13051 Newport Ave, Tustin, CA 92780
949-324-5558 / 949-771-9666
www.changantustin.com
Thu 08/28/2025, 07:30p-09:30p
You might recall that I reported on Chang'an (品味长安, or pǐnwèi cháng'ān) back in May 2021, about a month after it opened. I was impressed by the Shaanxi cuisine-focused restaurant, as it was considerably more ambitious than virtually all other Chinese spots in the Los Angeles area. Given how much I liked the place, I figured that it was about time to file another dining report detailing a recent dinner experience.
Inside, things really haven't changed much at all in the four years since I last posted about Chang'an, and they don't need to. It's still probably the nicest Chinese dining room in Southern California.
Rendered in an unusual horizontal format, Chang'an's menu is relatively lengthy, and aims to highlight Shaanxi cookery while also offering dishes sourced from other parts of China. Click for larger versions.
The restaurant has expanded its alcohol options significantly since 2021, and now offers cocktails, spirits, Chinese liquor, beer, sake, and wine, in addition to the requisite tea. Meanwhile, corkage was a very reasonable $20, which, amazingly, was $10 less than we paid last time (when does that ever happen?!). Click for larger versions.
The duck cart made an appearance not too long after we were seated. An idiosyncrasy of the service here is that if you pre-order the duck (it must be requested ahead of time), it's brought out as your first course, which is not ideal. Do also note the presence of a tip jar, which is something I've never encountered before with regard to tableside presentation at a restaurant.
Also quick to arrive was a serving of guōkuī, a variety of relatively dense, dry flatbread. It didn't have too much taste of its own, but paired easily with the peanuts, pickles, and savory, spicy, XO-ish chili sauce.
Since we were having duck, I immediately thought of Pinot noir, and thus BYOB'd a bottle of the 2006 Bouchard Père et Fils Clos Vougeot Grand Cru. Initially, the wine demonstrated a nose filled with dark fruit, black pepper, mint, and a trace of sauvage, while the palate showed off a healthy amount of acidity and grip, with a base of cherries supported by sweet spices and an underlying touch of barnyard. Towards the end of the night, I found a sweeter, more floral bouquet with still a hint of funk; in mouth, think more apparent tannins along with notes of leather, earth, dried herbs, and subdued fruit. Quite a fitting match for the zhì yā.
Chang'an's riff on Peking duck features a tableside flambé, achieved by coating the bird in báijiǔ and setting it ablaze.
With the aforementioned flame extinguished, the choice parts of the skin were thus removed...
...Then plated and accompanied by a helping of brown sugar. Sliced super thin, the skin had that crisp, airy consistency I was looking for, along with just a sliver of fat, while taste-wise, it displayed what seemed like the elegantly distilled essence of the duck. I didn't mind the sugar as an almost jarringly sweet counterpoint, though I would've liked to have access to some tiánmiànjiàng as well for comparison.
With the skin dispensed with, the rest of the carcass was subsequently carved up.
Chang'an Roasted Duck with table service (reserve only, limit one duck per table) [$138.00] | 长安炙鸭 (预定, 每桌限一只鸭)
Capped with exquisite layers of skin and fat, the meat of the duck was also a delight, arriving tender, toothsome, and teeming with the anatine funk I was hoping for.
The duck was certainly delicious on its own, but was indeed elevated by its various accoutrements: sweet bean sauce, batons of pear, batonnets of cucumber, juliennes of spring onion, and thin, stretchy pancakes. Everything wrapped up in one of those chūn bǐng made for some eminently satisfying bites indeed.
Another peculiarity of Chang'an's Běijīng kǎoyā is that a portion of the meat is smoked tableside using a Mitbak cocktail smoker.
I actually preferred the smoked variation of the bird, as said smokiness did a great job complementing the heady flavors of the meat, really serving as the perfect finishing touch.
Matsutake Duck Wonton Soup [$8.00] | 有机松茸鸭汤馄饨 (每位)
The duck meat was also turned into húntun soup. I appreciated the dumplings' delicate skins, while the savoriness of the duck and the mushrooms was nicely brightened up by all the grassy, herby forces present. Super cozy and comforting.
Wok Fried Cumin Duck Bone [$22.00] | 孜然爆炒鸭件
The bones were then stir-fried, resulting in some gratifying gnawing action. I was a big fan of the texture and coating of the fragments here, as well as how precisely the cumin was incorporated.
In addition to the wine above, we also requested a pot of Xinjiang Wild Baby Chrysanthemums Tea (Caffeine-Free) [$28] this evening, which I very much enjoyed thanks to its fine balance between fruity, floral, toasty, and roasty flavors. Curiously, another diner at the table described the chá as if "goji berry and chamomile had a baby." Also, do note that we weren't charged for the tea, which I'm not sure was intentional or not.
Stir-Fried Lychee Prawns with Sweet Sour and Spicy Sauce [$48.00] | 贵妃荔枝虾球
We ended up ordering a few more dishes in addition to the preceding duck. Up first was this homage to imperial consort Yáng Guìfēi, which turned out better than expected. I was afraid that the lychees would veer overly sweet, but that wasn't the case, as their fruitiness actually did a wonderful job complementing the brininess of the shrimp without ever getting in the way. Also impressive was their texture, which combined a fried exterior with supple insides, making for a real treat in terms of mouthfeel. My one quibble here was that I would've liked a rarer cook on the prawns.
Stir-Fried Wild Morel Mushroom with Shanghai Bok-Choy [$38.00] | 羊肚菌配小棠菜
I'm generally a fan of xiǎo táng cài, and that was definitely the case tonight. The veggie's bright, peppery character was well conveyed, and really worked hand-in-hand with the earthier, darker-toned tastes of the morels.
Spicy Sous-Vide American Wagyu with House Sauce [$68.00] | 辛辣低温美国和牛
A plate of sous vide'd steak was a crowd pleaser, arriving as tender and juicy as I was looking for, while flavors were robust and properly beefy, with a lovely accent from the pepper. I was also a fan of the garlic and chilies here, which provided further points of interest in the dish without overpowering the meat.
I Am Peach [$18.00] | 我是桃子
Time for dessert. What we had here appeared to be a dainty white chocolate shell encasing a peach-flavored mousse-pudding situation, along with some sort of jellied component. The end result was pretty effective, communicating the essence of the stone fruit in a subtle, sophisticated, not-too-sweet fashion.
Golden Lava Tangyuan [$8.00] | 金沙汤圆
Last up were the jīnshā tāngyuán. At their core, they were reminiscent of the supple, chewy, black sesame-stuffed glutinous rice balls of my childhood. However, they utilized additional exterior elements of sweet-toasty coconut and crumbled peanut, which made for some textural variation and served as apt contrasts in terms of taste, too.
Ever since first dining here, I've always felt that Chang'an was the best Chinese restaurant in Orange County, and this latest dinner just further strengthened that conviction. It's obvious that the ownership is holding on to some lofty aspirations, which is evident in both the conception and presentation of the cuisine served, and for the most part, the team's able to deliver. In fact, it was only about halfway into the evening when I declared that I wanted to return in the future to try more of the menu, so I'll certainly be looking forward to that.
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