A new, contemporary Chinese restaurant on the upper west side of Manhattan offers a different take on Chinese food.

Owned by two recent graduates of Columbia University, the menu flies to the four corners of China for its inspiration. 

Dishes from Hunan province — where sour and spicy flavors and dried, smoked, and pickled ingredients are prized — have a major presence on the menu. Sichuan food is also a frequent menu inspiration. (We ordered their Hunan Style Fried Rice, which is spicy, and asked for a milder version. They kindly complied.)

If you are not an adventurous eater, the menu has a section devoted to American Chinese food where you will find old favorites such as Sesame Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, Prawn with Garlic Sauce and much more.

Their vegetable selection is extensive. We started with Okra with Garlic Sauce, and I’m looking forward to returning and trying some of their other offerings. All the dishes were not only delicious, but beautifully presented as well. Yes, to a repeat!!

Update: May 22, 2025. This blog post was written in February, 2022, so when returning to the upper westside, we decided to revisit this wonderful Chinese restaurant. Major disappointment. Restaurant is now rather shabby, and the food  was fair to middling. One dish was especially terrible – their soup dumplings. Skins were inedible. Sorry, I can no longer recommend this restaurant.