Judging something on appearance is not right, but it happens to Fortune, a Chinese restaurant.

The restaurant, with its simple, even ratty exterior and location at 2869 Olentangy River Road, is often overlooked by passersby. But in my experience with Fortune, the restaurant has much more to offer on the inside than out.

After walking through a long entry way, a waiter cheerfully guided my friend and me to a booth. The atmosphere was welcoming and relaxing, but the décor was drab and the lights were a little dim.

A Szechuan-style Chinese restaurant, Fortune’s menu has a heavy focus on spicy dishes and offers Thai food.

Sifting through the expansive food list, my friend and I had a hard time deciding what to order because all the dishes sounded tasty based on their brief descriptions. We ended up ordering pork with garlic sauce and Szechuan fish with bean curd. A complimentary bowl of steamed rice also came with our meals.

After about a 10-minute wait, we got our first dish. The shredded, tender pork was flavorful, and the crunchy celery and water chestnuts complemented it well. Although the dish was good in the sense that it blended different flavors of sweet, sour, salty and spicy, its appearance was not as appetizing as its taste.

Next came the fish with bean curd. Silken tofu cubes and filet fish swamped in chili oil and sprinkled with minced Szechuan peppercorns, it was a mouth-watering, mildly spicy dish.

Our stomachs were left in good fortune when we finished our meals, each of which cost $11. Despite the food being a little pricey for my taste, the Szechuan-style dishes are authentic and worth trying. Fortune is located at 2869 Olentangy River Road.

Grade: A