Hunan Home’s is almost invisible, next to Jack in the Box where Los Altos has a brief encounter with El Camino Real. That is, nearly Mountain View. Its name seems to say the restaurant belongs to someone named Home. Not impossible, given the current TV series featuring a doctor named House, but unlikely.
In fact, the Yuan family, originally from Taiwan, owns this Hunan Home’s and the one in San Francisco’s Chinatown. They opened in Los Altos in 1990, San Francisco in 1983. This one seats 110 diners, a Mini among the Hummers seating 800 to 1,000 for Chinese banquets. There is a nice private room off the kitchen, also relatively tiny.
If Hunan Home’s had a slogan it would be: “Great value, friendly service, excellent seafood. Other items on the menu, so-so.”
The place itself is not beautiful. Putting-green carpet lines your way to the front door, which makes the chandeliers and white tablecloths a surprise. The fish tank is a bit murky.
But I like a place where the server says “Good, good, good!” when you order, indicating you’re on the right track.
The seafood extravaganza called Luscious Route ($58) easily feeds four people. I also like a Chinese restaurant that explains the special meals in English, so you don’t have to ask the server to let you in on the Chinese menu, which often has the best stuff. The special meals keep going, from Supreme Delight ($95) on up to Deluxe Treasure ($288). Call your friends.
All the items on Luscious Route are also available on the regular menu, starting with Assorted Seafood With Bean Curd Soup ($6.95). If you find a favorite dish it can be yours again. The soup is pure comfort, peas and carrots in a just-slightly peppered seafood broth.
On you go, through fabulous Prawns Baked in Spicy Salt ($10.50), crisp and hot with their shells still on, and the sublime Yellow Chive Sauteed With Squid ($10.50). Only the Sauteed Clams With Black Bean Sauce ($10.50) and the Sizzling Eel ($14.95) carry the hot chili-pepper warning label, and they are terrific. This is a whole eel, which looks like a fish and not a snake, topped with shredded pork and water chestnuts in slightly sweet sauce.
Luscious Route is a smooth intersection of flavors and textures.
Before dessert, your server will wipe the table clean and bring out sesame balls or red bean soup. You can also just have oranges.
On the page labeled Chef’s Selection, only a handful of the 48 specialities aren’t fish or seafood. One of them, Pork with dried Bean Curd ($9.50), was nothing special.
Also ho-hum, Hunan Home’s Beef ($8.95) drowned in brown sauce along with limp baby corn and snow peas.
Much better, Hot Spiced Crispy Chicken ($9.50) is a delicious half a chicken, and the Eggplant With Spicy Garlic Sauce ($7.95) features long, chewy strips instead of a gloppy mess. Spicy Chicken With Orange Peel ($8.95) is another good choice.
Also above par, peppery but with other flavors coming through, the “small” portion of Hot and Sour Soup ($5.50) fills three good-size bowls.
A full meal could be made of soup and one of the fried rice dishes. But remember, seafood is the specialty. Get the shrimp fried rice.
Hunan Home’s:
Reservations: yes
Website: www.hunanhomes.com
Credit cards: yes
Parking: street and lot in back
Alcohol: Beer, wine, some cocktails
Children: yes
Outdoor dining: no
Party and banquet facilities: no
Noise level: medium-high
Wheelchair access: yes
Bathroom cleanliness: Good
4880 El Camino Real, Los Altos. (650) 965-8888 or 8818
Hours: Lunch 11:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m. daily. Dinner 5-9:30 p.m. daily
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