We are a family-owned and operated establishment that has been serving Szechuan and Hunan cuisine since 1970 that is fit for a president, literally! Our executive chef David Wang's recipes are family traditions passed down to him by his father, Chef Yung-Lin Wang, who was the personal chef for the former President of Taiwan, Chiang Ching-Kuo.
At the age of 9 Yung-Lin’s father passed away. In an effort to financially support his mother, who was a homemaker, Yung-Lin then became an apprentice to several chefs in his home city of Shanghai, where he excelled and quickly became one of their top chefs. It was during his apprentice years that Yung Lin began honing his skills and perfecting his recipes. After 12 years as an apprentice Yung-Lin was able to save up enough to fulfill his mother’s dream of moving to Taiwan to be closer to family. It was then, at the age of 21, that Yung-Lin felt it was time to open up his own restaurant in Taiwan. He named it Song-Hur Loh, which represents longevity. Yung-Lin’s restaurant became very famous and he began to cook at select banquets for the former President of Taiwan, Chiang Ching-Kuo. Taiwan’s President liked Yung-Lin’s cooking so much that he hired him to become the full-time head chef in the President’s retreat home for several years, until Yung-Lin relocated to the United States in 1963 to provide for a better future for his children. Once in the United States, Yung-Lin opened several successful restaurants throughout the Houston area with the help of his son David, including Restaurant Shanghai East in 1973, which was located in the Galleria in the space that Abercrombie & Fitch now occupies. David was the apprentice chef to his father for nearly a decade before opening his very own restaurants in Houston in 1981 when Yung-Lin chose to retire and oversee his son David’s restaurants. Today, Chef David is proud to bring his family’s renowned recipes and the traditions of his home country to your table. We invite you to come and experience our Szechuan and Hunan cuisine, prepared for you with care and steeped in old world craftsmanship with savory flavors fit for a president!
