Hunan and Szechuan cuisines started to creep in. Recently, there were at least a half dozen Chinese buffet restaurants in town, including Great Wall, Mr. Cantonese cuisine is known for its mild flavors and sparing use of herbs and spices, unlike the cuisine from other regions of China.Īfter several years, most of the Chinese restaurants in the area either closed or switched to a buffet style. Because of immense size of the country, different climates and geography have a great impact on regional foods. I remember the lemon chicken being the favorite of many.Ĭhinese cuisine is as varied as any I can think of. Lung Cheung was the fanciest with its beautiful decor and elegant menu. These restaurants specialized in Cantonese cuisine as most Chinese restaurants did in the U.S. I remember Lung Cheung just off the square, Peach Garden on South College and Lantern House on Fourth Street. When I first came to Bloomington in 1976, there were a few Chinese restaurants.
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