#110: Hunan Cafe

Date Visited: 4 April 2011

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: Hunan Cafe is the latest Chinese take-out restaurant to open in Leesburg. They have been open for about two months and are located in the new Sycolin Corner shopping center (corner of Sycolin Rd. and Battlefield Pkwy.), next to the new Walgreens. According to their web site, there are five other Hunan Cafe locations in Reston, Herndon, South Riding, Sterling, and Ashburn. Hunan Cafe advertises that they serve Chinese and Thai Cuisine. There are also lots of lunch specials (combos), quite a few kinds of noodle soups, and many Chef's Specialties on the menu.

On this our first visit, I had three mouths to feed and wanted to try a variety of our favorite dishes (we didn't try any of the Thai dishes on the menu this time). We started off with the Crab Rangoon appetizer; the pastry was a bit heavy, shaped in a triangle, and did not come with any special kind of sauce, but they were good. Wendy and I tried the soups; she had the Wonton ("delicious") and I had the Hot & Sour (a bit bland). For main courses, I had the Kung Pao Chicken (good, but a little dry and not very spicy). Wendy had the Chicken with Cashew Nuts (also a bit bland). Alicia tried the General Tso's Chicken (adventurous for her!), but it too was rather tame.

The service was courteous and quick. Overall, the food was OK, and I'm sure will improve as they get the business going; we'll certainly try them again.

For Chinese take-out, my favorite is still Tai Pei Cafe. For Chinese sit-down, I recommend Jasmine or newly-reopened-after-the-fire China King.

Here's a summary of all the Chinese restaurants I've reviewed so far:
- Hunan Cafe (visited 4 April 2011)
- Wei's Garden (visited 8 January 2010)
- James Cafe (visited 25 November 2009)
- Golden China (visited 5 April 2009)
- China King (visited 3 April 2009)
- Jasmine (visited 25 April 2008)
- Tai Pei Cafe (visited 18 April 2008)

Asian-style restaurants that offer at least some Chinese dishes:
- Pho Royal (visited 11 February 2010)
- Aiyara Thai (visited 16 October 2009)
- Pei Wei (visited 18 April 2009)
- Red Apple Buffet (visited 19 October 2008 - out of business, replaced by Buffalo Wings & Beer)
- Thai Pan (visited 24 August 2008)
- J&W Asian Bistro (visited 22 June 2008 - out of business, replaced by Sal's NY Bar & Grill)
- Xuan Saigon (visited 25 May 2008)

Location: 414 Sycolin Rd. SE, Leesburg, VA 20175, 703-443-9281

Web site: http://hunancafeva.com/

Total bill: $39.50 + $8.00 tip = $47.50