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You’d think you stepped onto a movie set entering Hsu’s Gourmet’s kitschy Chinatown exterior. However, the downtown restaurant, adjacent to major hotels so popular with convention goers and families, offers generous servings of the tried-and-true peppered with additional surprises worth trying. Standouts are any dishes marked 'Peking,’ 'Szechuan’ or 'Hunan.’ Service is enthusiastic, an Asian take on Southern hospitality. The owners also operate Pacific Rim Bistro – which serves selections from Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and Korea – which is located within two blocks.
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A renovated Victorian home, Mu Lan is a gourmet Chinese bistro in a gracefully inlaid setting as elegant and delicate as its [name], which translates to 'wood orchid.’ The opulent sibling of the city’s popular Chin Chin chain of casual Chinese eateries, Mu Lan offers Asian comfort foods presented as edible art pieces. While the food isn’t quite as refined as the décor, the seafood-heavy menu offers highlights. Piquant pork dumpling bowties as starters complement Hunan red snapper in rice wine vinegar and Thai-like red curry salmon. Lunchtime offers traditional take- out fare.
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Nam injects new flavours not only into first- rate Viet[name]se food, but also into Atlanta’s upscale eateries. This is the first venture to successfully update Viet[name]se carryout classics as fine dining room fare. Available are street counter favourites such as steamed rice cakes, rice flour tamales and spring rolls but with sauces that bring out the food’s clarity. Gravitate, however, to the short list of recommended dishes – such as 'shaking’ beef cubes and steamed sea bass – to experience the true glory of this sumptuously flavoured and decorated eatery. The owners also offer the city’s best sushi at their sister restaurant, MF Sushi.
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Nestled into a corner neighbouring the Interstate offering little parking, Tamarind offers dramatic lighting, stylish well- spaced settings and round jazz making you forget the bustle. Thai is Atlanta’s unofficial favourite Asian cuisine, so with a Thai restaurant, or several, in every neighbourhood, being amid the best and worth a cab ride requires a deft touch. Tamarind has it when it comes to spices. It’s not unusual cuisine being offered; it’s just amazingly layered flavouring. Among the outstanding selections, basil and green and Panang curry dishes stand out. Adjacent to Midtown’s hotels and nightlife district, Tamarind makes an excellent evening launch pad; just call ahead for reservations.
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