Asian Chinese Restaurant

Located in the same building that housed Madame Wu's from 1999-2009, Asian Chinese Restaurant has quietly transitioned into the Fayetteville spot with very few changes. In fact, many locals still refer to Asian by the name of the former owners, and the standards of food preparation and service remain intact.

Ximing Wang and his wife, YonHong Chen, purchased the restaurant in 2009 and operate Asian with the help of their two sons.

Ximing Wang, the lead chef, learned the recipes and methods of cooking directly from previous owner Gina Wu.

"My parents bought the restaurant and he learned everything from the chef," Zhifa Chen, the eldest son, said.

Ximing Wang moved from Fujian, China, to the United States in 2001. He first began working in the kitchen of Chinese restaurants. He speaks no English, but his work ethic helped him moved up throughout the restaurant.

The family were farmers in China, and Wang was able to move his family to Northwest Arkansas in 2009. At that time, Zhifa was 19, so he began working at the restaurant. His younger brother, Zhizhan, currently attends the University of Arkansas and works at the restaurant in the evenings and on the weekends.

Zhifa Chen, who goes by Kevin, helps operate the front of the restaurant and, although shy, helps communicate customer's requests to his parents in the kitchen.

"My family -- our English is not very good -- but we put everything into the food [and having] a clean restaurant," Kevin Chen said.

The menu is a traditional list of American-style Chinese food. The restaurant has an open, flowing dining room that is simply decorated. Slate-colored walls create a modern contrast to the dining chairs stained

NAN Dining Guide Cover on 09/19/2014