Chuan Lu Garden

Reviews 4

SE

Seaira Kovach

While you can almost always find me in the Mills 50 area of Orlando, it took me a while to get around to trying Chuan Lu Garden. I frequented this spot when it was Ginza before, as it was a good place to meet up with friends and grab some hibachi or sushi, so when a friend said it was now serving up Szechuan I decided to give it a try. The restaurant itself is pretty easy to spot from the road, with its main street location and large, well lit sign, but unless youd been there before, you probably wouldnt know that theres parking in the rear until you see the printed sign on the door. The decor doesnt seem to have changed much from the previous Ginza layout, featuring the same bronze statue and koi pond in the foyer when you enter. During my first visit, when I met up with the friend who recommended the place, I was disappointed in the cleanliness of the restaurant. The table had to be wiped down after we were seated, and I realized a few minutes later that my feet were firmly planted in a noodle dish that the tables previous occupants had generously spilled on the floor. On my first trip the server was inattentive and rarely checked in on us, while during my second visit the server was at our table what felt like every five minutes to see if we needed anything. The one plus to Chuan Lu Garden was that everything was brought out quickly and as it was ready, so you could share and sample all of the dishes as they came out. The food itself was underwhelming, partly because my friend hyped it too much, but also in part because Ive eaten at most of the restaurants in this area that serve the same dishes, only better. Asian food is somewhat of a staple in my household, and when we eat out we definitely judge a book by its three covers: pork belly, duck and dumplings. The pork belly appetizer here is served boiled and cold, thin sliced and topped with hot chili oil; none of this is really dictated on the menu, as there was no description of the dish outside of the fact that it was indeed pork belly, so I was a bit disappointed when I expected hot, braised pork belly and instead was served cold, boiled pork. While the duck was flavored well, it lacked what is essentially the best thing about duck: the crispy skin. It was served as a whole quarter of a duck, so it was also not de-boned, but the meat itself was tender. We ended up dunking it in the accompanying hoisin sauce and calling it a day, resigning to get duck from one of our other favorite restaurants in the neighborhood next time we were out. And lastly, what I thought would be the shining star of Chuan Lu Gardens menu, since they have a part of their menu specifically dedicated to them: the dumplings. This was definitely the most lackluster part of the meal, as the dumplings we ordered were bland and lacked any flavor, and the sauce tasted so much like vinegar and had no real depth that we couldnt really even eat it. For a place that has a specific dumpling menu, I expected a far better showing. On both visits to Chuan Lu Garden I was underwhelmed by the food, but had vastly different experiences with the cleanliness of the restaurant and the attentiveness of the staff. I dont see myself coming back here again unless they work on making the experience a consistent one.

TR

Trace Jackson

Awful. Im never going back. We were a party of four and ordered our drinks ten minutes after we sat down - three waters and a Diet Coke (mine). One thing worth noting right now: we are the only table in the place. 15 minutes after ordering drinks, we order our food and are assured that our drinks will be out with the salad. Nope. The soup came out. "I bring your drinks with the chef." Nope. An hour later, when the chef finally arrives, and only shortly thereafter do our drinks come - four waters. By this point, I was so fed up that I didnt even really care about getting a Diet Coke. And if you think we ever got refills, you havent been paying attention! The chef was extraordinarily slow. While the show was decent, he seemed incapable of multitasking. He cooked one thing at a time, and he didnt understand portioning. I got steak and chicken. One of our party, who sat three seats down from me, just got chicken. He got less chicken than I did (even though I should have gotten half of what he did), and it was nothing compared to what the people at the other end of the table got. The chef messed up our orders. The food itself was awful. While the taste was decent, the steak and chicken were overcooked. The steamed rice was bland. The fried rice and the noodles were actually okay, but they messed up the one staple of Japanese steakhouses: shrimp sauce! It tasted like they just poured some mayo into a bowl and served it. The ginger sauce was actually good, but the loss of shrimp sauce was just too disappointing. All in all, it was an awful, overpriced time. Save your money - go somewhere else.

KE

Kelly Larkin

Since there isnt a Kobe downtown, Ginza has become an acceptable substitute for hibachi when I dont feel like straying too far from home. The food is pretty good. I usually get filet and scallops and my steak has always been cooked to a perfect medium rare. The other components of the meal arent as good but hey, its cheaper and its close. Heres my main problem though... I have a severe shrimp allergy. Food allergies are a BIG deal for those of us who suffer from them. Shrimp for me equals instant throat swelling to the point of closure. When dining at places where theres a chance of cross contamination I make this VERY known to the hostess, server, food runner, chef... Etc. After informing 3 employees during the last trip I took to Ginza, the chef started preparing shrimp on the grill before any of my meal had been prepared. My dining partner immediately informed him (again) that since he didnt follow orders correctly, he was going to need to clean the entire grill thoroughly before preparing my food. Now sure, maybe theres a small language barrier, but the chef acted like we were annoying him, grabbed a wet rag and barely wiped only a PORTION of the grill. Seriously dude? Needless to say, I went home hungry. I hate being an issue. I wont even send food back if it sucks.. But they need to learn to take food allergies more seriously before something unfortunate happens. The food here is decent, but if they dont care about something of this caliber, who knows what kind of attitude they take towards cleanliness and food safety.

DA

David

I first discovered Szechuan cuisine through one of Anthony Bourdains "Layover" episodes, where he went to Atlanta and had the Shui Zhu Yu (fish in hot oil soup). I ordered the same thing in Atlanta, in the same restaurant, and loved it. Most adventure stories have their nemesis or obstacle; mine was being served Szechuan peppercorn in L.A. I was served a numbing ingredient in my food without being informed which was not cool. Not spicy like a red pepper spice, but instead, a plant that is used for numbing. I want to say that again: its not flavor or spice, its purpose is to numb, and I think its use is not only illogical, but intrusive. At least give the customer the chance to know about it. I believe Chaun Lu Garden does not use Szechuan peppercorns but I did request for them not to be in my meal--I ended up having a great meal like in Atlanta. The fish was cooked just right, and the broth of hot oil mixed with cilantro and sprouts was awesome. We also ordered 12 pork-and-cabbage dumplings, half pan fried and half steamed, and found we both loved the pan-fried more. Our server was great and we were happy to find a place to enjoy Szechuan cuisine in Orlando.