Wayne Chen
Northwest Asia Weekly
As a Chinese American, a common question I encountered among non-Chinese friends is, “Wayne, which Chinese restaurant would you recommend?” I have lived in the United States all my life and spent my life in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. After a lot of time, I am very confident in my key Chinese cooking skills (CCCS). You can usually count on me to provide some great Chinese restaurants, at least in my town area.
In my life, I have tasted many Chinese restaurants, and I have experienced all kinds of Chinese dishes, from the absolutely sublime to Chinese dishes that require you to put quotation marks around the word “China”. That is to show that the Chinese food presented is actually just an approximation of the Chinese food that people who do not understand Chinese food think.
With my experience and a critical vision (and tongue) to know what is what, I think it might be helpful to come up with a handy guide, anyone can use it to help quickly determine if a Chinese restaurant is actually Chinese The restaurant is still a real “Chinese restaurant”. “
Before I formulate my guidelines based on my CCCS, I think it is important that I stipulate that I will not focus on truly high-end Michelin-starred Chinese restaurants, which will eventually cost you a hand. My uncle in Hong Kong is the owner of China Hong Kong Lee Garden, one of the most prestigious luxury Chinese restaurant groups in the world. When I visited him there, I basically camped at one of his restaurants in the morning, noon and evening. I admit-I am a star chaser from Lei Garden.
If you plan to spend a fortune on Chinese food, you don’t need my help to find a place to cook it. No, what makes me more satisfied is finding the hidden gem, the hole in the wall of the strip mall joint. Finding the diamond in the rough stone is the name of the game.
So, without further ado, here are five simple rules for Wayne to find a good Chinese restaurant:
#1 -Once you see a Chinese restaurant, please pay attention to its name. If the name is grammatically meaningful, be careful. Stay away from those golden restaurants. “Golden Palace” or “Golden Dragon” is a big red flag. You can be sure that there is no gold in this store. I can’t understand why a golden dragon can even become a delicious thing.
On the other hand, if the name of the restaurant seems absurd in English terms, then you may have found something good. If a restaurant’s name is like “3 Hen Green Pot” or “China Heen” and park the car, it may be a winner.
#2 -When you approach a Chinese restaurant, be sure to look for signs that show opening hours. If the sign says the restaurant should be open at the moment, but the door is locked, this is the first good sign that this place is worth a try. Always remember that a good Chinese restaurant uses business hours signs as recommendations, rather than strictly observing them.
#3 – If the restaurant’s name is ridiculous enough and it happens to be open when it should be open, go to the lobby. Pay attention first-how attentive is the staff when you walk in? If they greet you with a smile, warm greetings, and quickly prepare the menu for your seat, please be careful. Timely and friendly service is usually a warning sign. If you don’t want to leave immediately, you need to look for other clues before taking your seat.
On the other hand, if you waited for five minutes because the busy food waiters were going in and out of the kitchen, carrying hot food platters for customers, this is a good sign. If the service staff does see you and still tells you to wait another 10 minutes, please add two points.
#4 – When you walk towards the dining table, pay attention to the floor. If the floor is vinyl tiles or linoleum, and they are too oily for you to slide onto the table, please slide safely over and sit down. Chances are, you are enjoying food.
#5 – After reading the menu carefully and making some preliminary choices, once the server arrives and is ready to accept your order, a good test is to ask the kitchen if it can be substituted, such as replacing the chicken in the dish with shrimp.
If the server readily agrees to make changes, it’s not too late for you to get up and have a quick bite at the McDonald’s across the street.
On the other hand, if the server replies “This dish is not good”, and even starts arguing with you about your request, you have reached a nirvana.
Once, we went to a Chinese restaurant and asked the waiter if he could not add MSG to any food because it caused my wife a headache. Chinese restaurants often add MSG as a flavor enhancer to their food. Ten minutes after eating the food we ordered, my wife Maya started to feel a dull pain in the back of her neck.
We immediately checked our server. I said, “I’m sorry. We specifically ask you not to put any MSG, right?” She said, “Yes, that’s why I told the chef to reduce your dishes. If we don’t put anything, the taste will be wrong. “
I have put these guidelines together, with my tongue firmly in my cheek, but I believe there is a trace of truth running through it.
The truth is that everything has a time and a place. Is the first-class service and gorgeous environment a good meal? you bet! But for a small restaurant that focuses on one thing and only one thing, there is something to say-it serves delicious food and nothing more.
Normally, this works fine for me.
Wayne can be at info@nwasianweekly.com.
