Legend has it that tens of thousands of years ago, our ancestors lived by eating raw meat and…read moredrinking blood. One day, lightning struck a tree, causing a massive forest fire that killed many animals. Our ancestors then discovered that cooked meat tasted much better than raw meat. This is why roast meat has always been regarded as an important part of the human diet.
Today I gathered with friends and chose this barbecue restaurant. It's located north of Redmond, with a prominent sign and plenty of parking.
Ambiance: The decor is creative, but it feels quite contradictory. Barbecue is inherently a very "Jianghu" (lively, rough-and-tumble) kind of thing, yet the restaurant leans toward an artistic, literary style. When I used to run my own restaurant, I followed a principle: avoid anything unrelated to the core dining experience. Seeing many books on the shelves here, I understand they're trying to bridge Jianghu and artistry -- but it clearly feels out of place. That said, the place is very clean, and the stickers/decorations are festive.
Service: My high rating for this restaurant is largely based on the service. After we sat down, we were given free appetizers -- braised peanuts, which tasted great. The staff training is very professional, whether it's taking orders, making recommendations, attending to us during the meal, or checking on tables and refilling water. All excellent.
Taste: Jianghu-style cuisine is characterized by boldness, satisfaction, and not sweating the small details. We ordered spicy hot pot (Malatang), spicy hot pot skewers, grilled beef, lamb, chicken gizzards, oysters, and many other items. First, the Malatang and spicy skewers tasted almost identical, so it felt like eating the same thing. The grilled skewers were just average -- neither good nor bad. The oysters were very tasty. However, the shrimp in the spicy skewers were very unfresh, which was disappointing.
"By the way, the prices at 'Friendship Skewers' are anything but friendly -- I think it's quite overpriced overall."
