House Rustik

I ate here once.  They have great ambiance and the rabbit stew is to die for.  (Get there early for the occasional Karaoke)

by far one of my favorite places to get my grub on.. i can't wait to come back!

parking is a bit tricky, as space is limited.. and i did have to make reservations at least a week in advance, no walk-ins, but well worth the wait. the place itself is a bit small for a restaurant, but very homey, as mentioned by a previous reviewer. the way she described it was extremely accurate.. Chinese man + granddaughter's humble abode with a lot of character, traditional tea set laid out, calligraphy and paintings on the wall, all accented with cute stuffed animals and hello-kitty figures sprawled out, not to mention the very enthusiastic cute black terrier greeting you once you walk in. all in all, it was a very welcoming, warm, appropriate ambience for the homey, delicate yet bold flavored dinner.

.. the food.. the main attraction. we had pork belly, steamed tilapia, king mushroom and pork with dill, szechuan mapo tofu, pea shoots with garlic, and 5 mushroom soup to wash it all down:

pork belly: the sauce it was served with paired well with the al dente pork belly without drowning out the delicate pork flavor. the texture of the pork was on par, at times a little tough, but this dish is traditionally cooked just right, such that the texture of the "5 layers" of pork stand out.
steamed tilapia: steamed perfectly, not overcooked and not under cooked. it was tender, but not too soft, and the homey, simple, traditional flavors melded well with the flavor of the fish.
mushroom and pork: i've never had this dish before, such a bold combination was elegantly married with a bit of dill and a bit of other flavors i can not recall, to yield such a scrumptious dish that was neither too heavy nor light.
mapo tofu: very precise in szechuan pepper flavor, with bold explicit flavors, melding of spices, pork, and soft delicate tofu.
pea shoots with garlic: not over-cooked nor under-cooked, and not one leaf was cooked more than the other.. that my friends is skill. period.
the soup: clear broth yet not lacking in flavor, remind me of my mom's cooking,.. that is, when she decides not to just throw everything together in a messy pot of goodness.

all in all, i have to say, this is one of the best experiences i've had in terms of homey chinese food. it has that restaurant quality in terms of complexity of melding flavors and texture without the excess oil, and that home quality in terms of simplicity without losing every crisp flavor. very cleanly cooked and put together. too bad i was a bit sick or i think i'd definitely love this experience even more!!

Great dining experience!  Definitely one of my favorites.

As you walk in, you'll notice the very unique decor.  As my buddy states, it feels like you're walking into the home of an old Chinese man and his granddaughter, with all the traditional wall scrolls and various Chinese-y knick-knacks, accented by the incredibly cutesy stuffed animals like a smiling stuffed tofu.  I'll need to upload a picture of that thing.  It's too unreal.

Food of course is delicious.  I'd say the dishes are all packed full of flavor, and very un-fussy: a very simple comfort.  If you like spicy foods, the chef will love you.  I highly recommend ANY fish dish.  Please view the pictures.  They taste as amazing as they look.  If you MUST have a recommendation, I'd say ask for the whole steamed fish.  That one's a classic.  One tip though: don't flip the fish over.  Heads will roll.