Hunan Wok — Restaurant in Centerville

Nobody eats here. Dine-in, that is.

But everyone eats their food! This place is a little dive in South Main street in Centerville Ohio, with a lot of traffic going in and out the door, but the tables inside always deserted.

You would be mistaken if you thought they didn’t do good business here. But let me tell you a little secret that people in the Centerville and Washington Township area of Ohio know and keep close to their heart: we love the take-out.

And it was just this past week that Bill (Potable Pastime) and I didn’t really feel like cooking but wanted to kick back our heels and watch videos. It can be like that sometimes. Don’t you think?

There are a few good Chinese and Asian restaurants in the area, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s not like we didn’t have a selection. But for this night we chose Hunan Wok, both for their proximity and their good food.

Our Order:

Crispy Spring Rolls with red sweet and sour sauce (ask for it) and table mustard (hotter and better tasting than packets) 1.10/ea.

These are crispy and very good. We always ask for the red sweet and sour sauce since we like it better than the pineapple version that comes in packets. As well, we always ask for table mustard, which has a much spicier and better flavor.

Rating: 5/5

Fried Wontons (10) with red sweet and sour sauce and table mustard 3.45/10

We really thought these were good. Crispy, with a decent amount of meat, and very tasty. Same deal on the sweet and sour and mustard as with the spring rolls. It’s our modus operandi when it comes to crispy types of dim sum.

Rating: 5/5

Hot and Sour Soup with crispy fried wonton strips 1.75/ea.

I find the soup has a very good flavor, with a nice balance of pepper and vinegar and a good amount of clarity in the broth. Plenty of ingredients to fill the soup as well. Everything you would expect or hope for in hot and sour. Bill thinks it had a nice balance of flavor without being overly spicy and he really enjoyed the texture of the ingredients. It was really good but not the most exceptional, not being as meaty as some we have had. But that being said, most people should enjoy this.

Rating: 4/5

Young Chow Fried Rice 4.95/pint; 7.95/quart

I felt this was very good. The rice itself wasn’t as flavorful as some I have had, but there was a nice amount of ingredients to fill out the flavor. Bill enjoyed this as well, finding the variety of meats and vegetables to be nice, and it didn’t have the typical coloration one usually sees with fried rice, but he found it to have nice flavor and be pretty tasty. he added just a tad of soy sauce to his, which he usually puts on fried rice anyway. Solidly good, but not exceptional.

Rating: 4/5

House Special Egg Foo Young with brown gravy and steamed rice 7.95/order

I thought this really had a very good flavor! The gravy was spot on and the patties were still crisp by the time we got them home. I did think they were slightly overcooked, and just a tiny bit greasy, but not overly so. Bill felt these were outstanding, delicious and really loaded with vegetables and filling. There were a lot of nice greens in the patties (was that spinach?) and the filling was tender. He felt they were more accurately cooked than I did. And he also enjoyed the brown gravy saying it was just the type to expect with this particular dish.

Rating: 4.5/5

Ratings total for dinner: 22.5/5 for an honest ratings total of 4.5. We...

So I have read a few reviews about the food and I decided to try it since everywhere else I go is closed. I walked in and saw the prices and was taken back... this is not cheap at all. I was worried that it wouldn't be worthed. It's honestly about $3-$4 dollars more a dish than my go to at China Wok. I decided to go ahead and order and man... so glad I did. I always get teriyaki chicken sticks and theirs are the best I've had. Their eggroll was big and good. Their lo mein was just how I like it and better than most in the area. I tried my main dish, pork and mushrooms, and it was so good... just couldn't finish it. Outside of China cottage, it's the best place to grab Chinese in the area! Just remember, it's going to cost more......

This homey little Hunan restaurant may look like a typical Chinese takeout spot, but tastes like it has a little more pride behind the flavor than other average Chinese takeout places, as if the chef actually tastes the food he's cooking. Some Chinese food I've had at other places, I wonder to myself if the cook actually tasted the food that's been served, especially when the ingredients just lack freshness and taste old. The associates inside Hunan Wok are always working hard and keeping busy which tells me that they care about the quality and cleanliness of their restaurant. Hunan Wok is consistently tasty and always satiates my occasional craving for Chinese takeout....