Joy Luck is now open at Kashmir's first location in a house across the street from MidCity Mall. They have a web site with a menu at http://www.TheJoyLuck.com. They describe their food as "Far East Faire". It is, in essence, traditional Chinese Restaurant food : Kung Pow Chicken or Shrimp, General Tso’s Chicken, Beijing Roast Duck, Sweet & Sour Soup, Pot Stickers....the usual suspects.
I did a carry-out last night. The moment I walked in I was taken aback. The place is beautiful. The decor was obviously done professionally and is warm, inviting and comfortable. They have a large bar area to the left as you walk in that looks great and the two dining rooms are tastefully decorated.
On to the food. The Hot &Sour soup had a smoky aroma and instead of being thick and yellow as at some places, it had a dark broth as a base served with light, crunchy noodle strips. Not too much in spice heat but very satisfying on a cold night. The pork dumplings (pan stickers) were ordered pan-fried and were excellent with just the right amount of chewiness from the pan. The Mu Shu Pork came with four pancakes. This is a dish I love when it's done right and most places in the city serving it have crappy gummy sheets instead of decent pancakes. There was a smoky, savory flavor to the filling and plenty of Hoisin sauce. Lastly we had the Five-Flavor Chicken. It was quite good with plenty of fresh vegetables, not overcooked, in a garlic ginger sauce. Brown rice was offered as an option. The last dish was advertised as hot, but ordered as medium heat with hot chili on the side. It was good, but even the chili oil didn't bring it to my favored level (a 5 at Simply Thai).
The hostess / owner was really outgoing and friendly (I was the only person there).
Lastly, the portions were huge. Maybe because they were enthusiastic about pleasing, who knows, but even after stuffing ourselves I'll be eating a one or two lunches from the leftovers this week.
Well worth a repeat. Liquor coming next week.
