Ok, what the heck is the deal with a Chinese restaurant called "Nell Gwynn's Parlour?" Who would'd thought that a little alley with a simple red Chinese sign saying "Rice/Noodle" would have such a gem of a northern Chinese cuisine? But let me assure you, this place is a gem! Hubbo and I were in Windsor for a day trip and actually JUST had lunch. We walked down this little alley cause it's cute and came across this gem of a restaurant.
I was curious and looked at the menu posted on their window. In its English-Chinese menu, I saw several dishes that were interesting to me. My lingering eyes must have given a not-so-subtle hint to hubbo, who sighed and said, "we can go in and try a few dishes if you want." Say no more....
Upon entering the restaurant in this late November afternoon, it was empty. An older gentleman came over and handed a menu to hubbo and a different one to me... a full Chinese menu. So let's just say that the English/Chinese version posted on the window has a few dishes that excites me? Well the full Chinese menu almost made me fall out of my chair. There were all kinds of goodies in that menu. Some noodle soup are not offered in any average Chinese restaurants even in Chinatown in London. Some were really what I considered comfort food that my mom would make.
Since we had JUST had lunch, I could only order a noodle soup (pickled vegetable with shredded pork noodle soup) and pot stickers (mainly for the hubbo, who loves pot stickers). The noodle soup was soooo delicious, just like the way my mom makes it. The pot stickers were surprisingly tasty as well. After our meal, I couldn't help but be curious how this little Chinese restaurant survives (especially since it was empty when we walked in). Do people around here know enough about the good ol' bowl of noodle soup? Do they suffer from being so tucked away?
The lady behind the counter and I started chatting and turns out, this restaurant is well-known by Chinese tour guides. So all those tourists from China, Taiwan, etc, come here for their meals when visiting Windsor. Which made perfect sense why the food is so authentic and doesn't break your bank either.... As we were leaving, I heard her on the phone, talking to probably a tour guide. She mentioned about 30 people coming in 5 min. As we walked up the alley, sure enough, I saw a line of Chinese tourists headed down to their restaurant lol. read more