Chinese food. Southern food. Not exactly a match made in heaven, but they make it work at Chef Natalie Young’s second restaurant. Never one to follow the norm, Chef Nat’s concept of a having a lunch and dinner spot serving two distinct cuisines, recently celebrated it’s one-year anniversary.
If the food I tried is indicative of the rest of the menu they’ll be around for a lot longer. I loved the “Kinda Chinese riblets” ($12) — four small, tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs covered in a sweet, tangy glaze and topped with green onions. If you order the crispy southern fried chicken (which I did) ($8, 2pcs. white meat) they’ll tell you it takes at least 15 minutes. That’s ok, this isn’t KFC, folks. Quality food takes time. Straight out of the fryer and served in a deep silver tub on top a slice of white bread, it was crazy hot. After letting it cool down I was left with some tasty chicken, although under seasoned. It could have benefited from both salt and pepper. The breading was light and crunchy. Not a bad version at all.
The space is beautiful and well decorated with a Chinese motif. The wooden planks lining the walls and the dragon hanging from the ceiling, in particular, were nice touches. This isn’t a fusion restaurant. There are Chinese dishes and southern dishes with little crossover. If you can get past the slight oddity of those cuisines commingling, you just might enjoy your experience here.
4 Stars
1020 Fremont St
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 998-0574
