Owned and operated by Mike and May Gung, a husband and wife duo who have called Valdosta home for more than three decades, China Garden Asian Bistro specializes in authentic Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Philippine cuisine. It’s located inside a beautifully and recently remodeled building — which captures the hearts and minds of visitors of all ages, making them feel as if they are truly part of the Asian experience — near the intersection of North Ashley Street and Northside Drive. It is open seven days a week for both lunch and dinner.

Mike and May Gung opened their very first China Garden restaurant in 1977. Small compared to the current facility, it was located in the vicinity of the Castle Park Shopping Center and seated 56. Fire destroyed it a few months later, leaving the Gung family stunned, with nothing but a dream and the will to make it come true.

“When that one burned, we had to start over from scratch,” May Gung said.

It took a while, but Mike and May Gung acquired a piece of land in the 2500 block of North Ashley Street and built a larger, more elaborate and more authentic restaurant. They were pleased with the end result and vowed to use any and all profits to enhance the establishment with each passing year.

Some 10 years later, a Peking Duck — a famous duck dish from northeastern China — incident in the kitchen led to a second fire. Although it did not totally destroy the restaurant, it did involve a significant amount of smoke and water damage. Mike and May Gung were forced to contemplate the future of their business and close their doors, if only temporarily, as a result.

“My husband thought it was a sign, time to move on to something else,” May Gung said. “I told him the restaurant was the only thing we were good at. We could not do anything else.”

Successful in holding on to their kitchen staff despite the ordeal, Mike and May Gung worked for nearly a year to reopen China Garden. Their run of bad luck only made them, their children, their staff and their business stronger.

China Garden Asian Bistro features a selection of buffet bars — hot, cold and dessert — as well as a full menu. Popular items include the Egg Roll and Shanghai Dumpling; the Thai Grilled Salmon and Avocado Salad; the Wonton Soup and Moo Shu Pork; the Kung Pao Chicken and Pineapple House Fried Rice; the Shrimp Lo-mein and Pepper Steak; the Japanese Shrimp Tempura, Lobster Cantonese, and Grilled Salmon in Miso Broth or Penang Curry. It also boasts The Tea Bar, which serves everything from 100 percent organic Green Tea Chai to Ginger and Coke to Jasmine Tea, and a Hibachi area, where visitors can order everything from pork and chicken to shrimp and scallops to steak and salmon grilled with a choice of sauces.

May Gung said she and her family have enjoyed introducing the American palate to authentic Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Philippine cuisine over the years and look forward to continuing the same well into the future. She considers each and every person walking through the doors of China Garden Asian Bistro a friend, whether he or she is a first-timer or a longtime regular.

“We really enjoy what we do,” she added. “This place and the people of Valdosta have been such a blessing to us.”

China Garden Asian Bistro was named the Best Chinese Restaurant in South Georgia by readers of The Valdosta Daily Times in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.