Chinese food

[jim boy]

Has Chinese food had it? It doesn't seem that long ago that going Chinese seemed exotic and interesting and while no doubt excellent Chinese exists out there - it just seems that it is now the boring and staid option.

Personally I've had my fill of Lemon Chicken or Sweet and Sour.

 

[FIGJAM]

Ahhh yes...Thai food's poor cousin!

 

[Shinboners]

Personally I've had my fill of Lemon Chicken or Sweet and Sour.

You've obviously been ordering off the menu and/or going to the wrong Chinese restaurants.

The next time you go to a Chinese restaurant, have a chat to the waiter. Let them know you'd like to eat something like what the Chinese customers eat. Try Ma Po Dofu, or twice roasted squab with a laquered skin. If you've got a bit of money, there's the 8 treasure duck and shark fin soup. Or maybe get a few friends together for a steam boat dinner.

 

[Shinboners]

Ahhh yes...Thai food's poor cousin!

Philistine.

 

[Former Chief]

I think it depends on the restaurant. Every town or suburb has at least one Chinese place where the ingredients seem to be exclusively from tins and packets, with plenty of cornflour to make the sauces go further.

 

[Shinboners]

I think it depends on the restaurant. Every town or suburb has at least one Chinese place where the ingredients seem to be exclusively from tins and packets, with plenty of cornflour to make the sauces go further.

It's like Italian restaurants. Every suburb has them, and plenty of them are crap. So, go and find a good Chinese restaurant. You don't have to go to the Flower Drum or Tea House on Burke, but you can certainly go to Pacfic Seafood BBQ House in Richmond.

But even if you do find a good Chinese restaurant, I reckon that if you go in and order the lemon chicken, then you're bound to get bored. However, if you have a chat to the waiter and you're keen to try something different, then I can't see how you could find Chinese food uninteresting.

 

[jim boy]

Hmm, I've had take-away of sorts from the Flower Drum (and yes I know that sounds unlikely). It was pretty good although you miss the whole dining experience that way.

I suppose my point was that for a while, merely going Chinese was an experience to be savoured, kind of like going to a Somali restaurant today. Trying unusual food from differing cultures is very attractive to me. Now most Chinese restaurants appear to be on level with Chippies, cheaply made with poor ingredients offering little true variation. Of course there are magnificent exceptions, but in the whole, I've had an elegant sufficiency of them.

 

[funkyfreo]

Chinese food/restraunts simply need to re-invent themselves. I've no doubt there is beautiful Chinese food out there, but esp in Perth Chinese Restraunts are stuck in the 80s with pseudo-chinese meals and stodgey food.

a cheap Chinese is some of the worst food out there, but many other cusines have great cheap food.

 

[FIGJAM]

Philistine.

I just read Leviticus and it said that Yum Cha is an abomination!

 

[Leg_Spinning_Sensation]

Ahhh yes...Thai food's poor cousin!

Agreed, Chinese has absolutley nothing onThai.

I love Thai

 

[DoubleA]

Indian is the new Chinese.

 

[iDon]

Chinese is only boring and old if you make it that way. If you continue to order the same food from the menu (your lemon chickens, sweet and sour) obviously you will get bored and tired of it.

Recently been having a few outings to the Chinese joints up in ChinaTown in Melbourne and in the side streets is where some of the best food are cooked. Get into the spicy noodles with beef (not sure what the exact dish is called) or most of the duck dishes are the way to go But thats just a personal preference.

-Mav

 

[coxon]

Chinese is only boring and old if you make it that way. If you continue to order the same food from the menu (your lemon chickens, sweet and sour) obviously you will get bored and tired of it.

yep, agreed...

another 5 years time, people will be bored with thai... and vietnamese/korean will be the new thai... in sydney, there are plenty of crap and unimaginative thai restaurants...

local suburban chinese food in sydney is sensational... just look for the ones that chinese people eat at... they are packed every night... value for money wise, its unbeatable...

 

[nicky]

Has Chinese food had it? It doesn't seem that long ago that going Chinese seemed exotic and interesting and while no doubt excellent Chinese exists out there - it just seems that it is now the boring and staid option.

Personally I've had my fill of Lemon Chicken or Sweet and Sour.

lemon chicken is to authentic chinese food, what mcdonalds/fast food is to a sunday roast. Chinese people don't eat the rubbish from those fast food restaurants.

authentic chinese food is hard to match. When i think of chinese food i think of garlic lobster and peking duck; i do not think of steak and black bean sauce.

chinese food>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>all other food (except for italian, japanese and a little french)

 

[Borgsta]

Yeah Chinese food is fantastic. As has been said the trick is to get different stuff all the time. As Shinners mentioned try Ma Po Dofu, its brilliant.

 

[Lenny*]

Love my large half special fried rice and honey chicken.