What I Ate: May 8, 2009 (Din Ho Chinese BBQ)

Lunch:
Left over chicken and shrimp stir fry

Sandwich of prosciutto, coppa, and salami with avocado, smoked provolone, and baby greens.

Dinner: We went to Din Ho Chinese BBQ (8557 Research Blvd # 116, Austin, TX‎ - (512) 832-8788‎). Since they had Chinese BBQ in their name we ordered the BBQ Combination which had Chinese BBQ Pork, Chinese BBQ Duck, and Chinese Smoked Chicken. (I added Chinese to the front of those names because here in Texas "BBQ" and "smoked" have a very specific meaning, so I just wanted to be clear.) The BBQ Combination plate arrived quickly (and why not? The foods precooked after all…) and the plate was quite large and had plenty of meat for a dish that cost $10.50. However, we both felt that all three Chinese BBQ dishes were under-seasoned and definitely under-salted. We had high hopes for the Chinese BBQ, but we have to say that First Chinese BBQ on North Lamar had better Chinese BBQ (at least they did when we visited during Summer of 2008).

Fresh Shrimp Wonton Soup ($5.75) arrived next. We were expecting the wonton to be filled with shrimp (like a Cantonese shrimp ball) but it was mostly pork with a couple pieces of small shrimp in it. The pork filling had a slightly odd smell - a smell and taste that I've had before at some lesser quality dim sum places usually in their shaomai - that left Tina not wanting to eat more than a couple. The bowl of soup came with a generous number of wontons (twelve). Besides the odd filling flavor, I did enjoy the thin skins (I hate doughy wonton wrappers) and decent broth (with just enough white pepper for my palate).

I wanted to try their Combination Fried Rice (yang zhou chow fan) ($7.95) and it did not disappoint. It tasted exactly how yang zhou chow fan should taste like - nothing more and nothing less. Nothing to really rave about, except it tasted correct, which, unfortunately, is exceptional in and of itself considering the meals of Chinese food we've had in Austin during our visits over the last year.

Sauteed water spinach or kong xin cai ($8.95) is something I have to order if I see it on the menu. It's probably one of my favorite vegetables, especially when its sauteed with a lot of fresh garlic. They gave us a decent amount and it tasted fresh and was not sauteed too long. It was the only dish of the four we decided to finish.

Of the food we had at Din Ho, I would not order the BBQ meats or Won Ton soup again. I would order the Combination Fried Rice as well as the Sauteed Water Spinach. In the future, I'd have to go back to try some seafood and the plate of Marinated Combination (which is supposed to have tongue, tripe, and other potential delights).