The truth about Chinese Restaurants

AlanG · 12-05-2016 01:33PM

When I traveled in Guangdong most of the locals ate really bad food and the hygiene standards were terrible. Some of the restaurants that catered for rich people were ok but as it was almost 20 years ago that was not very common. In Hong Kong most of the food was equally not great unless you went to somewhere for richer people.

I guess most Cantonese food is the equivalent of the chipper or pub carvery in Ireland as that is the standard that is most common, for tourists and the rich its all fancy gourmet and their version darina allen but in reality the most common restaurant food in China is nothing special. Just be thankful we have far higher standards for meat and hygiene than either china or the USA. If you had to eat what the average industrial worker in China eats you would be glad of a spice bag.

tomtucker81 · 12-05-2016 01:37PM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Good World at the bottom of Georges St does really good authentic chinese food if you order off the chinese menu and ignore the english one.

Very good food in that place. Decent lunchtime menu,and it's always got Chinese people eating in it which I take as a good sign.
From looking at their full menu there's a lot more dishes than the average restaurant.

ohnonotgmail · 12-05-2016 01:39PM

tomtucker81 wrote: »

Very good food in that place. Decent lunchtime menu,and it's always got Chinese people eating in it which I take as a good sign.
From looking at their full menu there's a lot more dishes than the average restaurant.

the proper menu is huge. the chicken hotpot is just fantastic.

MarcoAntonio23 · 12-05-2016 01:39PM

M & L Szechuan Chinese Restaurant in Cathedral street is the real deal.
90% of the customers are oriental, that in it self speaks volumes about the fare on offer.

daRobot · 12-05-2016 02:17PM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Good World at the bottom of Georges St does really good authentic chinese food if you order off the chinese menu and ignore the english one.

Funny you say that, I asked my local Chinese take-away owner where she thought the best dumplings were. I'd forgotten where until you mentioned it.

Nice one

handlemaster · 12-05-2016 02:22PM

what about a chinese resturant in china

Stigura · 12-05-2016 02:27PM

ongarite wrote: »

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

Do they do Intestine Stew?

ScumLord · 12-05-2016 03:26PM

The Chinese people running my local Chinese take away aren't even real Chinese people. They're from one of the other non-Chinese countries around that area.

ohnonotgmail · 12-05-2016 03:29PM

ScumLord wrote: »

The Chinese people running my local Chinese take away aren't even real Chinese people. They're from one of the other non-Chinese countries around that area.

a lot of the 'chinese' takeaways in this country are vietnamese owned. they arrived in the '70s and a takeaway was the easiest business for them to start . probably explains why most of the food isnt chinese.

eisenberg1 · 12-05-2016 04:19PM

You need to more adventurous when you go to a traditional Chinese restaurant.
I was in one in Parnell st a while ago and had grilled bear steak.

Speedwell · 12-05-2016 04:20PM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

a lot of the 'chinese' takeaways in this country are vietnamese owned. they arrived in the '70s and a takeaway was the easiest business for them to start . probably explains why most of the food isnt chinese.

I would prefer decent Vietnamese.

ohnonotgmail · 12-05-2016 04:32PM

Speedwell wrote: »

I would prefer decent Vietnamese.

i'm not sure that traditional vietnamese fare would have gone down as well as chicken curry and fried rice. that was exotic enough for the irish palate at the time.

Speedwell · 12-05-2016 04:33PM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

i'm not sure that traditional vietnamese fare would have gone down as well as chicken curry and fried rice. that was exotic enough for the irish palate at the time.

Hmm. Now I am dying... DYING I tell you... for pho and a banh mi.

ohnonotgmail · 12-05-2016 04:37PM

Speedwell wrote: »

Hmm. Now I am dying... DYING I tell you... for pho and a banh mi.

Pho Viet on parnell street gets rave reviews.

ScumLord · 12-05-2016 04:38PM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

i'm not sure that traditional vietnamese fare would have gone down as well as chicken curry and fried rice. that was exotic enough for the irish palate at the time.

We can't take the blame for that. We're late to the foreign food game. All these international restaurants made food for the English palate and we just brought that food over here. In the states they just took the food as it came, they didn't have the tradition of anglifying everything.

Speedwell · 12-05-2016 04:38PM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Pho Viet on parnell street gets rave reviews.

If only everyone in Ireland lived in Dublin.

ohnonotgmail · 12-05-2016 04:41PM

ScumLord wrote: »

We can't take the blame for that. We're late to the foreign food game. All these international restaurants made food for the English palate and we just brought that food over here. In the states they just took the food as it came, they didn't have the tradition of anglifying everything.

i dont think we imported our chinese menu from england. chinese restaurants dont seem to be as prevalent in england. chinese takeaways even less so.

