Spicy Tu Jiazu(土家菜)

**They do NOT have dim sum or the rice noodle dumplings anymore!!** I came here on a weekday, so that may have been what caused the problem I had. I ordered the Peasant Family Braised Pork ($18.95) and it would have been really good if it was actually hot. The Chinese spice flavor was there and the meat was tender and fatty, but it wasn't really hot. I was expecting it to be fresh hot because 1) it's a restaurant and 2) the other Google reviews said that their food took a while to come out because the food was being made fresh. However, my dish came out only 2 minutes after I ordered, which is great since that's really fast. HOWEVER, upon eating the meat, I realized that it wasn't exactly hot. It felt like it was made earlier in the day and then left under a heat lamp and then barely reheated for less than 2 minutes and served, which is kinda disappointing because I thought it would have been really amazing if not for that. The rice also tasted like it was made earlier in the day and then kept in the rice cooker/pot. It wasn't super hot and tasted like it was just about to go stale. It wasn't, but it was on the verge of being stale. The service was pretty good. The waitresses were attentive and helpful. One of them placed everything in a to-go container for me while I was paying the bill, which was really helpful and nice.

FRESH! It is very evident that the food cooked to order. It was an amazing flavor fest. The menu is quite traditional and lots of interesting items. I did ask for one item to be not spicy and they did an amazing job of keeping the flavor without the spice. You can order single meals but it is more fun to share. The rice was perfect. My only dislike, not a complaint, was that the food took a while to make, but there again, totally fresh and hand prepared, worth the wait. The atmosphere was good with the decor, but it would be a lot better with traditional music playing.

Overall the experience and service was good. We ordered the Spicy Hot Pot as well as the Braised Pork. The Spicy Hot Pot was the highlight of the meal and the Braised Pork was decent as well. If you are looking for a reasonably priced Chinese restaurant I would recommend giving it a try.

We ordered a total of three dishes between the two of us, and at first we were worried that it might not be enough. But when the steamed fish slices were served, we realized that the portions were very generous! The flavor of the food was excellent. It was rare to find such authentic Hunan cuisine in Houston. The service at the restaurant was also great, and we ordered a pot of hot tea that tasted like a light, fragrant chrysanthemum tea. Overall, it was a great experience.

The food is delicious! We have Twice-Cooked Pork, Spicy Chicken, Green Vegetables and Sour Fish. It's worth mentioning that the portions of food were very generous, and we were quite satisfied after eating.