Another year, another Chinese restaurant hangs its shingle in the Custer Park shopping center in Plano. We make it a point to visit them all, hoping each time that the current restaurant will stick around. It was Taste of Peking in 2022, then the perhaps too generically named Steam Dumpling in 2023. Now, in 2024, it's Chef Sun’s Noodle and Dumpling.
They’ve all offered good food and good service in what would seem to be a good location, so it’s been a bit of a mystery why their lifespans so far have been just a few months. With fingers crossed we stopped into Chef Sun’s the other day for lunch to see how this newest iteration compares to the previous attempts.
We’re always on the lookout for new spots to flesh out and expand upon our North Texas dumpling guide. As you’d expect with the word "dumpling" in the name, Chef Sun offers several varieties, including xiao long bao, bbq pork bao, pork shumai, beef and onion, chicken and corn, veggie and san xian. We decided to go with the humble steamed pork and cabbage jiaozi.
They arrive eight to an order for $11, a price point that is pretty much smack dab in the middle for the area. It was a perfect wrapper steamed to perfection with an interior that is well-seasoned. These can also be ordered pan-fried.
Next, we went with what is tantalizingly called a beef burrito on the menu. A beef scallion pancake by any other name is just as savory, however. The pancake had the right amount of crispiness and was stuffed with tender slices of beef and hoisin sauce. At $10 it was just slightly more than its simpler scallion pancake cousin.
We had to try a noodle since it, too, was right there in the restaurant name. We opted for one of our favorites, biangbiang noodles. Back in the old Taste of Peking days there was someone behind the counter making and pulling fresh noodles with showmanship and friendly enthusiasm. While this performance art isn’t present at Chef Sun, the noodles are still made in-house fresh each day. This bowl of flat noodles included garlic, green onion and bok choy, dressed with hot spicy oil in a quantity that didn’t drown everything else, and topped with chili pepper. It was a chewy, toothsome bowl of flavor, the perfect Q.
One of the items under the chef’s recommendations section of the menu was cumin lamb. We never miss an opportunity to order lamb while out, so that was our other main. It was a large plate of sauteed lamb, fresh jalapeño, onion, scallions and Chinese celery in a light cumin sauce. The lamb was slightly singed, which brought out the meaty flavor that the cumin complemented well. Considering the amount of peppers in the dish, it was not overly spicy.
Other menu options include popular American Chinese dishes such as orange chicken, General Tso, beef with broccoli and shrimp lo mein, along with several types of fried rice, hot pots, soups, Xinjiang big plate chicken, boiled fish in hot sauce, spiced beef tendon and fuqi feipian (Mr. and Mrs. Smith). In short, something for everybody.
Hopefully the newest resident of this spot has hit upon the winning formula that will allow it to serve the community for years to come. Fingers crossed.
They’ve all offered good food and good service in what would seem to be a good location, so it’s been a bit of a mystery why their lifespans so far have been just a few months. With fingers crossed we stopped into Chef Sun’s the other day for lunch to see how this newest iteration compares to the previous attempts.
Chef Sun's Noodle and Dumpling is the third restaurant to occupy this space in as many years.
Hank Vaughn
They arrive eight to an order for $11, a price point that is pretty much smack dab in the middle for the area. It was a perfect wrapper steamed to perfection with an interior that is well-seasoned. These can also be ordered pan-fried.
Next, we went with what is tantalizingly called a beef burrito on the menu. A beef scallion pancake by any other name is just as savory, however. The pancake had the right amount of crispiness and was stuffed with tender slices of beef and hoisin sauce. At $10 it was just slightly more than its simpler scallion pancake cousin.
Biangbiang noodles are handmade flat noodles with secret sauce, minced garlic, chopped green onion and chili, sprinkled with hot oil that achieves the perfect Q.
Hank Vaughn
One of the items under the chef’s recommendations section of the menu was cumin lamb. We never miss an opportunity to order lamb while out, so that was our other main. It was a large plate of sauteed lamb, fresh jalapeño, onion, scallions and Chinese celery in a light cumin sauce. The lamb was slightly singed, which brought out the meaty flavor that the cumin complemented well. Considering the amount of peppers in the dish, it was not overly spicy.
Other menu options include popular American Chinese dishes such as orange chicken, General Tso, beef with broccoli and shrimp lo mein, along with several types of fried rice, hot pots, soups, Xinjiang big plate chicken, boiled fish in hot sauce, spiced beef tendon and fuqi feipian (Mr. and Mrs. Smith). In short, something for everybody.
Hopefully the newest resident of this spot has hit upon the winning formula that will allow it to serve the community for years to come. Fingers crossed.
Chef Sun's Noodle and Dumpling, 3131 Custer Road, No. 182, Plano. Daily, 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
