Ding How Asian Bistro

Shrimp in lobster sauce

Since my initial attempt at writing about Ding How Asian Bistro, I’ve been back for two more visits, which makes for a total of three.

On every occasion I’ve had the same waitress (there only seem to be 1 or 2), and she knows what I want to drink (ice water with lemon) and my soup preference (hot and sour).

Now, truth be told, this is the first Chinese food restaurant I’ve eaten at since I moved here a little over a year ago. But I would bet anyone that it’s the best Chinese food Jackson has to offer.

I heard about Ding How from one of my friends at work; he is very selective and particular when it comes to food. Like I said, I hadn’t eaten Chinese food out for quite awhile, the time was right, and so one day we made the trek up to Ridgeland during our work lunch hour.

Ding How occupies a space that was previously a sports bar, nestled in a small strip of shops off of Old Canton Road. There is one large main dining room, a waiting area and a bar decorated with classic Asian decorations such as paper umbrellas and bamboo.

We sat down and I tore into the menu which encompasses a variety of ethnicities such as Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Korean. I was most amused by the entree category labels: dishes from the sky, dishes from the land, dishes from the sea, and weight management.

Being that we were there during the work week, I took advantage of the great lunch deal. For $5.25 plus tax you get to make three choices: an entree (from a limited list), hot and sour soup or egg drop soup, and steamed or fried rice. I chose shrimp in lobster sauce, hot and sour soup, and steamed rice.

One of my friends also got the lunch deal and ordered the beef and broccoli, egg drop soup and fried rice. My other friend deviated from the special and instead he got chicken and vegetables, steamed rice, egg drop soup, and salad with ginger dressing.

To start the meal we got an order of egg rolls with shrimp, vegetable egg rolls, and gyoza. The egg roll wrappers were more like spring rolls, very light and crispy. The gyoza were overcooked and bordering on mushy.

Traditionally my soup of choice is wonton, but not for a $3 up charge. Luckily, settling for the hot and sour soup was a pleasant surprise. A savory thick broth was full of egg, mushrooms, pieces of pork, and firm tofu. It was delicious!

In no time our entrees were delivered, and I received a square plate with about seven beautiful shrimps and sauteed cabbage in a pale sauce, and a cup of perfectly steamed rice. The shrimp were sweet, plump and cooked just right (not too long). Half way through I was fairly full, but it was so good that I polished off my plate.

Both of my friend’s entree selections looked so good, I knew exactly what I wanted for next time. Since this first visit, I have been back twice, once more for lunch and then dinner with Ben. Everything I’ve had has been great; the crab rangoon, beef and broccoli, seaweed salad, salad with ginger dressing, Ding How happy family, and Sichuan beef with five spices. One menu insert features more authentic Chinese dishes (chicken feet, intestine, whole fish) and dim sum which is served strictly on Saturdays and Sundays.

The food at Ding How is fresh, flavorful, and carefully constructed. Some Chinese food tends to be overwrought with gloppy sauces, limp vegetables, oily meat and bland rice, but none of those characteristics exist at Ding How. I can’t stop talking about it, I haven’t gotten tired of it and I keep urging people to go there.

Ding How Asian Bistro
6955 Old Canton Road, Suite C
Ridgeland, MS 39157
Phone 601-9561717
www.dinghowasianbistro.com