One of my favorite things about my birthday is that I get taken out by family and always get to choose the restaurants or bars that we visit (and no one grumbles about it). Gan Shan West was my lunch choice and I can’t wait to go back again for another visit. The space is small, casual, relaxed and inviting with quirky Star Wars memorabilia. We tried several dishes and loved each of them. Chicken dumplings, pork steam buns, 24hour ramen, and a vegetarian rice bowl...all full of flavor and perfectly balanced (and plenty of variety with daily specials). I was kind of blown away by the simplicity of the rice bowl...heavy on the veggies (roasted eggplant, cauliflower, carrots, bean sprouts, pickled green beans), with a “sauce” consisting of mayo, soy and chili oil. I will be recreating this at home soon!

“You’re our kind of people if you know that eating can be more than simply consuming food.” ~@ganshanwest

I love their philosophy of serving dishes with seasonal ingredients that are nourishing but certainly not boring. They also have a “for the novice” and “purist” sake menu, some great house wines and beers that pair well with the style of food along with non-alcoholic items as well (my kids love waynesville soda jerks). Can’t forget the staff either...they were friendly and incredibly helpful with all questions about the menu. Will see you again soon @ganshanwest!