The great thing about eating at a Chinese restaurant is that, generally speaking, no matter what the eating idiosyncrasies of the people you are dining with, everyone can find what they want.
No pork? No fish? Vegetarian? No problem.
Love pork? Love fish? Omnivore? No problem.
We really had no idea where we were going when we boarded the taxi at our hotel and headed into Birmingham. I had spent a few minutes on Yelp and the Jewellery Quarter seemed like it had a number of good restaurants. Our cab driver was very friendly and helpful and pointed out several options for where we might eat when we reached our destination. It was getting late and it was damp and cold out, so we figured that Henry's Cantonese - despite its middle-of-the-road Yelp reviews was as good a bet as any. As we entered the restaurant it appeared to be packed. A good sign! It was only after we actually were seated did it become evident that all the people we saw was a single large party, possibly a group of co-workers.
No matter.
The service at Henry's was very polite and attentive. We ordered some drinks and appetizers and got down to studying the menu, which was very diverse and extensive. After a long day, we were happy to have a chance to sit back and relax a bit, so we waited for our appetizers to arrive before ordering our main dishes. The wait staff was perfectly happy to accommodate our leisurely pace.
The Deep Fried Crispy Won Tons (http://bit.ly/XOBwX8) arrived first and they made quite a statement, with a large and almost artistic thin won ton crust deep fried to nearly the consistency of a cracker. Next came the Satay Chicken Skewers (http://bit.ly/XOBvCI) which were bathed in a thick peanut sauce. The chicken was prepared perfectly, tender and juicy. Finally, the Deep Fried Vegetarian Spring Rolls arrived which I have to admit were a bit disappointing, both because there were only two spring rolls and because they didn't meet the same standards as the other appetizers. (Pro tip for the wait staff: If there are three at a table and they order an appetizer that comes in twos, maybe mention that to them. Better to have one extra than one too few.)
Two of us ordered the Chicken and Sweet Corn soup which was delicious. The third of us ordered the Chicken Won Ton soup and also enjoyed it thoroughly.
At the time we ordered our main dishes we were concerned that we had ordered way too much food:
Deep Fried Crispy Sichuan Beef (http://bit.ly/XOBbnl)
Stir Fried Chicken and Cashew Nuts (http://bit.ly/XOBdLT)
Sweet & Sour Tofu (http://bit.ly/XOBcI0)
Grilled Honey and Black Pepper Chicken (http://bit.ly/XOB8YG)
Vegetable Fried Rice
But, by the time we were done, nearly every dish was cleaned out and each was delicious in its own way. My favorite dish was probably the Deep Fried Crispy Sichuan Beef. Why does everything taste so good when it's deep fried? The beef was crispy and tender. How do they do that? The Stir Fried Chicken and Cashew Nuts was served thick with vegetables and was perfect. The Sweet and Sour Tofu was probably the least popular dish at the table. The tofu was a bit soft for my particular taste. Still the majority of the plate was eaten. The Grilled Honey and Black Pepper Chicken, which was ordered off the Chef's Special Recommendations menu was gone in no time.
Fantastic.
I have to say that the fact that Henry's Cantonese only has a 3-star average on Yelp is perplexing to me. The existing reviews seem to focus on two issues, one being that it is expensive and the second, that some of the dishes are served greasy. Happily that was not our experience at all. The food was across the board 4-star and 5-star quality and not one dish, including the vegetable fried rice, was greasy in anyway. Our total bill for three, including alcohol and tip was £91.70 or about USD $139.30. Now maybe that's a lot for simple take out, but this was not take out. It was a leisurely meal, in a lovely restaurant (including a live piano player) with delicious food and great service.
What a pleasure it is to be able to write that last sentence. What a pleasure our entire meal was. read more