chiang's gourmet

seattle, wa

website

we are regulars at chiang's (every time i'm in seattle), as are all the other asians that live within a 30-block radius of this place. it's always packed. they serve an excellent chinese breakfast on the weekends, including sao bing you tiao (flaky sesame seed-topped bread with a fried donut inside - carb city). an easy way to avoid the crowds is to call ahead and order takeout. my brother chris used to live in the area so he is officially an expert on chiang's takeout.

chiang's has two menus - one for chinese people and one for non-chinese (both in english). it's not a secret - both takeout menus are displayed next to their register. the chinese menu has various organ meat and other dishes while the non-chinese menu has more americanized chinese food. we decided to order a bit from both menus - nian gao (rice cakes with pork and cabbage), honey walnut shrimp, and the "sizzling platter" (chris's recommendation). i admit that i was skeptical about ordering the sizzling platter (pictured) off the non-chinese menu, but it turned out to be a delicious combination of meat, seafood, and vegetables. i should have known better than to doubt chris's takeout expertise.