It's virtually becoming a writerly rite of passage in Mexico City: Finding and dining at the mythical "good Chinese place" in the vicinity of metro Viaducto. Author David Lida first discovered Ka Won Seng, thanks to a tip from a cabbie. "It took years," Lida writes, "but I finally found an excellent Chinese restaurant in Mexico City."
Food writer Nicholas Gilman then took on the case for Inside Mexico, citing Lida's tip. Afterwards, The Mexile went down to verify the news for himself. Yes, beautiful shrimp, tofu and duck dishes could be had there, without a single "café chino" menu item in sight. No chopsticks either, just the home-style spoon-and-fork.
The other night we made it to Ka Won Seng with a crew working in the journalismisms, for a friend's birthday. Plate after plate came our way, each perfectly executed, leaving the table's spinning center pushed and yanked the entire night. I got especially down with a soup of beef and algae. Washed it all down with a few Tsingtao.
It reminded me of the good Chinese I've had in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Now, there might be another place somewhere in the endless concrete jungle of D.F. that matches Ka Won Seng's caliber. Until someone finds it, this is we're we'll go to satisfy the craving.