On a recent visit to northern California, I was invited to dinner at Chef Chu’s Chinese gourmet restaurant. An institution with chef Lawrence Chu at the helm of his dynamic namesake restaurant since 1970!

It is a family affair with Chef Chu’s son running the operations of the restaurant. What makes this dining venue memorable is that Chef Lawrence Chu is cooking in the kitchen with his sous chefs and totally immersed. Further, he even came over to greet us personally which is a beautiful gesture. The food that is prepared is fresh, delicious, and not heavy. We started with the famous Chinese chicken salad, then followed by the sauteed eggplants, crispy noodles with mixed seafood, shrimp with cashews, filet of fish with a white wine cause and kung pao chicken. Every item we tasted was wonderful. The food was light which is so different than other Chinese restaurant where the sauce is heavy.

For dessert we received the lycée ice cream on a complimentary basis which was so refreshing and a perfect ending to our meal. Dining at Chef Chu’s is a comfortable and gourmet experience at the same time.