Lunch #18: Fu-Lin Chinese Restaurant, Seattle International District

Today the MSG150 team found our way to the base of the soon to be unveiled Historic Chinatown Gate which is still covered in scaffolding. We have been keeping an eye on Blue & Pink, the only(?) Korean restaurant in the DLZ, which has been closed for the last couple of months. We hope that it is just temporary, maybe due to the imposition of the construction just outside its door. But there is no note, so chance are slim for a return. If anyone has more info, please let us know. We will circle back if it reopens. The Stone Bowl Bi Bim Bop was an MSG150 fav. However, since it was still closed today, we passed by to find the Fu-Lin Chinese Restaurant.

Fu-Lin Chinese Restaurant, Seattle
Address: 512 S King St, Seattle, WA 98104
Cuisine: Chinese: Taiwanese, Japanese
Average rating: 3 chopsticks
Lunch date: 1/10/2008 @ 12:05:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 5 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 10 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 54 minutes
Chopstix quality: Nice plastic
Do they use MSG?: Yes, but not in Ramen
Where is the owner/chef from?: Hong Kong owner who lived in Japan. Wife is Taiwanese.
Number of tables: 17
Number of occupied tables: 7 (41%)
Number of business lunch tables: 5 (71%)
Number of "local" tables: 0 (0%)
Healthcode Score: 0
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: Scallops with Spicy and Sour Garlic Sauce - $5.95
Rating: 3 Chopsticks

Geary's Review

Fu-Lin is a nicely decorated restaurant with a mix of Japanese and Chinese decor. The staff was very friendly, especially after we pulled out the camera and notepad. It has a nice big lunch menu with lots of Chinese Bento Boxes (yes) and Ramen options. I chose one of the the Bentos. How could I not?

The food arrived quickly and had a reasonable price to portion ration. The Hot & Sour soup starter was average. My bento entrée, Scallops with Hot & Sour Garlic Sauce, was tasty. The scallops were tender and the veggies were crunchy and tangy (not very hot though). They failed to dress my salad so I didn't much care for the dry lettuce and tomatoes. The little potato filled pastries were tasty, but I imagine they would have been better warm.

It is a nice place, but nothing really stood out for me. As Michael said, I would be willing to give them a second chance, but I did not feel like I had a four chopstick meal today.

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Tonkotsu Seafood Ramen - $7.95
Rating: 3 Chopsticks

Emmett's Review

Fu-Lin is another place with good service and decent food. We were seated at the large table in the back, with functioning Lazy Susan. Our order was taken quickly, and the waitress happily answered many of our questions. They have a Ramen menu, and a standard menu that appears to be typical Chinese American fare (General Tso's and the what not). Eager to compare the Ramen here with Samurai Noodle Ramen, I ordered the Tonkatsu with Seafood.

The broth this time was less fatty and just as flavorful. I prefer it to Samurai's death broth. The seafood wasn't anything special - cuts of Octopus, discs of some unknown white fish, and some small cuts of overcooked Salmon. In spite of the average fish, the soup was flavorful, piping hot, and enjoyable.

They have some interesting other Ramen menu items - like Miso with Corn and Seaweed. I'll definitely be back to try their other options.

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: Chicken with Spicy and Sour Garlic Sauce - $5.75
Rating: 3 Chopsticks

Adam's Review

This is a hasty review... because I'm leaving for Whistler in 5 minutes. My food was definitely standard... nothing special. You don't need to avoid this place... but you don't need to make a special trip either.

Also, we didn't get any fortune cookies. That made me sad.