Restaurant: Dong Ting Spring
Location: 520 N Ventu Park Rd Ste. 150, Newbury Park, CA 91320. (805) 262-0888
Date: August 12, 2023
Cuisine: Hunan
Rating: A great Hunan in Thousand Oaks? Wow!
A friend of mine invited me to try this Thousand Oaks Chinese. He said it was authentic but I was skeptical.
It turns out he was right! I can only imagine what happens to a typical white 1000 oaks mall dweller when they wander in and see “Dong Ting Pig Stomach” on the menu.
2000ish strip mall interior.
Chicken with Chili Sauce. This was a great version of this dish. Nice tender chicken, bone not too anoying, and that super addictive sweet, spicy, and tangy chili sauce. So good.
Fried Duck Rack. Deep fried crispy duck bones. Really, just the bones from the carcas fried up. Still tasty.
Stone Pot Lamb. Lamb and celery and pickled chilies. Really nice pickled and slightly smokey flavor. Great crunchy texture.
Dong Ting Special Bullfrog. They said the frogs are live until right before. There were the usual frog bones but this had that nice pickled chili taste and the meat was very tender and juicy.
Emperor’s Cumin Ribs. Ultra delicious. 3 times fried. Sort of “dry fried” in the oven, then “passed through oil” (deep fried) and then stir fried. Super tender, with lots of cumin flavor, and generally delicious.
Smoked Pork Belly with Smoked Bamboo Shoots. Really interesting smokey flavor and chewy and crunchy textures. Nice smoked bacon and super fiberous smoky bamboo. Very good.
Dong Ting Fish. Ultra soft fish with lots of bones but great gelatinous meat. And the broth was some kind of super umami fish broth full of “flavor” (MSG?). I’m not sure but I was drinking it. Incredible depth of flavor. I also really enjoyed the floating pickled crunchy vegetables.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Dong Ting Spring was REALLY good. And mind blowingly good for 1000 oaks. This was authentic Hunan and Szechuan, with a decided Hunan bent. Lots of pickled vegetables and smoked elements. Many different cooking techniques on display and it tasted very fresh. Not to mention that the chef has a command of technique, texture, and balance. The dishes had nice elements of heat, sweetness, sour, saltiness, etc without being overwhelmed by any one element. Great job.