The food here was fairly good but not great. Was it worth £39 - no. It was convenience only, as we were in a static caravan at Cranfield.
Would I go back - no. Next time we'll be better organised, buy M&S ready meals and avoid paying top dollar for the mediocre.
The (3) duck springs rolls were 2 star, the salted chilli ribs had little salt and no discernible chilli taste, no fresh chilli at all and it was a poor portion for the £6 cost.
The bag of free prawn crackers had good crackers - not the cheapest brand that's awful and common in Newry.
I got salt & chilli king prawns (10) main for just over £8 again no real chilli kick and not a bit of fresh red chilli in any chilli dish and this only saves a few pence.
My wife enjoyed her salted chilli chicken (£7.60) but it's now top dollar pricing as it's £2 a main dish more expensive just two years ago and the price point with the superb takeaways has narrowed so it has to be better quality.
This place used to be a sit In restaurant but no longer; take out only now.
I made the review 3 star overall but this isn't a place for a discerning diner.
If I were comparing this place to the food from Chinese takeaways in Newry then it's 4 star, but that's only a reflection of how really poor most Chinese overpriced takeaway food is there.
If I compare it to the fabulous Red Panda Belfast it's one star and the takeaway price difference is insignificant but the difference in quality is huge.
It's important now to know what food bang we are getting for our hard earned, inflation weakened, buck, as prices are rising.
The last thing we really want to happen is to be charged far too much for cheap food that's poor quality and most Chinese take away food is cheap food, long grain white rice/noodles/chemical soy sauce and cheaper cuts of meat.
The sauces: sweet & sour is white sugar/vinegar/water. To give it better taste, quarter whole oranges and lemons including peel and boil in the liquid and add pineapple juice. Some of the warming spices could added (cinnamon sticks, star anise, ginger root). Then strain.
Curry sauce and gravy are the same base: plain flour fried in used cooking oil that makes a wet cement like mix then add curry powder for curry and liquid caramel colour (Maggi brand).
The used cooking oil for gravy has lots of onions fried to deep brown for flavour and strained off. Again the same warning spices to improve it.
Black bean is water/stock based. Kung Po is a variation of sweet and sour.
So next time you're in your local Chinese if you we not impressed with the quality/portion on a previous visit then say so.
I was taken by surprise too that in one takeaway the estimated wait time Friday teatime was an hour and another it was half an hour.
Both are cash only places. read more
