Best Kung pao chicken now?

[echoparkdirt]

With the decline of the kung pao at chung king, is there a new preeminent Kung pao chicken in the sgv?

[paprkutr]

Try Hunan Taste on Olympic and San Vincente. They just put spicy peppers, green onions and peanuts. You can request spicier or non spicy. They are very accomodating.

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Hunan Taste
6031 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

[Tony Miller]

Seems like most Kung Pao chicken in LA is wimpy -- too much celery, too few peanuts, and (worst of all) too few fiery peppers. I have eaten it in SFO, Minneapolis, and New York, and it was satisfyingly spicy almost every time. I wonder why not in LA?

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Kung Pao Restaurant
4911 Warner Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92649

[JThur01]

Then get thee somewhere authentic, like New Chongqing - as mentioned above. If you're looking for "true" Chinese, look East - to the San Gabriel Valley.

As far as Yunnan Garden/Yunchuan Garden, I haven't tried it there either, but considering their generosity with the peppers, I have to assume they would do it well.

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Yunnan Garden
545 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776

New Chong Qing
120 N San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91775

[foodiemahoodie]

Well, this is why my memory of Hu's is positive - plenty of peanuts and peppers and I don't recall much if any celery.

[foodiemahoodie]

I haven't been there in a while, but Hu's Szchechuan (sp?) Inn on National in West. LA. was my favorite for many years.

[echoparkdirt]

Hus "Szechuan" is an embarrassment to brown sauce chinese restaurants

[foodiemahoodie]

You've had their Kung Pao chicken? When and what didn't you like about it? I used to go there back in the '70s. But my tastes have changed over the years. I probably haven't been there in five years, maybe ten.

But back in the day - I thought they had the best kung pao chicken on the westside. (which isn't saying a whole lot).

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Kung Pao Restaurant
4911 Warner Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92649

[ipsedixit]

New Chongqing on NE corner of San Gabriel Blvd and Las Tunas Blvd (same strip mall as the CVS).

[cant talk...eating]

Ipse/all - does Yunnan Garden do one? (on Las Tunas about a mile west of New Chongqing)? I really liked what I had when I was there a couple weeks ago - cumin lamb, spicy noodles with shredded pork, the good Sichuan app buffet. Seems like they could put together a pretty decent KPC.

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Yunnan Garden
545 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776

Las Tunas Restaurant
3603 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90020

[ipsedixit]

It's on the menu, but never had it. Sorry.

At a place like Yunnan Garden, the better dish to order would be the cumin chicken if you're looking to replicate the taste of traditional Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken.

[JThur01]

I second the recommendation of New Chongqing.