Wan’s Chinese

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Photos by Brittney Harrison.

0312 Wans Chinese

Wan’s manager Jin opened Wan’s Chinese Restaurant with her mother, restaurant owner Xianneng Wan. The family opened their Inverness Corners location in early February.

Combining the sweet savor of Shanghi with the spicy flavors of Canton, Wan’s menu is completely influenced by the regions of China where owners Yunan and Xianneng Wan were raised.

Some of their most popular dishes include Mongolian Beef, General Tao Chicken, and Salt and Pepper Shrimp. Chef Wan’s specialties include Three Delight, Ginger Steamed Fish, Dragon and Phoenix, and Happy Family.

Lunch entrees are served with your choice of sweet and sour or egg drop soup along with a traditional egg roll. For dinner, entrees are served with either brown or white steamed rice.

All the food is fresh and cooked to order.

For ten years the Wan family has brought a true taste of China to Birmingham area in their restaurants.

“It’s a little bit of everything,” said manager Jin Wan, who is Yunan’s daughter.

The restaurant relocated to Inverness Corners after their previous location in Cahaba Heights suffered from some storm damage.

Mr. Wan, the chef of the family, first came to the United States to work as a polymer chemist at UAB years. Jin joked about her father’s meticulous personality and how evident it is in the way he prepares his food.

“They [Mr. and Mrs. Wan] care about what they’re serving,” Jin said. “Hospitality is huge in China.”

Upon entering a home in China, you are often asked if you’ve eaten before being asked how you are.

It is a part of Chinese culture and tradition to celebrate any and all occasions with food, and lots of it. Jin explained how symbolic food is in China and that some foods are only served on certain occasions and holidays. For example, long noodles are served when celebrating someone’s birthday because they symbolize a long life.

In addition to authentic flavors and a cultural experience, Wan’s offers free WiFi and a spacious banquet room for business meetings, church groups, birthday parties and more. The banquet room can hold up to 50 people.

Jin and her husband, Doug, have helped Jin’s parents with the restaurant as much as they could while still raising their two children, Daniel and Sophie.

Now that the kids are older, Jin is running the restaurant full time.

“I want to fulfill that dream for (my father), “ she said.

In the near future, Wan’s will be offering a delivery option as well as a special buffet-style lunch on Sunday afternoons.