Authentic Szechuan Chinese Restaurant
Everyone knows that Audra is a good southern girl who loves her Auburn Tigers and OHS (Opelika High School). I am very similar in my love of AU but my HS allegiance differs because I love my Tucker Tigers! When September rolls in, so many of us are immersed in the Friday, Saturday and Sunday action on the gridiron.
With that being said, here is my hokey tie-in to food….Down, set, hut one, hut Gu….Yes, that’s actually what we are reviewing today!
Gu’s Bistro! Let me preface this by saying that neither Mrs. AHA nor I are big fans of typical Chinese cuisine. I know that is unusual since most people have their “go to” restaurant for their weekly Chinese fix. I just don’t like all the goopy sauces and the MSG swell that normally accompanies the meal the next day.
With that in mind, we relied on our wonderful waitress Melody, to make sure we experienced the best of the best! She made great recommendations and we were more than thrilled with our overall experience.
First came the Zhang style pork dumplings with the house homemade sauce. Absolutely amazing and we had to hold back on these so that we wouldn’t get parched too early!
We also ordered the Shrimp and Broccoli with red pepper, garlic, cilantro and scallions. Delicious! It was delicately fried to perfection with all the flavorful fresh spices and ingredients.
The nice thing about our outings is that Audra usually defers to me for all the menu selections and ordering which is a pretty adventuresome, yet nerve racking task! I am a self appointed aficionado of eggplant, so when I saw it on the menu it was a no-brainer. Knowing that Mrs. AHA doesn’t normally like anything eggplantish, I couldn’t wait for her to try this one…. Much to her surprise, this was one of her favorites!!!! Very gratifying to yo for forcing her into this! We both described it as something that looked like thick fries or cheese sticks, but the taste….oh so much better! Lightly fried eggplant, cilantro, dried chili peppers and Szechuan peppercorn powder.
I was so excited to try the Spicy lamb, however, it was a disappointment because the cumin flavor actually WAY over powered the lamb that I normally love. No harm, no fowl, just throw this hamburger/taco-tasting meat on tortilla or taco shell and you are in business!
Last, but certainly not least, based on Melody’s recommendation, we ordered the Kung Pao Lotus Root. Having no point of reference for what this aquatic plant root should taste like, we were blown away by how delish it was! Stir fried sliced lotus root, peanuts, dried chili peppers and scallions. It had the crunchiness of a water chestnut but with much more flavor. At first, I wasn’t sure whether Audra was enjoying it so much because of the fun she was having skewering the spare tire looking gems with her chopsticks, or if it was due of the taste. Clearly, it was because of both.
We both walked away agreeing that we will DEFINITELY come back to Gu’s and bring our families. We took multiple boxes to go and got feedback from Walt (13) and Sophia (11) that they really liked the dumplings and the shrimp dish. Neither would try the lamb. Walt thought the lotus root was “disgusting”.
Normally I like to attach the prices to each dish, but they weren’t on the picture part of the menu that we ordered from. All I can say is that it was very reasonably priced and in line with or possibly less expensive than the other restaurants we have tried…especially considering the massive amount of leftovers that we carried home. They had a “lunch special” menu that you would typically find in any Chinese restaurant, but we advise going with the wait staff rec’s and the popular pick pictures when selecting your choices. Gu’s Bistro offers a selection of beer and wine also.
Many kudos to all the AHA subscribers who recommended this restaurant! You all have great taste!
Audra and I agreed that our rating was a 4.5 out of 5. The food was amazing but the ambiance (at least at lunch) was nothing special.
Salud,
Patty
Gu’s Bistro
5750 Buford Hwy
770-451-8118
It’s about ½ mile OTP in a Burlington Coat anchored strip center behind a brand new free standing Krispy Kreme Doughnut building (not the old Burlington in Plaza Fiesta)
NOTES:
- Gu’s will be closed from September 15-October 6 for vacation
- Their dumplings will soon be sold at a location on Krog Street (think Rathbun’s area).
- Gu’s is always closed on Monday.
- Health rating: 83
Foodie Frenzy Week 1 (El Rey del Taco)
Foodie Frenzy Week 2 (Han IL Kwan)
Foodie Frenzy Week 3 (Nam Phoung II)
Disclaimer: This is not a paid advertisement. The owners of Gu’s Bistro are unaware of this article at time of publication.
Gu’s has been a personal favorite for many years. Kung Pao Lotus Root is amongst the best dishes in Atlanta! !
They had an 83 health department rating at Gu’s Bistro. In writing a review it would be helpful to include that information.
Hi Sharon. We did include the health rating…it’s just below Patty’s signature in the notes. We’ve committed to include he health rating with every review.