BAO GOGO — Restaurant in Alpharetta

Last Tuesday night we visited this restaurant with great anticipation as one of the ladies in our group had said the food was very authentic Chinese. While the food was quite good the male server to our table rendered some of the poorest service I have ever encountered. We had to continually ask for napkins, knives (it is difficult to eat large pieces of pork without cutting) and I had to request a spoon for the hot tea twice. Forget about ice water as it had to be asked for more than once. We were the only customers he was serving as there was just one other table occupied and this was being given good attention by a very efficient young lady. Our male server did not come back to our table once to see if we needed any water refills, if everything was satisfactory or if additional sauces or condiments were necessary. He was, however, very interested in talking with the other server and diligently wrapping napkins around the one fork which came on the plates initially. He never cleared any plates during our entire meal but did come back at the end after we requested take home boxes. While we were putting our food in the boxes, he then started to clear the table and in doing so removed some leftovers that were meant to be taken home. He left our bills at one end of the table and walked away. He did this again when returning with our final bills rather than the usual procedure of handing out each bill to the proper person. Of course the 20% gratuity was included because there were six of us. When I talked to him about removing my leftover rice and noodles before I had a chance to put them in the leftover boxes he did, however, offer to replace the noodles which were to go on top of the won ton soup. Will give the restaurant a second try - but will...

Hai Authentic Chinese is such a welcome addition to the Alpharetta dining landscape. The spicy Szechuan flavors are nearly unique to the west side of 400 this far north.

Hai offers a comprehensive menu consisting of appetizers, small plates, and full entrees providing a range of diverse flavors and textures. With all of the handmade dough going into the dumplings and noodles, it was difficult to deciding what to try which practically ensures more trips back to this place.

If you're a fan of pork, the crispy pork belly is a great way to start though the puffed scallion pancake has such an interesting texture. The curry sauce on the side is scrumptious.

The dumplings here have that wonderful chewiness that cannot be replicated by mass production. This shows itself in the pan-fried dumplings as well as the soup dumplings. Both lacked a bit umami which I was hoping which make a stronger presence. Enjoyed it quite a bit though.

The wide noodles in Grandma's dumpling picks up all of the chili peppers and sauce, but the flavor profile is largely heat and not enough flavor. There's a hint of lemon grass or something that gives it a nice tang but could have used more of it. Still, come winter, I am going to be craving it.

The server roped me into trying their dessert with her animated description of how they rolled the rice cakes out by hand and finish it off with a nice, crispy texture. It's sprinkled with sweetness and given a little depth with red bean powder. Pack up your meal and leave room for dessert. You're not going to find it anywhere else...

TLDR: One of the few authentic Chinese restaurants in the Alpharetta area, with a specialization in Sichuan (tingly spicy) cuisine. Meals are on the heavier and pricier side but very much worth it for a genuine pallet.

One of the first Chinese restaurants we found in the area and probably the go-to in the future. We've had several dishes at the restaurant, ranging from eggplant or cauliflower to the pork kidney （腰花）or pork intestine (大肠）, and all of them were hits. I can't make any recommendation on the "classic" Chinese dishes like Orange Chicken or General Tso's, but the dishes we got here that we've had in China were all on point.

On the flip side, I will say that the dishes tend to have too much salt and msg for my liking. Most of the spicy dishes have been a bit too spicy for us, and we have an average spice tolerance for minority Americans. The entrees are also relatively pricey, so if 3 people want to have a diverse full meal, it would come out to ~$30/person with a good tip. However, you can customize salt and spicy levels through the waiter, and they will relay it to the kitchen. We've still been consistently coming regardless. Hai's is definitely...