Chowin’ on Chinese

Justin Tootla and Jennifer Jackson, the former chefs at Voyager, know everyone has their favorite place to get American Chinese dishes like General Tso’s Chicken and sweet and sour chicken, so don’t expect to see much like that on the menu at their new Chinese restaurant, Bunny Bunny, 1454 Gratiot in Detroit, which opened in late August. Instead, Tootla and Jackson, who ran a Chinese restaurant together in Chicago prior to Ferndale’s Voyager, decided to focus on different regions in China with dishes like the already popular twice-cooked pork and dry chili chicken, a dish they’ve been working on for years. Jackson said their sleeper hit so far has been their tomato beef. There are plans to implement a cocktail program, which they hope to have figured out when they let people dine-in during the fall. Currently, they are only open for carryout and are employing a charity element to the restaurant, with plans to donate to different non-profits, with the ultimate goal being to become a totally non-profit restaurant. With Tootla and Jackson being ‘80s babies, a lot of the inspiration for the decor comes from that decade. Tootla hopes the inside feels nostalgic, with lots of pink and bright colors, and Lazy Susans on tables. The duo also has plans for an upcoming restaurant to open this fall or early winter in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood. Details to come.