I discovered a gold mine which Chinese food lovers have known about for seven years. Chong?s continues to be a favorite takeout spot, despite new ownership. Lali and Chuck Wong purchased the hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant a year ago and maintain the high quality and reasonable prices the previous owner established.

Chong?s is a small eatery located in the Vons Shopping Center on the corner of Shepherd and Cedar. The kitchen is over half the size of the restaurant, whose crowded quarters contain only five faux marble tables and black chairs. The takeout and dining area occupies the remaining space, leaving customers to focus solely on the food.

While Chong’s is famous among small-time Chinese connoisseurs, the restaurant boasts a plain atmosphere. The walls are dressed with conventional, matted Chinese prints. Lali told us the two pictures above our table were comical and though the humor was lost in translation, we gave a courtesy laugh.

My friend and I ordered the special, chow mien, a Chinese chicken salad, and homemade chicken-and-vegetable pot stickers; the meal also included fortune cookies. The plates were quickly prepared and piping hot. The generous portions left us feeling foolish for ordering so much food. Lali insisted we try her own recipe for peanut sauce to enhance the salad; the fabled flavor was out-of-this-world.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Lali immigrated to Trinidad in ?71 and moved to Fresno in ?77. The Wong family needed to make a living so they decided to do what they best knew: cook fantastic Chinese cuisine. They started with working for different Chinese restaurants and then, as a family, opened The Great Wall, a popular and busy restaurant. The Wngs owned The Great Wall for ten years before buying Chong’s.

Before Lali began running her own restaurants in Fresno, she worked as a waitress. Such hands-on experience makes it easy for the Wongs to run the takeout with excellence, an honorable feat for only three people.

?I used to have a big restaurant, which created a lot of unneeded stress,? Lali said. ?We prefer a smaller takeout to manage.?

The prices are very reasonable for the large portions. The bill came out to be around $15 and we left with our take-out containers still full. For customers hoping for a cheaper lunch, Chong?s offers portions at