Always wonder what goes on behind the scenes at your favorite restaurant? Well, much credit goes to the many chefs, owners and managers who work diligently day in and day out to make sure Hawaii’s diners have a top-notch dining experience.
This week, Dining Out gets the inside scoops from Lung Fung Chinese Restaurant’s manager Eddie Ma, who gives us a little taste of Lung Fung and shares just what fuels his culinary drive.
Photo courtesy of Lung Fung Chinese Restaurant
Name: Eddie Ma
Title: Manager of Lung Fung Chinese Restaurant
Training/Education: 23 years working in Chinese restaurants in Hawaii
Who or what inspires you as a chef/manager/owner? I wanted to open Lung Fung because I love to eat and enjoy serving people good food. We have been in this Niu Valley location for 10 years and it’s a neighborhood restaurant with loyal customers. Over the years I have tried to offer Chinese dishes that will appeal to local tastes. Creating new dishes is something I like to do, so it’s nice to be able to share that with our customers.
What is your favorite dish on the menu? Why? Crispy Garlic Shrimp is my favorite. The idea comes from salt and pepper shrimp, which is, of course, a very popular Chinese dish. However, a lot of people really hate to peel the shells of the shrimp, especially when they are dining out. So, we created a dish in a similar style that incorporates the same flavors but is easier to eat. The shrimp is peeled, fried and topped with our crispy garlic. It’s become even more popular than salt and pepper shrimp.
What is your favorite ingredient to work with? Why? Crispy garlic. We fry it until it’s golden brown and mix it with salt and pepper (and some secret ingredients), so it has a lot of flavor. We use it in Crispy Garlic Shrimp and a lot of other dishes such as Crab with Garlic Chili and Spicy Wontons.
Is there a dish that you create that’s not on your menu, but available upon request? Fried Egg with Crispy Garlic and Chili. It’s not on the menu, but it’s one of our new dishes that we created. We deep-fry the whole egg and mix it with my favorite ingredient, crispy garlic, so you know it tastes good! It’s very hard to make at home, so it’s a perfect dish to order out.
People really seem to like it and it’s become very popular.
What are your culinary goals? What do you hope to improve on? We really want to follow our customers’ recommendations and continue to serve our loyal customers in the neighborhood. We also want to make our dishes healthier. For example, six months ago we stopped adding MSG to our cooking because our customers had requested it. I also want to keep creating new dishes and improving on our old recipes so our restaurant is always moving forward.
Lung Fung Chinese Restaurant
Niu Valley Shopping Center
5724 Kalanianaole Hwy.
377.5555 or 377.5566
Open Daily, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Honolulu, HI 96821
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