World Food Thursdays

Country No. 9: China

 

Date: 08/10/2014

 

Venue: China Garden, Swiss Cottage

 

Attendees: Ben, Lee, Kim, Ellen, Becky, Paul, Maor, Poppy

 

Cost: £27.50 a head

 

Tonight was the night where we truly discovered our the identity of our Machiavellian Dear Leader. Ancient fables tell a tale of a double prize winning landscaper who melds the very Earth we walk upon with her bare hands. Who were we, a humble group of restaurant frequenters, to argue when Chairman Poppy changed the country, the date, the location and finally, arrived half an hour late and blamed us for being in the wrong restaurant!

 

Dramas over we settled into our private room and once all the children in attendance (Lee) had gotten over the giant Lazy Susan that dominated the table we set to kicking off the world food club with a traditional argument about what to order.

 

Perhaps driven by the onset of winter, particularly felt by Maor and Poppy who spent the previous Sunday lazing on the beach in Tel Aviv, and the deep cold that was seeping into our bones there was an almost unanimous decision to reject starters in favour of soups. A variety were ordered including chicken and sweet corn, crab and sweet corn, hot and sour, and of course some spring rolls.

 

Moving on from soup the next course provoked no argument whatsoever, a chorus of approval rang out across the restaurant as the waitress brought over a silver platter upon which was laid an entire Peking duck. Immediately the platter was whisked away to Ellen’s great dismay, however the waitress was only looking for a secluded corner where she could give the duck a thorough forking.

 

Fast forwarding about three minutes and all that was left of the once plump and happy duck was a few measly bones.

 

Onwards  and upwards, a plethora of main courses was on its way. It’s rare that the entire WF menu is listed however to give a feel for the gluttony on display here is the list:

 

• Sweet and sour chicken (minus peppers)

• Beef in black bean sauce

• Beef in oyster sauce

• Chinese broccoli

• Scallops and seasonal greens

• Morning glory with chilli

• Braised pork belly

• Peking duck (again)

• Chicken Chow Mein

• Boiled and Egg Fried Rice

 

Phew! Unsurprisingly we didn’t manage to finish all of the dishes, the sweet and sour chicken was by far the most popular, with the morning glory finishing in last place.

 

A complimentary dessert was served at the end of the meal, chances were it was either going to be fried bananas in toffee sauce or cut up orange. We weren’t disappointed, a platter of grapes, melon and oranges was placed on the dais and fought over by all.

 

Overall China Garden isn’t the best Chinese we’ve ever had, but it certainly isn’t the worst. The staff were accommodating, the prices were reasonable, and above all we enjoyed each other’s company.

 

Awwwww.

 

China facts:

 

• The one child policy was introduced in 1980. Less than 40% of Chinese families adhere to the policy, exemptions can be bought, can be granted through disability, through having children who are not Chinese citizens, through regional attitudes to the policy and a plethora of other excuses.

• 45bn chopsticks are used annually in China and there are 5bn bicycles in Beijing

• £100m Chinese live on less than a dollar a day