RESTAURANT REVIEW: Refurbished Fu Lin keeps followers

Shredded Beef Szechuan Style is served with fried rice at Fu Lin in Little Rock.
Shredded Beef Szechuan Style is served with fried rice at Fu Lin in Little Rock.

Just as many people have a church home, many of us have a Chinese restaurant home.

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The relatively small Sunday lunch buffet is a big draw at Fu Lin in Little Rock.

It's that welcoming place where we always feel accepted. We're always remembered, if not by name, then at least by sight. And while it might have its imperfections and quirks, a visit always leaves us feeling restored.

Fu Lin

Address: 200 N. Bowman Road, Little Rock

Cuisine: Chinese

Credit cards: AE, D, MC, V

Alcoholic beverages: Beer, wine

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Carryout: Yes

(501) 225-8989

A Chinese restaurant home is where they know our order as soon as we walk in the door. When we call for takeout, we remember the number by heart, although we have to look up the digits of close family members.

Fu Lin has not been my Chinese restaurant home (even that year I literally lived just up the street), but it is that place for a lot of people, thanks to its dependable food and long history. For nearly 40 years, Fu Lin has been around in one place or another; it has been at its Bowman Road location since 1989.

We reported in October that owners Wei Chiu and Jing We How retired and sold the business to Yitan Chen. While I can't speak too much about subtle differences made since the regime change -- again, it's not my Chinese restaurant home -- I can say the place was consistently busy during three recent visits. And that the tripartite dining room with sturdy booths and a clubby decor -- from the trippy disco light displays to the plastic beaded curtains -- seems more modern than I remember.

While Fu Lin's look might be contemporary, the varied menu is traditional. There are no fussy fusion selections here, just solid sit-down and carryout Chinese staples -- from Mongolian Beef to Kung Pao Chicken to Moo Shoo Pork.

If I have one complaint about Fu Lin's large menu, it's that it's light on descriptions, which raises questions: What makes it Fragrant Pork? How is the Szechuan Chicken different from the Crispy Chicken Szechuan Style? And what the heck are Golden Fingers? (We might have asked our server on our first visit, but he was busy and we didn't have much face time. We wondered if he had left for the night before we finally got the check.)

The mystery of the Golden Fingers was solved when we received our plate of pre-meal appetizers that came with the complete dinner upgrade: They're mild, batter-fried chicken pieces. They were joined by a standard crab rangoon and a basic egg roll. Complete dinners also come with rice and choice of soup. The soul-soothing egg drop and the perfectly balanced hot and sour soup might have been the best part of our meals.

(Not the best part of our meals: The $5.95 supposedly steamed dumpling appetizer that came to our table cold.)

I blame the vague menu for leading me astray with the Shredded Beef Szechuan Style ($8.95; $12.95 complete dinner). I didn't remember that the dish, which I selected because it was starred for spiciness, would involve lots of celery (a least favorite vegetable), carrots and onions stir-fried with tender sliced beef. Though there was a good amount left, I didn't wish to revisit the remainder and turned down a to-go box.

As for the equally plentiful portion of Fragrant Pork ($8.50; $11.95 complete dinner), my companion would soon learn it was a saucy stir-fry of pork with celery, carrots and broccoli that looked and tasted not much different from my beef selection.

On a recent Sunday, we visited the weekly lunch buffet, served 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Our initial impression was that it was smaller than some of the nearby mega buffets that have become Fu Lin's competitors in recent years. But our next impression was that it was bustling. And for good reason. The buffet, which has a decent selection of appetizers, entrees and desserts, costs a mere $7.95.

A server takes soup orders (those come with buffet) and drink orders (those come extra), and then diners are free to visit the tables. Just like the menu, the buffet is not consistently labeled in the most user-friendly of fashions. It's also laid out somewhat strangely -- the squid salad (or is it pasta? it doesn't say) sits near the steamed buns, which sit near the sugared doughnut balls.

Favorites from the buffet included the lo mein noodles, Beef with Broccoli, General Tso's Chicken and the Black Pepper Shrimp.

Another Fu Lin bargain: its Luncheon Combination Plates ($5.95-$6.95) served 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. They include soup (only if dining in), an egg roll and rice.

My friend ordered the Triple Crown Szechuan Style combination($6.95), one of the few selections with a description: "Shrimp, chicken and beef sauteed, then simmered with mushrooms and baby corn in hot garlic sauce." Her review: "The Triple Crown was tasty, but not particularly spicy or memorable -- although extra points are awarded for the more than ample portion." She was more smitten with the hot and sour soup: "I have always said that I can judge a Chinese restaurant by their hot and sour soup. If that holds true, then Fu Lin is still one of the top spots for Chinese in Little Rock."

I skipped the lunch combinations, but not that superior soup ($1.75), and selected my benchmark for Chinese restaurants: Chicken With Orange Peel ($8.95). I was quite pleased with the plump chicken chunks in a spicy, sticky and citrusy sauce. This time, I gladly accepted a takeout box.

Fu Lin still is not my Chinese restaurant home. But it could become my home away from Chinese restaurant home.

Weekend on 03/17/2016

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