Kamryn W.
Yelp
One word: WOW
*Finally* Danville has an amazing restaurant that hits all components; innovation, service, quality, taste, value, and atmosphere.
Donhao has taken over the former Kaori space. We enjoyed Kaori the few times we went, but always forgot to return.
The owners of Kaori have opened Donhao, but now partnering with nearby Aozora's owners.
We ordered:
- Spicy Wontons (5/5): Highly recommended by our server, we will dream of this dish until we return. Spicy and acidic, flavorful, fresh, perfect. A must order for all future visits.
- Vegetable chow mein (4.5/5): Incredibly fresh veggies, great flavor; the meal was so amazing that we had to nit pick to find a flaw and wished that the noodles were cooked just a tad bit more.
- Chicken kung pao (5/5): WOW. For their chicken Donhao only use Mary's chicken, and the quality of the meat makes a world of difference... it made me have a "so THIS is what it is supposed to taste like!" moment about kung pao. Like the wonton appetizer, it was acidic with a good kick. Must try.
- Milk tea panna cotta (5/5): We never order dessert, but the food was so good so far and the panna cotta was raved over by our server, so we decided to calorie splurge... INSANITY. Yum!! Graham cracker crumbs, kiwi and peaches, with a brown sugar milk tea panna cotta. Need I say more?
Few things to note:
- the atmosphere remains upscale and sexy; to me, it is the epitome of date night
- the high quality of the ingredients, as well as the chef's spin on things, makes this a stand out restaurant. We came on a slow Thursday night, and we could overhear every other table comment MULTIPLE times about how fresh the ingredients are... the veggies are colorful, the beef is wagyu, the the chicken is Mary's- this is not like any other Chinese food in the area.
- typically Danville has solid service, but the Donhao crew went above and beyond. Every member of the staff was incredibly friendly but professional, as well as attentive. Our bartender, Randy, made our visit exceptional. He ran us through the menu and offered his opinion, which was all spot on. I was craving a lychee martini and Randy took that idea and ran with it, making me a custom drink- asked me questions about my flavor palette, explained his thought process of what he had in mind, and allowed me to try (and deny) to ensure it was what I wanted.
- The most shocking aspect to this restaurant is the value: the price points are the same as the turn and burn Chinese restaurants across the Bay Area. For one appetizer, two mains, a dessert, and two drinks we spent $100. That's ABSURD for what we got.
I have already informed my husband that this is now our local date night restaurant!