Chinese Restaurants in the UK - Reviews

[Shelley]

Looks nice, but pricey, and I couldn't see any prices on the website

 

 

If you need to ask......

[Guest realmayo]

Yes looks expensive so no immediate plans to visit....

[geraldc]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b081ldd4

 

British Chinese cooks go to the Chinese food Olympics. Worth a listen.

 

Min Jiang is where the Chinese embassy takes guests.

 

My family from HK all like being taken to Chinese restaurants in the UK as they like to order 香酥鴨, as it doesn't exist in HK and they find it hilarious.

[Michaelyus]

Ah yes, British 香酥鴨 being a particularly localised duck dish, different from both the Cantonese and the Beijing traditions. I saw somewhere that it was based on a Sichuan duck preparation cross-bred with a Beijing-style presentation... would love to trace more of its history. 

[somethingfunny]

Today’s review will be the first of the non-London reviews.  I actually went to this place back in October when I was in Birmingham for the half marathon.  My usual post-run ritual involves a massive fry up washed down with a couple of beers.  Given the proximity of the finish line to the Chinese part of town, I managed to talk my running buddy into hitting up something a little tastier.  Anyway, I’ve been sitting on this one for a while after my friend recommended Peach Garden (桃园) and claimed that Chinese folk would be willing to make the journey from London to taste their tasty roasted meats.  This place doesn't have a website, and google throws up two different addresses.  So, without trying to put people off... it's down the alley that's to the left of Leg's Eleven (man that sounds bad - but it is easy to find).

 

Description:  This is a ‘Hong Kong Café’ and it’s pretty basic.  There are lots of roasted birds hanging in the window and almost all of the punters are Chinese.

 

What I had:  On recommendation, I had the three roasted meats and rice.  I can’t remember the Chinese name but it should be obvious.  Basically a massive plate of rice, three types of roasted meat (Chicken, Belly Pork and Duck) and loads of tasty, tasty sauce for about £7.50.

 

Taste: 5/5 (I’m finding it hard to give low marks)

Does exactly what it says on the tin.  Three different meats, three different types of roasting.  The meat was moist, the flavour was full and the sauce was drizzled generously all over the plate.  There was even a bit of token Chinese cabbage on the side to give a slight illusion that this might not be as unhealthy as you think.

 

Authenticity: 4/5

Authenticity here doubles up for atmosphere.  This place is pretty basic, so don’t go bringing your date here – they don’t even serve alcohol, and I got the impression they wouldn’t want you to bring your own.  The staff all spoke good Mandarin and English and seemed pretty friendly as long as you weren’t being rushed through the inevitable cash only bill-paying sequence.  It scores highly because it’s not selling itself as anything more than it actually is.

 

Price: £

For £7.50 I got more food than I could finish – and I’d just run 13 miles.  This place is a bargain.

 

Summary:  Go.  Go now.  Do not stop at Go – you won’t even need the money.  It’s not spicy.  It is sweet.  And it’s probably one of the best cheap eats you can get in Birmingham.

 

Checking out the menu

 

Rice? Check.  Meat? Check.  Covered in sauce? Check!

[somethingfunny]

In other news:  

 

The Shaanxi Roujiamo restaurant has opened a new branch on Sackville Street, just round the corner from Fortnum & Mason - I'm not sure which of these will have a higher concentration of Chinese people.  If you go now they'll give you a 10% discount card which you can use at both places.  Also, at this one you can see them chef doing her thing, and apparently she is the boss's mum.  They've got 拉面 on the menu, so I might have to put up another review at some point in the future.

 

I'm also sitting on another review of a different place in London, and I can confirm that this place will not be getting full marks!  More to come soon...

[Guest realmayo]

Hmm next time I to pop into London I really should judge for my own tastebuds if this reviewer truly deserves any more of my upvotes Roddy, come back down to London and organise a restaurant meet-up!

[geraldc]

3 Meats is 三燒飯

[langxia]

Review from a 2 years ago passage in London (so might have changed)

 

When I was in London 2 years ago (spent one week there), I had a meal in Chinatown nearly everyday, sometimes twice a day. Can only remember one Restaurants name: Dumplings Legend. Went there around 3-4 times. They did have very delicious dim sums and even xiaolongbao that were over the top. My wife thinks that they are even better than those you get in Beijing. Price is what you can expect in London when you eat out.