E-Tao dinner

If you have been to the Galleria in the Nordstrom area upstairs, you must've seen this place. It's a recessed Chinese food place. Not your usual normal Food Court type food. I was skeptical at first, Mall Food, how good can it get?! Like I said last time, they were not bad at all.

So funny tidbit, the name E-Tao, in slang Cantonese, it can mean here (as in a generic area). But as it turns out, it means Cure [your] Stomach, which makes sense, they are there to cure your stomach by feeding you yummy food. Interesting, huh?

For this round, we ordered the Singapore Street Noodles. It wasn't bad, but also was hoping that they added more spice as they usually have a kick to them. I wouldn't say it's blend, just can use a kick.
My friend ordered their chicken wings, which apparently takes a while to make. So be patient if you order it. Turns out, they have different styles even for this one item. I forgot which style we ordered this in, but the sauce is tangy and has a kick for the wings. And they're not the oily KFC style wings, you can tell they're not covered with mushy battered then fried.
Of course we ordered the Shanghai Pork Dumplings, aka siu loung bao. I love theirs because they do seal some soup in the dumpling, so even though it might be hot, you get a nice dose of soup when you take a bit. Watch out, it is hot!

Some other interesting tidbits, the owners came here from Vancouver, which is a mecca of Asian population in North America. So, you know they know how to do things more authentic than most. The GM was telling us how you can do a Chef Choice if you are willing to be adventurous. For instance, if you have a large party and wanted to celebrate with some lobster, just tell them, they will whip it up in 4 different ways. How cool is that?

The GM also told us that the entire kitchen that is visible, all put together with materials from Hong Kong, even though the designer is from Canada. Then they piece everything together. They also trained their chefs to cook the same way to maintain consistency. More interesting tidbits because of their success in the mall, they are looking for space around Memorial for a second location restaurant. So, more yummy Chinese food to come!

E-Tao

5135 W Alabama St #7295

Houston, TX 77056
(713) 965-0888

http://www.etaoasian.com/