Chinese restaurant celebrates 20 years
In 1997, Annie Wong and chef Tony Yeung shared a goal: Open a Chinese restaurant worthy of the man they would name it after, Wong’s uncle Chan.
They were impressed by the authenticity of his restaurant — Tom’s Chinese Cuisine in Daytona Beach — and wanted to bring something similar to Orlando.
Chan’s Chinese Cuisine recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. The restaurant in Orlando’s Colonialtown North neighborhood even received a commendation from the City of Orlando proclaiming June 5, 2017, as “Chan’s Chinese Cuisine Day.”
“Chinese cuisine is the culture of the Chinese people,” Yeung said through a translator. “It’s like a symbol. I really wanted to make an authentic Chinese restaurant that can have dim sum and authentic dining elements in it. “This is my dream.” Chan’s serves traditional Cantonese-style cooking, which is known for its seafood dishes, dim sum and spare use of both sauces and spices.
Their signature dishes are mainly fresh seafood: dungeness crab in a spicy sauce, whole lobster in a soy sauce or ginger sauce and whole fish.
On the weekend, Chan’s offers dim sum, a term used for a collection of dumplings, buns, noodle rolls, pot stickers and other small plates. Everything, down to the dim sum wrappers, is made inhouse.
“We have to [adhere to] the whole spirit of the Chinese cuisine,” Yeung said. “Everything has to be made from scratch. It has to be fresh to be good.”
Nowadays, patrons are more open to eating Chinese dishes in the cuisine’s traditional way, such as whole fish, Yeung said. He attributes that to the internet educating diners on what’s authentic.
“The concept of the real Chinese food has changed,” said translator, Shally Wong of Asia Trend Magazine.
Orlando has been very accepting of Chinese cuisine, Yeung said.
Yeung and Annie Wong were surprised by how many customers from overseas visit the restaurant requesting a traditional menu.
“You don’t see many [Chinese] restaurants of this scale anymore,” Shally Wong said.
They have made a lot of friends in the restaurant business, Annie Wong said, adding that Chan’s size and expansive menu also attract much of Central Florida’s Chinese and ChineseAmerican population.
A few regulars dine at the restaurant several times a week. After 20 years, Chan’s and its employees (one an 18-year veteran at the restaurant) have seen many of their customer’s milestones including dating, marriage and children.
Yeung hopes to add a few newer trends to the menu, particularly desserts and appetizers. In keeping with tradition, they won’t change too much, however.
Chinese cuisine has a long history, Shally Wong said.
“Even if you change, you don’t change too much,” she said with a laugh. “We all like it that way.”