This is probably one of my most anticipated restaurants to open in town. For as many Chinese restaurants in Wichita, there aren’t a lot of upscale sitdown options that offer a diverse menu outside the quick American-style dishes. Tianluo Bistro should be a game changer for our city. The new Szechuan Chinese restaurant takes over the former Beijing Bistro space and brings many traditional Szechuan-style items that are sure to excite some taste buds.
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11309 E Kellogg Dr. N #200, Wichita, KS
316-337-5088
Monday – Saturday: 11am – 9pm
Closed on Sunday
Website | Facebook
Cash/Card Accepted
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We stopped by during the soft opening for lunch. The chef even made his way out to meet people. For what it’s worth, the chef was trained in China and spent a lot of time working in New York restaurants.
After talking with the staff, we perused through the menu. There was so much to choose from. We wanted to order a bit of everything to give you an idea of what to expect. For starters, Tianluo Bistro specializes in hand-pulled noodles which are made fresh daily. They also make their own dumplings, so you’re not getting the frozen kind. Those were two dishes we made sure to get.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so here’s a look at what we had.
OK… I could write a novel, but I won’t bore you with all the details. That was one of the best lunches I’ve had in a long time. There was so much goodness to choose from. The crazy part was, we just ordered a small percentage of the menu.
The Fish Fillet with Pickled Cabbage and Chili was my favorite of all the dishes. There was plenty of heat, but in a good, flavorful way. The broth alone made a great dipper for the accompanying dishes we had as well.
And the dumplings were phenomenal. They weren’t your true soup dumplings, but you could tell a difference in quality with their handmade versions. The chef came out around this time and presented us with bowls of some soy sauce mixture and had us dip our dumplings in it.
For those curious, the Chinese Hamburger was made with seasoned pork patty, vegetables and seasonings all stuffed into a bun that was similar to an English muffin.
The house made noodles were also a hit at the table as were the beef ribs hot pot which came out sizzling. The meat came off the bone fairly easily with a light tug. And the noodles had a sweetness to it that kept me coming back for more. The food was so good, my body refused to tell me it was full. I just kept chugging along until every plate was cleaned off.
And before I left, I wanted to make sure my mother had the chance to try some of the food. I purchased some roasted duck to go. It scored me a ton of brownie points, just in time for Christmas season! She loved every bite of it.
I really hope Tianluo Bistro does well, and they should given the quality of food. There’s something for everyone there whether it’s live seafood, classic American Chinese cuisine and my favorite, the Szechuan-style items.
From the food alone, they have the tools to potentially be the best Chinese restaurant in town. I’ll be returning sooner than later because there’s so much I still want to try.
Here’s their menu. Please keep in mind, not everything will be available right away with the current product shortages:
Happy Dining,
Eddy
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