Happy Buddah Cafe - University Heights Chinese

Happy Buddha Cafe is easy to miss nestled into a small strip mall at the intersection of Green and Cedar Roads. And yes, Happy Buddha is in University Heights, since as Green jogs West, Beachwood gives way for this corner (see the map here). Cleveland has many small Chinese take out places scattered about, and with some notable exceptions, they are unexceptional, well Happy Buddha is certainly different and better. You can get an idea just by looking at their website here; the fact that they even have a website is different, but this one is well done and reflects the care that has been taken with this small restaurant. Connected to Bo Loong by the owners, Happy Buddha has worked to elevate the small takeout restaurant. Since the Lius have taken this spot over they have redecorated to give the small dining area a much better look, the walls have been textured and painted a warm golden color and that are accented by the high gloss pictures of selected dishes. Although much of the business is takeout, they welcome you to eat there and provide table service. The menu is impressive for this type of restaurant, while providing the regular items you would expect, it also has dishes usually found at the larger downtown restaurants, including squid, panfried noodles and salt baked items. The food here is good and among the items that I would recomend are the Singapore style Mei Fun, the Shrip Pan Fried Noodles and the Salt Baked Squid. The food is fresh, well prepared and seasoned and while not the cheapest place in town, the prices are affordable and a good value for what you get. While not as exotic as a trip down to Asiatown, Happy Buddha offers a suprising variety of very good Chinese food at good prices in an attractive if somewhat small setting. If you are in the Eastern Suburbs and want some good Chinese stop by and check it out or take some home.

Bo Loong - Asia town mainstay

Well it was time for a dim sum fix and since Tom's Seafood is no longer doing the $8 all you can eat Dim Sum, I figured that we would go back to Bo Loong and see what they are offering. Located at 3922 Saint Clair Ave NE Cleveland, OH 44114, Bo Loong has been a mainstay of Cleveland's China/Asiatown for quite a while. Located between a gas station and a warehouse just East of the train tracks bridge, the outside is a bit restrained and offers only limited parking which will usually be filled all too fast. Once inside Bo Loong has two large rooms with traditional Chinese decor; of note is the large wooden sculpture and the number of fish tanks, some of which contain decorative fish, others which offer seafood to order. This trip the decor seems to be showing its age with the room feeling a bit old and musty, but it is familar and the food is still excellent. Some will feel that Bo Loong looks a bit outdated, but it does offer plenty of seating and an atmospere that I enjoy. Once seated, on Saturday and Sunday lunch time you are presented with a number of carts containing dim sum, small orders of various meats, foul, seafood and vegetables wonderfully prepared and then either fried, baked or most often steamed. Each order is usually in the $2-3 range, so the best idea is to bring a group and share a lot of different items. It can be a bit of an adventure since you are not always sure what is in each item, but the women bringing around the carts will help guide you through the items. Among the highlights this trip were the har gua, which are simple shrimp dumplings in a steamed starch wrapper that were light, flavorful and just the right hint of sesame oil; the shrimp rolls which have shrimp wrapped in a wide starch noodle and then steamed; and a tofu wrapper around vegetables that packed just the right combination of flavor and texture. The table also really enjoyed the chicken shumei, the steamed meatballs, potstickers and the baked bbq pork buns. To finish the meal we went with the steamed custards, which are slightly sweet egg custards in a light flakey pie shell, delicious and the perfect end for the meal. All told the bill came to about $9 per person and we had a wonderful time. In addition Bo Loong also offers an extensive menu of well prepared Chinese foods. The menu is primarily Cantonese, so if you want hot and spicey you will have to add some of the hot chili oil, but they have been one of the best and most consistent Chinese restaurants in Cleveland for years. Among my favorites on the menu are the clams in black bean sauce and the Shrimp Pan Fried Noodles. Bo Loong is open late and is a great place to get a late night or holiday meal since it seems they are open every day of the year. With a large Asian clientel along with many Ocidentals, Bo Loong can be one of the busier restaurants in town. A unsual adventure is to head down late on the weekend when you will often find that Karoke is going on and the place is full. If you have been to Bo Loong before, it is still the same great Chinese Restaurant, if you haven't been, it is time to venture downtown and see what you have been missing.

Wonton Gourmet & BBQ - Asiatown Hidden Gem - Updated

I headed down to Asiatown for lunch on Saturday and wanted to try someplace new. Had heard mention of Wonton Gourmet and noticed it had taken over the spot at 3211 Payne Avenue in Cleveland's Asiatown. Under a previous name and ownership this used to be just another smaller average Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood, ate there once and was neither very good or very bad, just kind of average. Pulling up to Wonton Gourmet I was not particularly impressed, although there is a good sized parking lot next door, the outside of the building is a bit run down. But walk inside and it is a complete 180 degrees. Decorated in a very modern and clean style Wonton Gourmet looks the complete opposite of its exterior. The place virtually gleams and there is very little decoration. On the far wall a large flat screen shows presumably Chinese shows; along the walls hang small Chinese signs listing menu items with their prices. Luckily there are printed menus with English. The tables are simply set, but in a good sign in addition to the ubiquitous soy sauce there is a container of the hot chili oil. Very nice black plastic chopsticks are brought upon request. The menu lists very standard items; Chow Mein, Fried Rice, Egg Foo Young, Lo Mein and similar items at very reasonable prices. Although I didn't order anything from them on this trip, looking at other tables, the food looked good with very well sized portions. What immediately caught my attention was the separate menu on the table with the Hong Kong style items; Noodles in Soup, Congee and Chow Fun, Delicasies and other dishes. I tried the Shrimp Wonton soup with Egg Noodles. For $4.95 I got a large bowl with a light but well seasoned broth, a large portion of thin noodles, greens and 5-6 large shrimp wontons. The soup was excellent with the Shrimp Wontons being the highlight. Adding just a few drops of the chili oil added the needed punch and it was excellent. Overall I was very impressed; the decor is excellent, very restrained and modern; the menu has plenty of interest while still touching on a lot of what we are familiar with. The prices are very reasonable, especially considering the portion sizes. Bringing a taste of everyday Hong Kong style to Cleveland, this is definitely a place that I will be hitting again, especially at lunch time. Update: I stopped at Wonton Gourmet for a quick dinner and was once again impressed. The dinner menu is extensive and has some items that are new event to me. I was in the mood for squid so I tried the Salt and Pepper Squid. It was a good sized portion of well prepared deep fried squid with a nice salty batter and plenty of hot pepper slices to get my tounge tingling. This is a great addition to the Cleveland Chinese food scene. A very nice place, with an interesting menu of well prepared food and reasonable prices. Go and try it out.