Chinatown Westlake Keeps Raising the Bar

Ronald Cheng showing his lighter side at Chinese New Year bash

There was a time in Austin not that long ago when most Chinese restaurants were fairly predictable and boring. You know: #10 was hot and sour soup, #9 was beef and broccoli, and so it went. Most dishes were on the Cantonese side and kind of bland.

Then, a young U.T. grad burst on to the scene and changed the entire landscape.

Ronald Cheng grew up cooking in his family’s restaurant and developed an insatiable curiosity about food from the various regions of China. After a short stint in Houston, he returned to Austin to open Chinatown in Austin.

I first met him as I was reviewing restaurants for KXAN TV. He was brash, a bit arrogant and clearly one of the most talented and innovative chefs I’d ever met. Not surprisingly, Chinatown took the Asian food scene in Austin by storm. When I first tried his Thai Pepper Basil Shrimp and Sizzling Honey Pepper Beef, I was blown away.

His lo mein dishes were unlike any others around town – not oily and lacking depth, but technically perfect and delicious. His Mongolian Beef had an irresistible flavor that came from the marinade. The Szechuan Spicy Duck had a mouth feel that was unlike anything Austin had ever experienced. The Salt and Pepper Shrimp was equally appealing.

He introduced a Seafood Clay Pot which many customers were initially unfamiliar with, but it didn’t take long for that to become a Chinatown staple. He then debuted a family style series of dishes utilizing flavor profiles including Yu Hsing, Kan Shao, Hunan, and Kung Pao. All were new to Austin palates and continued to raise the bar that Ronald was regularly setting.

I first tried the Taiwanese Hot and Sour and the experience was transcendental! Then came the Ma Po Tofu, a dish featuring ground beef with soft tofu in an appealing spicy Szechuan sauce. Again, a new dish that challenged the sensibilities of those who were used to the run-of-the-mill Chinese food of that time.

Ronald then opened a second restaurant at Greystone and Mopac with more dishes like Fragrant Togon Pork. Weekend Dim Sum followed with an astonishing array of dumplings including the now iconic Jade Dumplings with minced shrimp. The fried pork dumplings were virtually perfect and the pork and shrimp shumai was incomparable.

Another Chinatown followed on 5th Street including the introduction of Street, an amalgam of Chinese street foods located downstairs from the Greystone restaurant.

And finally, 30 years later and after overcoming a health issue, Ronald brought it all full circle by reopening the original Bee Caves Road store and appropriately naming it Chinatown Westlake. He added maki and various other Japanese sushi dishes. And then he was off to Taiwan again, searching for new flavors and inspirations.

Chinatown Westlake works beautifully. Many of the original dishes are still on the menu along with an amazing Chinese pancake with duck in a ponzu sauce. Cheng continues to amaze me, both with his endless energy and his ongoing commitment to creativity.

Chinatown is one of Austin’s best restaurant stories and the author of that story deserves all the accolades that have come his way.