Kwong's Provisions - Niles

It's easily the best restaurant in Hole in the Wall. KWONG'S PROVISIONS is a San Franciso Mission Street-inspired Chinese food restaurant by Suzy Lee of Spring by Ha Yuan. It's an American interpretation of Ha Yuan favorites. I've been here twice and I tried their fresh lumpia and two kinds of noodles. They are fresh and taste jumps up and down in your mouth.

Nothing spectacular with both rice plates we've ordered- Black Vinegar Porkchop and Salt and Pepper Squid and Tofu. The porkchop looked nice enticing enough to order but failed to live up to expectations. Breading was too thick, meat hard to chew (overcooked and no creativity at all put into that dish. Tasty Dumpling's starch studded porkchop could even be better and a lot cheaper than this. Even the S&P squid was too rubbery and unimaginative. It came with a chunk of breaded tofu (really now?! . Sort of zapped out all the traits of how comfort Chinese food should be- unpretentious and umami-ful. So maybe we just picked out of sheer luck Kwong's Provisions lousiest meals. Would still try another time other items. Giving 2 stars because their fresh lumpia is still the bomb.

My first time experiencing Kwong's Provision was back in Feb. I got this gorgeous bowl of Bacon Dan Dan Mian and I was blown away! It's not your usual bowl of noodle soup because it has less soup in it but is was so good! Spicy, milky and rich that's how I'll describe the soup. I loved the nutty flavor with a hint of sesame seeds. Loved the noodles and the generous serving of bacon. This bowl is not for sharing because it's so good it'll be so bitin to share! Fast forward to a month ago, we tried their Pork Cheek Asado Mami as requested by Cherienne. It was also good. Clear soup, tender and flavorful meet, great noodles. The serving had a lot in it. Never had the chance to try their Soft Shell P'Boy since it's always sold out. We got the Crispy Hong Ba Cua Pao instead. Expensive for the serving though the piece of meet inside was really good. Tender, with crispy skin, salty and flavorful. So much to discover and eat in this area of Century Mall. Wish I had the chance to try the Soft Shell Crab Cua Pao. Oh well.

I decided to try something different and ordered the Black Vinegar Pork Chop from Kwong's Provisions. I upgraded my rice to fried rice as well. The portion was generous, but I couldn't finish it all because my braces had difficulty chewing the meat. The pork chop appeared to be marinated before being fried with breading, giving it plenty of flavor even without sauce. The sweet sauce on top added an unexpected twist to the dish, as it was sweeter than I anticipated for a Chinese dish.

These chicken wings are like nothing you've ever tried before. They have a unique Asian twist with a salted egg yolk coating, a refreshing change from the usual garlic cheddar or spicy barbecue flavors. Even though they are listed under dimsum on the menu, the serving size is generous and you'll find yourself finishing them all in one sitting. Bravo to this dish!