Chinese restaurant menus have become so similar from place to place, that finding a hidden gem with its own flare and spin on a variety of choices is amazing.

This is the case with Fortune Inn Restaurant, a hard-to-spot place blended into storefronts of a strip mall at the busy corner of Central Avenue and McCord Road. It has a warm, gregarious wait staff, a relaxing atmosphere that includes origami dollar bills pinned on the wall, and a menu filled with more than 70 affordable dishes from which to choose.

Yes, it has the usual menu items like Kung Pao, Szechuan, and General Tso, but it surprised us with several items more authentic to China rather than Americanized.

On our first visit, my dinner companions and I wanted to try as many appetizers as possible — testing the Chinese restaurant’s ability to deliver on the standards. They were all amazing and delicious.

We started with a large wonton soup ($4.95), that was easily shared among three people, perfectly seasoned, and packed with homemade wontons filled with a wonderful blend of meat. Our table was filled with egg rolls ($1.25) and an order of four crab rangoons ($2.95). Nothing ruins an egg roll more than an excess of grease or packing it with just cabbage. These were crisp and packed with an array of ingredients. Another highlight was the steamed dumplings ($5.95), which were fat and included a delicious pork pay-off in the center that was complemented by a sauce.

The only ho-hum dish was the chicken teriyaki sticks ($5.95), which arrived a little dried out.

On my first visit, I selected something I had never had at a Chinese restaurant: the Szechuan War Bar ($12.95). Served steaming and sizzling, this dish includes Szechuan-style shrimp, chicken, pork, and beef with vegetables and rice on the side.

A dinner companion opted for the familiar General Tso Chicken ($9.95). We were both more than satisfied. Both dishes were hot, delicious, and filling.

On a second visit, we grilled the owner on some of her favorite dishes and took her recommendation to order the Sweet and Pungent Shrimp ($13.95) and Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles with vegetables, pork, chicken, and beef ($10.95). Shrimp is easy to mess up. This shrimp dish, served with rice, was deliciously coated, lightly fried, and then sauteed in an amazing sauce. The noodles also did not disappoint.

The pork lo mein ($9.95) had a nice smoky flavor and lots of vegetables concealed in a generous bed of noodles.

Typical of many Chinese restaurants, the portions were considerably more than the average person can consume, which makes for great leftovers. That made the low prices even more of a bargain.

First Published July 6, 2017, 4:00 a.m.