The truth about Chinese Restaurants

JupiterKid

After reading a thread about an AHer eating undercooked chicken from a Chinese take away, it got me thinking. And that is that so, so many Chinese restaurants in this country are poor. Really poor. The fare they serve up is often bland and unimaginative and uninspiring, the decor is often worn out and tired and the staff rude and abrupt.

Don't get me wrong - a good Chinese eatery is worth its weight in gold and Chinese food when well prepared is sumptuous but from all the years I have been going to Chinese restaurants/take aways I have been usually underwhelmed - to the point that I now tend to avoid them.

Thai, Japanese and Indian restaurants are usually very good so why are so many Chinese places so rubbish? And why do Irish people put up with such poor fare?

galljga1

JupiterKid wrote: »

After reading a thread about an AHer eating undercooked chicken from a Chinese take away, it got me thinking. And that is that so, so many Chinese restaurants in this country are poor. Really poor. The fare they serve up is often bland and unimaginative and uninspiring, the decor is often worn out and tired and the staff rude and abrupt.

Don't get me wrong - a good Chinese eatery is worth its weight in gold and Chinese food when well prepared is sumptuous but from all the years I have been going to Chinese restaurants/take aways I have been usually underwhelmed - to the point that I now tend to avoid them.

Thai, Japanese and Indian restaurants are usually very good so why are so many Chinese places so rubbish? And why do Irish people put up with such poor fare?

Because of drink.

Definitely back in the 80s for a rural dweller like me, a Chinese was the height of exotic mystery, wilder than garlic bread or even those grilled pizzas, and we'd eat any crap thrown in front if us labelled "Chinese".

No excuse today though.

Armchair Andy

It was acceptable in the 80's,it was acceptable at the tiiiime.


I'll get me coat:o

El_Duderino 09

JupiterKid wrote:

Thai, Japanese and Indian restaurants are usually very good so why are so many Chinese places so rubbish? And why do Irish people put up with such poor fare?

The food in Chinese restaurants isn't Chinese. It's a made up genre. It's not like a chef could be working in China for 20 years, making chicken balls and sweet sour chicken, then come to Ireland and continue doing the same thing.

If they set up a restaurant here they probably have to create the menu based on whatever the other Chinese restaurants serve. In the words it's restaurant by numbers. This means any fool could do it (badly) and few will do it well.

Tombi!

I'd wager 99% of takeouts are terrible.
There's a big difference between a quality Chinese place that you'd pay high price for and "Mr Lee's Superfood Kitchen" where you stumble in at 4AM after being on a night out.

Electric Sheep

The majority of Irish takeaways of any type are disgusting, so what's new?

El_Duderino 09

Tombi! wrote:

I'd wager 99% of takeouts are terrible. There's a big difference between a quality Chinese place that you'd pay high price for and "Mr Lee's Superfood Kitchen" where you stumble in at 4AM after being on a night out.

Which is more profitable though? And which do Irish people actually want?

I used to make basic curries and bring them to work. People used to screw up their faces and say it looked disgusting because it's brown. They didn't recognise curry because they had only ever see it in a silver foil take away dish.

That's probably what the market demands

omahaid

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

The food in Chinese restaurants isn't Chinese.

I don't understand. Are barbecue spare ribs and chicken curry with chips not traditional chinese food?

gramar

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

The food in Chinese restaurants isn't Chinese. It's a made up genre. It's not like a chef could be working in China for 20 years, making chicken balls and sweet sour chicken, then come to Ireland and continue doing the same thing.

If they set up a restaurant here they probably have to create the menu based on whatever the other Chinese restaurants serve. In the words it's restaurant by numbers. This means any fool could do it (badly) and few will do it well.

Never a truer word said.

How about the European menu in the Chinese?

I'll have an omelette and a chicken maryland please...

El_Duderino 09

omahaid wrote:

I don't understand. Are barbecue spare ribs and chicken curry with chips not traditional chinese food?

Traditional Chinese food in Ireland.

It's more fish head soup and intestine stew with a side of boiled chicken's feet, over in China.

Pinch Flat

Ah those where the days when a chicken curry and rice in Johnny Jumbos in Waterford was the height of sophistication.

Can't remember the last time I had a Chinese takeaway (most of them were run by Vietnamese who came to Ireland in the late 70s and 80s, but that's a different stfory). Usually pure muck.


What amazes me is the amount of Chinese takeaways that feature in food safety issues, yet people go back.

https://www.fsai.ie/news_centre/press_releases/april_enforcements_09052016.html

Tombi!

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Which is more profitable though? And which do Irish people actually want?

