Wei Hong – Great Food with a Bad Attitude

Date Dined: February 21, 2014
Rating: 3.5 Stars

I love Wei Hong, but I am admittedly biased. I love it because it’s located in Tower Grove South (my hood). I love it because it reminds me of my childhood comfort food. I love it because you can buy whole duck there.

Wei Hong is located on South grand sandwiched inbetween a vegan place and a mediterrian place (both of which I need to frequent) it constantly looks like it should be going out of business. The busiest I have ever seen it in there is four tables full on a Saturday night. I’m guessing a combination of low overhead and lots of takeout orders helps them out.

The interior design is nothing special. Stereotypical Chinese trinkets line the windows and the tables have a definitively no frills feel about them. Although the menu used to boast that it specialized in Cantonese fair, the owners are most definitely Chinese.

Also be prepared to get a fair amount of sass from some members of the family that owns the restaurant. The mother especially can make you feel as if you’re inconveniencing her and they have very little tolerance for special requests. Case in point, the last time we ordered crispy pork and they gave us BBQ pork. When Jess went back to exchange it, instead of apologizing the mother told Jess that this is what she had ordered and then made her stand there for 15 minutes before replacing it. (The crispy pork is hanging in the meat window and it takes about 2 minutes to chop. I will say they tend to treat me more nicely since I can speak to them in Mandarin, but even I get the demon lady face sometimes.

Their best dishes also aren’t for everyone. For example, most people aren’t used to seeing someone devour an entire roast duck, beak skin and all, but I love it. It has that same greasy goodness that grocery store rotisserie chicken has. Likewise, Jess isn’t a huge fan of the crispy pork, even though I can easily eat a pound of the stuff. You’ll also find certain favorites of mine like Chinese BBQ pork and chickens feet with black beans.

However even these dishes can be hit or miss. The crispy pork is sometimes dry and tough and the duck has struck me as a day or two past its prime (but still edible). And perish the thought if you complain. Still, as the only place in the area to get these delicacies I always venture back.

It should also be noted that not everything on the menu is good. Jess and I have our standard order: beef chow fun dry, honey walnut shrimp, and salt and pepper shrimp whole. There are some truly awful dishes. I remember going with her parents once and ordering this tasteless, awkward pineapple chicken dish (I think they just tossed pieces of chicken, pineapple, and vegetables into a pot and boiled them).

Likewise, I can’t speak for any Americanized dishes that they have. This isn’t the place I go to if I want to order sweet and sour, mongolian anything, or sesame meat. I’ll be reviewing this restaurant based on the tried and true dishes I love there that no other Chinese restaurants in the area serve.

First, the beef chow fun dry meaning that its marinated in a soy sauce blend and then stir fried. The wet dish is also very good, but I’m seldom in the mood for the gravy it comes with. The beef is always soft and flavorful, the wide strips of noodles are likewise delicious, and the strips of green onion add a nice variation to the flavors.

Second, the salt and pepper shrimp is not to be messed. You can get this whole or deshelled. I prefer the whole as I like to suck out the head meat and suck on the shells, but either way its delicious. A simple dish they take whole shrimp, coat them with a cornstarch, salt and pepper mixture, add in some green onions and peppers and stir fry the entire thing. It’s a simple dish, but I appreciate that they offer it shell on unlike some other places.

Lastly, the honey walnut shrimp is always a crowd pleaser. Take de-shelled shrimp, lightly batter it, and then coat it in a sweet mayonnaise mixture. Add some steamed broccoli and my favorite, candied walnuts, and you’re done. It sounds gross, it looks a little gross, but it is delicious.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the ham and scallion buns. Brushed with egg before baking to give them a gleam, the dough is soft and comes apart in layers. On the inside there’s strips of ham and scallions drizzled with some secret savory sauce. I like them, but these things are like crack to Jess and some of our friends.

I gave this place a 3.5 rating because only some of the items are good. I mentioned the pineapple chicken dish, and they lose points on certain other thing as well: their pork buns are always understuffed, their sizzling chicken is usually soggy, and their potstickers are disappointing considering the caliber of their other dim sum items. Also the attitude they always give Jess whenever she goes in alone is horrendous.

The price is also a little on the high end. For 3 entrees, a few ham and scallion buns, and a quarter pound of crispy pork you're looking at a hefty $50.00 bill. Most of their entrees do range from the $10-13 range.

The next time I’ll probably venture out of my safety zone a little and I will be sure to update when I do.