For many, Fortune Chinese was a lifeline, a local campus-area Chinese restaurant with a history as long as memory. Back in the last century, Fortune was a centerpiece in the strip mall at Ackerman and Olentangy; it was stationed somewhere between an Odd Lots and Kroger. When the strip mall was demolished, Fortune’s original home was gone, but the restaurant was reincarnated when it re-emerged on Dublin-Granville Road.
But the Dublin-Granville installation was comparatively short-lived, and Fortune fell off the radar in 2020 sometime during the pandemic.
If the original Fortune is no more, the debut of Chuan Jiang Hao Zi (herein CJHZ) signals the return of Fortune’s owners to the restaurant scene. Poetically, CJHZ has returned near its first home on Ackerman Road. While the strip mall is long gone, the new digs in a multi-level structure, are sweet. The restaurant is seated in greyish tones, with subtle commitments to theme decor and relatively comfy chairs and tables.
In terms of dining features, the dim sum for which Fortune was once celebrated, is back. The menu also features no shortage of offerings that include pig feet, aortas, goose intestines, and kidney slices. For those with more continental appetites, there is also a General Tso’s option. CJHZ navigates several dining audiences, equipping guests with menus and photos that make every dish, even the intestines, look delicious.
The Dim Sum offerings are available all the time and primarily include inexpensive options at price points under $10. Case in point, the Sesame Balls ($4.95). Densely coated in sesame seeds that form a functional shell, the warm pods give way first to a chewy interior that’s based in glutinous rice – so it has a little more bounce than a flour product. At the center is bean paste that infuses the whole package with its appealing flavor.
From there, perhaps a Scallion Pancake? Cut into tidy slices and densely filled with scallions, they’re not quite caramelized, but mild enough to compliment the pancake delivery system ($4.95).
For more of a throw-back experience, there are egg roll and soup options as well. The house egg rolls ($4) feature chicken (rather than pork) mixed with vegetables for a largely plainish result that benefits significantly from some bright red sweet and sour sauce. The sauce gives the elements a zippy wake-up call.
Meanwhile, the handsome mahogany Hot and Sour Soup ($4) stands on its own, thick with mystery and wafting ghosts of egg white.
In the entree department, you can branch out beyond familiar favorites into interesting options…without having to dive directly into something like goose intestines. Consider instead something on the lines of a house signature dish such as Fish Fillet in Szechuan Green Pepper Broth ($22). The magnificent bowl holds a flavorful, brothy base that is chock full of velvety fish flesh that fairly melts in the mouth.
Or, yes, General Tso’s ($14). There’s no shame in that game. It’s populated with a few bonus broccoli florets and delivers a higher quality take on a familiar favorite based on saucy fried chicken chunks.
As is always the case, there’s lots more on the menu to explore, and there’s plenty of time to do that as the restaurant opens every day at 11am. You’ll find it at 496 Ackerman Rd.
For more information, visit chuanjianghaoziohio.com.
All photos by Susan Post
