NE Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Columbus

Quick Review: Not an expert on authenticity, but hit all my Chinese food cravings! Definitely coming back. Want to try the fried pork chop with ginger sweet sauce.

Details: Atmosphere: When you walk in, the vibe gives off family owned Chinese joint. Nothing fancy, but that’s honestly a good sign for me coming from NY. Service: Everyone was nice and attentive to order. Water cup was never not full haha.

Food: Cumin Lamb Overall Score (4/5) *Spicy Scale (2/5), Big Eater approved: Without a doubt the dish had a strong cumin punch. Lamb was tender and not too gamey (prob from the cumin). Perfect bite size pieces and seasoned perfect to be accompanied by noodles/rice. Decent portion of lightly cooked vegetables. Vegetables were lightly cooked, so great if you like that crunch. Singaporean Noodles Overall Score (3/5) *Spicy Scale (0/5), Big Eater approved, want to try something else: Thin noodle stir fry. Well seasoned, but definitely made to eat with other dishes. Eggs and chicken were moist. Not excessively oily, in case yall were worried. Mala Green Beans Overall Score (5/5) *Spicy Scale (1/5), Big Eater approved, would order everytime: One of my favorite Chinese green bean dishes ever. Cooked to have a little bite at first and soft the rest of the way. LOTS of pickled mustard greens, which is my personal favorite.

*Overall Score (1-5) 1: actively avoid 2: rather not order 3: would rather cook, but would order if lazy 4: damn good 5: I am blessed to be eating this meal **Spicy scale (0-5): 0=no reason to be spicy 1=no detectable spice 2=not initially spicy, but after thoughts of spicy 3=initially spicy and some after thoughts of spice 4= initially spicy and need water to continue meal 5= need water on first...

I'll start with the caveat that this place may not be for everyone. If you're looking for standard Chinese-American fare, you'd probably be better off going somewhere with better decor and easier parking. That said, if you're looking for authentic Sichuan cuisine, you'd be hard pressed to find someplace better. Dishes tend to be greasier, saltier, and spicier than standard Cantonese dishes that most people are used to. And, as most traditional Chinese restaurants tend to be, dishes are served family style.

I started with the pig's head meat salad, which is incredible. It's the type of side dish popularly served as drinking/bar food in many Asian countries. It's served cold and has the perfect blend of saltiness and spiciness (as well as nuttiness from sesame oil) to power through an all night drinking binge.

For the main course, we had twice cooked, spicy fish, which is a very simple Sichuan preparation of breaded fish stir fried with chilies and, I'm guessing, spicy black bean paste. We also had spicy chicken with potato and noodles. I'm much less familiar with this dish but tastes great. The only complaint I have is that the chicken parts in the dish are way too bony. There wasn't enough meat. Otherwise, it tasted great.

All in all, this place definitely made a repeat...

I’d been driving by this place for years wanting to try it - and finally did. Nestled in a nook adjacent to campus, we had high hopes for an authentic meal. The experience really began before even entering the restaurant with the most mouth-watering aroma wafting down the street.

When we entered, we were kindly greeted and invited to sit in a cozy corner. I ordered the cumin lamb, and my partner got the spicy chicken. The lamb was a perfectly crafted patchwork quilt of texture and flavor - the veggies were crisp and fresh; the lamb succulent and tender. The spicy chicken had the most delicate breading, and a crunchy yet soft bite. The latter was a bit dry, so we requested some duck sauce, which brought a rich sweetness to balance the spice.

The server was kind and offered her recommendations on request, however we suffered severe mouth burn with only a cup of water each to last between us:,(

Overall, 4.5, will be coming back (with our water bottles).

Fresh, flavorful, unique, and worth a...