Kim's Hunan

Received a flyer in the mail yesterday (I live in the Burtonsville area) so I thought I'd give them a try...



On the surface, their menu looks impressive: Chinese, Thai & Japanese. I have to qualify my review by stating that my order was for delivery, and I only tried the Chinese and Japanese.



For starters, the woman taking the order by phone was professional, courteous, and spoke English well. I ordered several meals, Kung Pao Chicken, Shredded Beef Szechuan Style (both combination platter for $2 extra), and the Deluxe Sashimi. I made it extremely clear that I wanted the Chinese food extremely spicy, and that to just error on the safe side I wanted at least 6 small containers of hot spice/oil. I informed her how important spicy was to me, and she assured me that they would send a large quantity of spice/hot oil. I also asked for extra wasabi for the sashimi. She knew this was my first time ordering from Kim's Hunan, but assured me it would all be perfect. She did inform me that they were very busy and it might take a while for delivery. After about an hour my food did finally arrive.



My order was missing the most important elements that I specifically emphasized. First off, the Chinese food wasn't spicy at all despite my extra spicy request. Also, my contingency plan failed as they sent one small dish of spice/oil instead of what I specifically ordered...at least SIX dishes of spice/oil. Third, they didn't send any extra wasabi at all.



Starting off extremely disappointed, I called back and demanded they deliver what I asked for. They complied, and even added a $2 off coupon for my next order (which will NEVER happen). On a side note, I was definitely rude and irritated at this point, but the woman answering the phones was still professional and responsive. Another 30 minutes later and I received the rest of my order.



Now for the food:



1) Kung Pao Chicken: Pretty much horrible. First, it should have been called Celery with Chicken instead of Kung Pao Chicken. I've never had Kung Pao Chicken with cellar. Let alone more celery and onions than chicken. And for peanuts, what few there where seemed stale and soggy. While the portion seem large, in reality it was probably 90% veggies. Taste of the chicken was average at best; as an overall meal I'd put it at below average.



2) Shredded Beef Szechuan Style: It was 95% veggies (sliced carrots, etc). Again, while it looked like a large portion, in reality there was almost no beef at all. Extremely disappointing, as the meat was actually rather tasty. The few pieces of meat were tasty, as an overall dish below average.



3) Side Note: I ordered combinations for an extra $2. While the Entrees were basically pathetic, the egg drop soup and fried rice were both excellent.



4) Deluxe Sashimi: Reasonably fresh and while I will never order from Kim's Hunan again, I would put this in the average category.



I usually order from Hunan Manor basically across the street, but I thought I'd give Kim's Hunan a shot. Bad decision. Don't waste your money at Kim's Hunan. Ignoring bad service, and apparently complete inability to actually check an order before it goes out, the food is below standard to average at best. And if you don't eat the veggies, you'll be amazed to find that 95% or more of the entree you paid for is still in front of you when you finish.



I learned my lesson. While Hunan Manor in Columbia, MD is MUCH better, for local orders I'll stick with Human Manor Burtonsville.



http://hunanmanorrestaurant.com/



Happy dining, and don't bother wasting your money at Kim's Hunan in Burtonsville. Just my opinion and trying to warn you. Of course, feel free to give them a chance yourself...but you've been warned! :-)



Curtis