I used to make basic curries and bring them to work. People used to screw up their faces and say it looked disgusting because it's brown. They didn't recognise curry because they had only ever see it in a silver foil take away dish.

That's probably what the market demands

It's what sells. But my point is to the OP that there are good places out there. I could get chips and a burger from McDonalds and say it's terrible and there's no real burgers in Ireland. Or I could go to a decent place, pay an extra 5-10 euro and have a damn good meal.

ongarite

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Traditional Chinese food in Ireland.

It's more fish head soup and intestine stew with a side of boiled chicken's feet, over in China.

Yep, if you want real Chinese cuisine I highly recommend M&L on Cathedral St.

Alf Stewart.

Deleted User wrote: »

How about the European menu in the Chinese?

I'll have an omelette and a chicken maryland please...

Over in China they eat that when they go out "for an Irish".'

mr_edge_to_you

Alf Stewart. wrote: »

Over in China they eat that when they go out "for an Irish".'

Boiled spuds or fried spuds?

If you spend over 200Chinese Yolks you get a free bag of cream crackers.

gramar

The vast majority of Chinese restaurants don't serve typical Chinese food. I find it had to believe that over a billion Chinese people eat chicken balls, special fried rice and prawn crackers as the cornerstone of their diet.

Speaking of which, a special mention goes to the Happy Garden in Waterford, Chinese or not they did truly excellent chicken balls.

md23040

It's a national scandal. Theres a Chinese restaurant near me being run by a Taiwanese couple, they may look the part but their not fooling me....

Patrick2010

gramar wrote: »

The vast majority of Chinese restaurants don't serve typical Chinese food. I find it had to believe that over a billion Chinese people eat chicken balls, special fried rice and prawn crackers as the cornerstone of their diet.

Speaking of which, a special mention goes to the Happy Garden in Waterford, Chinese or not they did truly excellent chicken balls.

So what?. I don't get this snobbery that unless you're eating what someone in someone in some remote Chinese province is eating you're not really having chinese food.

_Brian

Spent a few weeks in China earlier in the year, third time there.
What is served in most take always here doesn't reflect their food at all.

I avoid most of these generic Restraunts but there are the odd one that serve something close to what you'd see in a China.

Rice and egg fried rice is eaten pretty much three meals a day.

gramar

Patrick2010 wrote: »

So what?. I don't get this snobbery that unless you're eating what someone in someone in some remote Chinese province is eating you're not really having chinese food.

I'm not being a snob, just pointing it out. A friend of mind used to do deliveries to a Chinese restaurant and got to know a few in the kitchen fairly well. He told me that what they served on the menu and what they ate themselves were two very different things.

everlast75

in a Country where abrakebabra exists, we can't afford to cast aspirations at Chinese restraints

Alf Stewart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGTIs9fvkUA

Speedwell

I could run a better Chinese restaurant out of my house than any of the ones I've eaten at in Ireland, and add Korean and Vietnamese food to the menu, and I'm not even a bit Asian. The takeaway in my village is probably the best of the lot, given that their food is typically edible, but even they can't seem to make a recipe consistently. I'm not even looking for authenticity, just, well, higher standards.

My Irish husband, culinary-trained, opines that if you tried to run a good Chinese restaurant in Ireland (or a good pizza delivery, or a good everyday BBQ restaurant, or a good anything but a chip shop), you would fail because it's not what the locals are "used to". I would like to say he's wrong but I have no evidence.

Allinall

Patrick2010 wrote: »

So what?. I don't get this snobbery that unless you're eating what someone in someone in some remote Chinese province is eating you're not really having chinese food.

I like well done steaks.

So there.

Awesomeness

Yep I live in china and Chinese takeaways are nothing like the food you would get here.

There are a few decent chinese restaurants around dublin where you can get proper Chinese food.

That said I cant wait to get me some chicken balls and curry sauce when I get home

Speedwell

Jesus, everyone in Ireland can't live in Dublin.

shane9fingers

There's some good Chinese food places on Parnell st. They will hand you the Irish-Chinese menu because the majority of people will stick to chicken balls or a 3-in-1. If you ask for the Chinese Menu you'll get the real stuff. No idea how to read the menu but the staff is usually more than obliging with translations. Well worth trying some steamed dumplings.

EazyD

The truth is most Chinese eateries in Ireland use the cheapest of cheap ingredients, hence why most are utter crap. There are some very good ones in Dublin though if you know where to look.

gramar

Savonlav wrote: »

I think if you go into the average family home you can see that they are stuck in their routine.

The fact that a restaurant that is a bit different is described as "hipster" just proves the point imo.

You mean not every home is cooking Rosanna's and Roz's healthy and nutricious recipes?