Orange County Register

Tons of commenters have been raving about the second-place finisher in our discussion of the best hole-in-the-wall joints, and so we simply couldn’t not review the place.

Fu Wing Low, serving Szechuan and Cantonese cuisine, really does belong in the hidden-gem category, what with its strip mall location, lack of windows, fairly run-down exterior and - most importantly - phenomenal, low-priced fare.

Distinctive Chinese food is not particularly easy to find, at least not on the beaten path. Orange chicken, chow mein, fried rice - with modest exceptions, they tend to taste very much the same no matter where you dine.

Fu Wing Low forges a whole new path of flavors, and that’s just the start - a bustling family atmosphere, massive portions and miniscule prices also await.

The restaurant’s name, according to several waiters, means “Rich Honest House.” According to a Mandarin-speaking friend, it’s actually “Rich Glorious House.” To be safe, I am going to go with “Super Awesome House of Yummy Noodles.”

I stopped by around 6:30 Friday night, and there was one open table to be had - good timing, as a line quickly began to form outside (there isn’t much room to wait indoors). The restaurant has rows of booths along both walls and big circular tables with Lazy Susans for the large families getting together.

Like most of the commenters who recommended FWL, we were waited on by Kenny, an older gentleman with a heart-of-gold disposition, great sense of humor and a perfect willingness to guide customers through the massive menu.

On that note, I should mention that service is a bit on the slow side, but not at all to the point of annoyance. We sipped hot green tea for 20 minutes or so, then ordered, then sipped cold Tsingtao beers for maybe 20 minutes more before digging in.

We chose just two plates - first, I’ll mention the Szechuan Chicken, shown below, which was $8 and change.

Besides a fabulous portion of poultry covering the platter, this dish also featured bamboo shoots, water chesnuts, mushrooms and green onions. The brown sauce was thick and savory but didn’t come across all gelatinous and corn-starchy - an all-too-common occurrence in Chinese fare and a serious nausea-inducer for yours truly.

Our other choice was the plate of Singapore Noodles, also about $8, shown at top. This was barbecued pork, wok’d shrimp, bell peppers, onions and celery mixed with angel-hair rice noodles swathed in either curry powder or curry paste. There were good notes of heat, courtesy of the curry and black pepper, but a bright flavor reminiscent of mint also permeated the dish; I have no clue what it was, as I didn’t spy any mint leaves on the plate.

All I can say is, true love at first bite. I almost asked Wifey Heather to excuse me so I could be alone with the dish. This was the kind of complexly flavored, soul-satisfying entree that makes you shut your eyes and quietly declare, “Man, that’s good,” with each bite.

I know I already said it once or twice, but the portions here were just nuts for the prices - the two of us left stuffed like Thanksgiving turkeys and had enough leftovers to keep me full all the next day.

To everyone who rec’d this place: I love you. Almost as much as I love the noodles.

Fu Wing Low
16545 Brookhurst St.
Fountain Valley
714-839-4481

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