Fong Chong is #1
Written: Dec 28 '02
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Pros: Quick service, friendlier than others, reasonable prices.
Cons: Small space, inconsistent menu.
The Bottom Line: I love the place and will continue to go there to satisfy my dim sum cravings.
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| bowesc's Full Review: Fong Chong Restaurant & Grocery |
First things first, I can't profess to be a dim sum expert yet. While I have gone out for dim sum quite a few times, I have only eaten it at two restaurants in Portland and it can take a while, I think, to get the hang of the ordering process, and identifying what foods you want. I am not Chinese, or even Asian for that matter, but I do enjoy off beat types of Asian food more than any other type of food.
Out of the 6-7 times I have had dim sum, all but one have been at Fong Chong. I ate once across the street at House of Louie and wasn't exactly impressed. I'll briefly mention some differences between these two restaurants because they are located almost across the street from each other and therefore one usually chooses one or the other. Keep in mind that I have only visited House of Louie on one occasion. It was a Saturday early afternoon so it was fairly busy but the service on that particular day was terrible. My friend and I waited for what seemed like forever for the dim sum carts to come around and when they did, it was the same one with the same item we didn't want. Then we waited even longer to get our check, refills on water, tea, eating utensils, etc. House of Louie does have a larger seating capacity and is highly decorated in the Chinese theme. It's a neat place to visit and maybe service isn't always that bad but I think the higher seating capacity leads to lower service level.
Now, Fong Chong has almost always been a pleasurable experience for me. Make sure that you get there before 2pm if you want dim sum, because although they serve until 3pm, I believe, the variety starts to slow down after 2pm. I've generally been seated pretty quickly there, even on a busy day. I've only gone for dim sum on Saturday or Sunday so it is always busy. But one tip for Fong Chong: if you want to sit right away, ask if there is seating available upstairs. Sometimes they assume everyone wants to sit downstairs. This is because there are more dim sum carts moving downstairs but they do manage to get them upstairs quite a bit if you're there early, and the seating is less crowded. They have to bring the carts upstairs on a dumbwaiter, which is pretty neat to see them using.
I don't know how busy the dim sum scene is on the weekdays but I would still suggest going on the weekends just for the experience. It's fun to people watch and even though it's busy and crowded, there is still plenty of space to sit and move about at your table. It's fun to be there when people are moving about and the carts are constantly coming by the table.
As far as service goes, I wouldn't say that any of the wait staff is overly outgoing because I believe some may not have perfect English but at Fong Chong most of the waitresses are friendly and at least smile. They are usually happy to explain what each item is and which ingredients it contains. The pricing here is similar to that of House of Louie and I hear they are both fairly reasonable. Generally, each regular size item is $2 and others which may be a bit larger are about $3. I have heard that in Seattle, for example, prices are a dollar more for each item, generally. If you go with family or friends and everyone shares, lunch will probably be under $10 each.
After eating dim sum on several occasions I have begun to learn what each item is and which ones I like the best, but part of the fun is the experimentation. I'd say most items contain shrimp, and/or chicken, and/or pork. There are some items which are vegetarian but this is more of a meat-eaters scene. Some of my friends' and my favorites are shrimp balls, pork buns (steamed or baked), shrimp toast, egg tarts, potstickers, etc. Pretty much everything is good that I have tried so far, and if you order something and aren't fond of it, someone else will probably like it in your group. For the kids who aren't into this type of food, you can also order off of the regular menu to get sweet and sour chicken and the like.
Fong Chong doesn't have the Chinese decorated ambience that House of Louie does but like another reviewer noted: it has a cafe style ambience while House of Louie has a more serious restaurant feel.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations I'd say try Fong Chong on a weekend, enjoy the atmosphere, experiment with the dim sum menu some, have a good time!
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
bowesc
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Location: Eugene, OR, USA
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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