“We ordered too much food.”
“That’s not a thing.”
That’s a conversation that pops up a lot around me, as ordering a lot of food is kind of my signature move. But how else does one explore a menu as large and diverse as the one at Fung’s Kitchen, 3321 N. Classen Blvd?
Almost all Chinese restaurants are intimidating.
There are language barriers — with your server, the menu or both — that can sometimes make for a worrisome experience. Will you like the food? Will it be cooked the way you want? Are there any bones in there?
(Fact: Almost every animal you’re going to eat had a skeleton at one point or another, so it’s time to get over eating food with bones. If you want boneless food, I suggest you start exclusively eating vegetables, fruits and grains.)
So, let’s start with something boneless and familiar. The egg rolls ($1.60 each) are legitimately some of the best I’ve ever eaten: crisp on the outside, waiting to crackle and shatter as you bite into them. The inside’s still fresh, with its own satisfying crunch, and is not overloaded with grease.
The flavor is salty and oily and slightly vegetal. Add soy sauce or Chinese mustard if you want, but it’s not necessary. These are the platonic ideal of egg rolls. Put a plate of 20 in front of me and I promise I won’t be mad.
Classics like egg drop soup (small $1.55, family size $5.95) and hot and sour soup (small $1.65, family size $6.95) were tasty as well.
But egg rolls and soup are just starters. The real force of the menu is in the specialties. The black pepper steak ($15.95) is not a hard dish to parse. It is steak. And onions. And black pepper sauce. You put it on top of rice and enjoy all that spicy pepper and tender pieces of beef.
These are big enough to share … if you’re a quitter.
The chicken chow mein ($8.45) is good and mild. Chicken chow mein is kind of a base food on which you can build your own flavors. My palate requires that I add a fair amount of chili sauce and soy sauce, which is easy enough to do.
Personally, I’d veer toward the lamb with onion ($14.95). This is not a dish that seeks to confuse you: It is stir-fried lamb with green onions in a brown sauce.
“Lamb? You’d eat a defenseless little lamb?”
Yes. I don’t care if this was a sheep in the joint custody of Mary and Little Bo Peep, as this is some delicious lamb. It’s succulent and slightly sweet, which gives a lovely contrast to the crunch of the fresh green onions. This is plate-licking good.
If you want something a bit lighter, try the shrimp with eggplant ($11.95). Plump shrimp cook up fast and stay juicy, and the eggplant has an earthy, creamy texture.
If you go Saturday or Sunday mornings, you also can try Fung’s dim sum service, in which servers push around carts covered in freshly cooked small plates. Take what you want, let them mark your card and pay on your way out.
Be aware; you will make at least one questionable decision during dim sum service. You will get a dumpling you might not devour or some kind of pork that doesn’t suit your taste buds. Do not be discouraged. At some point, they will bring out barbecue pork buns (bread with barbecue pork baked inside) and beef flat noodles (beef with flat noodles).
Generally, though, if you think you’ve ordered too much, you’ve got just enough. Fung’s makes some wonderful Chinese dishes, and you’ll be hard-pressed to stop eating, even after you’re full.
And if, by chance, you actually did order “too much,” there’s nothing wrong with having a little leftover Fung’s the next day.
Print headline: Fung lovers, If the menu selection here feels overwhelming, don’t worry. We’re here to guide you through it.
This article appears in Jun 3-9, 2015.