Daily Hampshire Gazette – Beyond the plate: New restaurant Lao Hu Tong aims to bring Chinese cuisine and culture to Amherst
AMHERST — People who can’t travel thousands of miles to enjoy authentic Far Eastern Chinese cuisine and culture now have the best in downtown Amherst.
Three months ago, Lao Hu Tong opened a few doors down Boltwood Avenue, at 63 Main St. From the food to the furniture, homemade is a key theme of the new restaurant.
” Everything is handmade ; we’re starting from scratch,” said Scott Zhang, restaurant manager and co-owner. “We only bring the flour.”
The menu is quite small. The goal is to perfect each dish and deliver something delicious, Zhang said, adding that quality rather than quantity is what matters at Lao Hu Tong.
Popular dishes include Dan Dan and Ja Jae noodles and emperor cabbage. The artistry of the dishes is seen in the way they are meticulously made and served, such as with an item called hot and spicy cucumber, which takes the shape of an exploding flower. Potstickers, on the other hand, resemble an elegant doily as they peek through a lace-like covering of dough.
Assistant principal Chris Brady says picking a favorite item is like “picking who your favorite child is.”
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Another specialty of the restaurant are soup dumplings. Each dumpling is delicately rolled out and folded just before being served.
While enjoying the specialty, customers can refer to the red pieces of paper displayed on the tables with instructions on “how to eat a soup dumpling.”
Zhang’s eyes light up as he explains how to eat a dumpling. This involves piercing the dumpling placed on a spoon with a chopstick or tongs to release the soup to drink before eating the dumpling. The emphasis on the importance of eating the dumplings correctly, following the steps in a specific order, reinforces Lao Hu Tong’s mission to provide a cultural experience.
Brady explains how he learned a lot about Chinese culture in just two months of working at the restaurant.
The dishes are presented on wooden trays used in the past in China.
Not only is the food handmade, but so is the furniture. Diffuse lighting and brick walls provide a warm atmosphere and a sense of calm.
Most of the furniture is old and sent from China, like the tip jar that measures a unit of rice. Rice measurements were used 100 years ago.
The sauce holder, for “hot oil” and vinegar, is handcrafted and modeled after the traditional Chinese lunch boxes that would be brought to the rice fields.
“We’re just trying to bring back what’s Chinese into the community,” says Zhang.
Zhang tells the story of a customer who walked in and saw the piece of furniture he had in front of the restaurant, which reminded him of the piece of furniture his grandmother had in China.
Bringing back Chinese Americans’ memories of their heritage in China is what Lao Hu Tong hopes to do. Zhang talks about his Chinese customers who feel like they are back in China.
“This is what Amherst needs,” Zhang said. “You don’t have to go to Chinatown in Boston or Chinatown in New York. You come here to feel like you’re in China right now.
Lao Hu Tong is offering a takeout option in hopes of making the restaurant as accessible as possible. The entire menu can be ordered for takeout, except for the soup dumplings, which are a unique restaurant experience.
“The menu is a living document,” says Brady.
The owners and chef collaborate on the menu to provide the most authentic cuisine while meeting the needs of local guests. The menu includes various dietary needs, including gluten-free and vegetarian options. The restaurant is also peanut-free.
Zhang and Brady emphasize how much the restaurant values customer feedback.
Most customers are the local Amherst community. However, people from Greenfield, Springfield and Pittsfield also attend.
Lao Hu Tong’s mission is to provide an authentic Chinese experience in the hutongs of China.
A hutong is a narrow street in China where traditional cuisine is created. The recipes have been preserved and passed down from generation to generation in these streets.
“Hu Tong has a taste for community, for neighborhood, so not only is it an authentic experience, but we hope we can foster a cultural exchange,” Brady says. “People in Massachusetts can experience what it means to go to a hutong.”
Lao Hu Tong is open every day but Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