05eaftqbrs9jlh · 12-05-2016 04:46PM

I know of three families in Cork who are from China originally but have set up shop here, one selling restaurant-quality takeaway but the other two outputting the standard chicken balls fried rice ensemble. The difference appears to rest with owner's vision for the place initially. I've been to some Chinese takeaways in the big smoke and invariably been disappointed by the same nasty fare the OP's inspiration came from - under-cooked, poor quality excuses for "food". It's usually easy enough to find out if a place is good before going there, but you'll obviously always have people staggering into takeaways after the pub and pigging out... I personally wouldn't get a Chinese in that situation. I'd fear I wouldn't be discerning enough to notice if it was going to kill me.

RhubarbCrumble · 12-05-2016 04:48PM

six pages in and I'm shocked that nobody has yet said "The Chinese, a great bunch of lads"

Speedwell · 12-05-2016 04:49PM

RhubarbCrumble wrote: »

six pages in and I'm shocked that nobody has yet said "The Chinese, a great bunch of lads"

The Chinese, a great bunch of lads. (Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Thai...)

ScumLord · 12-05-2016 05:05PM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

i dont think we imported our chinese menu from england. chinese restaurants dont seem to be as prevalent in england. chinese takeaways even less so.

They seem to be mostly buffets in the UK. Indian seem to have cornered the takeaway market. With anglified Indian food.

Maireadio · 12-05-2016 05:08PM

"Chinese food" is truly mank. But I have say, it's pretty much the same is the UK, it's not just Ireland.

Chicken balls may be the most disgusting foodstuff to exist. Mmm, a half inch of soggy batter surrounding questionable chicken, where do I sign up?

ScumLord · 12-05-2016 05:14PM

As far as I know most Chinese take away food is supplied by one or two companies. It's basically microwave food with some fresh veg thrown in. Everything from the chicken balls to the satay beef is all bought in as frozen food, and pretty much every Chinese take away is using the same supplier.

I don't so much mind it. At least they give big portions so you don't feel ripped off or anything.

youreadthat · 13-05-2016 12:10AM

It's no better in Madrid or Paris form my experience.

Agricola · 13-05-2016 12:21AM

ScumLord wrote: »

I don't so much mind it. At least they give big portions so you don't feel ripped off or anything.

They copped onto that lately. Time was you could go in an get a 1 starter, 1 main, chips and rice and have enough for 3 people. Now it's a good meal for 1, which admittedly is what it should be, but still..... Miss dem big portions.

PARlance · 13-05-2016 12:32AM

ScumLord wrote: »

I don't so much mind it. At least they give big portions so you don't feel ripped off or anything.

Ah, the famine gene.
I recently moved home after a long period away and I started enquiring about places to eat. It's amazing how highly ranked portion size is when it comes to eating out.

Arghus · 13-05-2016 12:50AM

Speedwell wrote: »

The Chinese, a great bunch of lads. (Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Thai...)

You might think you're eating good Chinese but it's actually very,very,very, VERY crap food.

Speedwell · 13-05-2016 12:55AM

Arghus wrote: »

You might think you're eating good Chinese but it's actually very,very,very, VERY crap food.

I'm from Houston. I'm extremely spoiled in my ethnic food choices.

makingmecrazy · 13-05-2016 01:09AM

youreadthat wrote: »

It's no better in Madrid or Paris form my experience.

Very few actual Chines restaurants in Paris. What you get are shops selling precooked food that you take home and microwave.
Yum. Nothing like prawns or chicken already cooked to questionable degrees and then left stewing in various sauces before you take it home and nuke it so it becomes rubber food poisoning in a box :-(

dakid · 13-05-2016 01:31AM

Dante Victorious Shorts wrote:

I know of three families in Cork who are from China originally but have set up shop here, one selling restaurant-quality takeaway but the other two outputting the standard chicken balls fried rice ensemble. The difference appears to rest with owner's vision for the place initially. I've been to some Chinese takeaways in the big smoke and invariably been disappointed by the same nasty fare the OP's inspiration came from - under-cooked, poor quality excuses for "food". It's usually easy enough to find out if a place is good before going there, but you'll obviously always have people staggering into takeaways after the pub and pigging out... I personally wouldn't get a Chinese in that situation. I'd fear I wouldn't be discerning enough to notice if it was going to kill me.

What is the name of the nice one in Cork?

The truth about Chinese Restaurants

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