Saratoga News Photograph by George Sakkestad Chris Hong is the chef at Hong's Gourmet, the Big Basin Way restaurant he recently opened with his brother, Tri Hong. Authentic Chinese food is the standard at Hong's By Suzanne Cristallo "We want people to know what is real Chinese food," says Kristal Chan of the restaurant recently renamed Hong's Gourmet in Saratoga. Chan manages the Big Basin Way establishment for her fiancé, owner and chef Chris Hong, who, with his brother, Tri Hong, recently purchased what was formerly known as Chef Chau's. Chan says the previous owner, Patrick Chau, sold the restaurant in order to concentrate on the Mr. Chau's fast-food restaurant chain he established in 1991. The real Chinese food Chan touts comes in a variety of forms at Hong's. More than 124 menu items include sizzling platters of beef, seafood, chicken, lamb and vegetables steeped in an array of spices and sauces. The hot and spicy can be toned down to taste. Mu shu pork or chicken--shredded and sauteed with vegetables and eggs for tucking into thin pancakes--and tea-smoked duck--Hong's version of the crispy-skinned game bird smoked in a special oven over burning tea leaves--are both served with plum sauce. A special brown sauce adorns Ming's Beef, which is sliced beef tenderloin stir-fried and finished with a quick outside burn to achieve a crispy texture. House specialties such as Peking Duck, at $24, and Emerald Chili Chicken or Crispy Tofu with beef at $9.95 for dinner are balanced by $4.95 lunch specials, which include beef with broccoli, chicken in curry sauce, and sweet and sour pork. Chris Hong, 25, was born in the Chinese section of Vietnam where his Cantonese family had settled. As a teenager, he played keyboard and guitar with a group that played dance music in Saigon. His travel to the United States came when a relative who owned The Great Wall restaurant in Los Angeles invited him to come and learn to be a chef. Several years later, Hong traveled to San Jose and worked as chef at Pacific Lobster, where he met Chan, 23. She had come from Hong Kong with her brother a short time before to stay with an uncle. Newcomers Chan, the waitress, and Hong, the chef, were drawn to each other initially because of their ability to communicate in Chinese. Subsequently, Hong was hired by Chef Chau's, where he was a chef until the opportunity arose for him and his brother, a Silicon Valley engineer, to buy the place. Hong and Chan are planning a wedding after they become "more experienced with the restaurant," Chan says. "For sure not now!" she laughs, referring to their hectic schedule. The couple is enjoying Saratoga, a place Chan describes as quiet and filled with kind people. "They are more patient and nicer here," she says of her American customers. Hong's Gourmet, 14510 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. Open for lunch Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Dinner Mon.-Thurs. 5-9:30 p.m., Fri. 5-10 p.m., Sat. noon- 10 p.m., Sun. noon-9:30 p.m. Call for take-out orders and reservations. 867-2554. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, October 14, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.