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Chinese takeaway - do you always get the same?

Started by Barry Admin, November 20, 2021, 05:40:08 PM

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Always the same?

Same dish for years
Alternate between a small number
Different every time

Sebastian Cobb

The Chinese near me in Aberdeen is the only takeaway I've known that would also sell booze and fags.

mothman

I love General Tso's chicken but it just doesn't exist in this country. I'd usually go for chicken satay followed by beef in black bean sauce. Or I'll just say fuck it and get a quarter duck all to myself.

non capisco

The bloke in my local Chinese takeaway sees me come in and says "Mushroom chow mein and Szechuan garlic mixed vegetables?" before I've even got to the counter now. Normally I'll take that as a cue to try something else but takeaways are both expensive and all about comfort and what if literally everything else on the menu is disgusting. I did stop going to a sandwich place near work the minute the guy called me "Mr. Tuna Melt" though. That's just not a soubriquet I'm happy to have applied to me. She call me Mr. Tuna Melt, tell me fantastic, touch me inna me back, she say me Mr. Rooooooooooomantic. Nah, it's not flattering.

Here's a thing, this local Chinese place I go to is called Mamma Mia. That famous Chinese expression they all say over there. It took me years to even try the place off the back of that. I've never struck up enough of a comfortable rapport to broach the question as to why that's what they went for. There needs to be a pizzeria in the Penge area called Golden Dragon to even begin to make this understandable.

mothman

It was fairly mortifying when, in the days before they all had computerised systems which recognised phone numbers, Holloway Indian Takeaway could guess our address just from what me and my flatmate ordered every time...

Sebastian Cobb

I got a christmas card posted to me from the Ghurka Kitchen one year.

mothman


Sebastian Cobb

I love it when you go for your first post-new year Chinese and they give you a free woven-paper calendar.

Quote from: non capisco on November 20, 2021, 10:18:14 PMSzechuan

Ooh, yeah. It's not the same from everywhere but we've got two places nearby that do good szechuan sauce.
"cramlington chinese" and "fortune garden", both in high pit.

There used to be a place called "new horizon" that did a really good "sweet and spicy sticky bbq sauce" That was absolute nectar, but they got taken over by different people who can't cook. It was just bland brown water the last time we got that so we don't go there now.

You always get good chips from a chinese, I think. Better than a chippy, for my money.

Indians don't know nothing about no chips, it has to be said. Ever ytime I've had them from an indians, they've been big half cooked roast tetties.

mothman

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on November 20, 2021, 10:35:42 PMI love it when you go for your first post-new year Chinese and they give you a free woven-paper calendar.
... which gets shoved in a drawer and forgotten - until you get the next one and go to shove it in the drawer...

jobotic

Egg fried rice, plain chow mein, mixed vegetables and hopefully bean curd of some sort. Which I then drown in soy sauce.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: mothman on November 20, 2021, 08:59:22 PMI love General Tso's chicken but it just doesn't exist in this country.

I only had it once when me and Mrs Nose were on honeymoon in San Francisco (like you say, it's never a menu item over here), but to me it tasted pretty much exactly like deep fried chicken in kung po/Szechuan sauce (because, like butter sauce and makhani sauce with curry, the two are indistinguishable in most places).  The only real difference being that General Tso's is usually thigh meat or something, whereas the UK kung po/Szechuan is the usual breast/reconstituted breast meat.


I'm big on always trying new things with almost all places (aside from the hot-hot dishes, I've worked through most of the entire menu at our local curry house in the 16 years we've been living here), but I would say the ones I go back to more than once are king prawn chow mein, crispy chilli beef with fried rice and king prawn curry with chips.  Always gotta be chips with a Chinese curry.  Always tend to get the same starters and sides as well - mini spring rolls, ribs, prawn toast, crispy seaweed and, of course, prawn crackers.

Also, why is the beef in most Chinese takeaways that thin rubbery stuff?  I've only had "proper" beef from one Chinese takeaway in all my life.  Most restaurants seem to do normal beef, so why not the takeaways?

flotemysost

Quote from: mothman on November 20, 2021, 10:29:47 PMIt was fairly mortifying when, in the days before they all had computerised systems which recognised phone numbers, Holloway Indian Takeaway could guess our address just from what me and my flatmate ordered every time...

One of the houses I lived in as a student had a pretty decent Chinese takeaway on the same street, only a couple of doors down. One of their deals was a free bottle of wine with orders over a certain amount, but only if you got it delivered. Which obviously my housemates and I went for every time, leading to much baffled echoing of the delivery address over the phone.

Quote from: ImmaculateClump on November 20, 2021, 10:36:18 PMIndians don't know nothing about no chips, it has to be said. Ever ytime I've had them from an indians, they've been big half cooked roast tetties.

I got into Chaiiwala's masala chips in quite a big way over the winter lockdown, but they're laminated in sauce and spring onions so it's hard to tell how decent the actual tuber element is.

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on November 20, 2021, 10:45:28 PMI'm big on always trying new things with almost all places

It's a rare treat for me, and I don't want that risk of spoiling it. I always play it safe and get the thing I know I like. I would like to be adventurous.

mothman

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on November 20, 2021, 10:45:28 PMI only had it once when me and Mrs Nose were on honeymoon in San Francisco (like you say, it's never a menu item over here), but to me it tasted pretty much exactly like deep fried chicken in kung po/Szechuan sauce (because, like butter sauce and makhani sauce with curry, the two are indistinguishable in most places).  The only real difference being that General Tso's is usually thigh meat or something, whereas the UK kung po/Szechuan is the usual breast/reconstituted breast meat.


I'm big on always trying new things with almost all places (aside from the hot-hot dishes, I've worked through most of the entire menu at our local curry house in the 16 years we've been living here), but I would say the ones I go back to more than once are king prawn chow mein, crispy chilli beef with fried rice and king prawn curry with chips.  Always gotta be chips with a Chinese curry.  Always tend to get the same starters and sides as well - mini spring rolls, ribs, prawn toast, crispy seaweed and, of course, prawn crackers.

Also, why is the beef in most Chinese takeaways that thin rubbery stuff?  I've only had "proper" beef from one Chinese takeaway in all my life.  Most restaurants seem to do normal beef, so why not the takeaways?
I do like crispy chilli beef but often think it needs some sort of sauce as with rice it feels a bit dry. But at our local places the basic sweet&sour and Kung Po sauces are indistinguishable, and I'm not a fan.

One thing I like doing is having the crispy garlic salt chicken and fried rice - with either an extra Malaysian satay sauce smothering it, or some hoisin. Not sure either would work with crispy chilli beef though.

Cold Meat Platter

How often do you think the 'European Dishes' get ordered? How many people are there that order a takeaway chicken maryland? Our local Chinese has liver and onions with chips and peas.

mothman

We have an autistic child with a limited palate, the chicken nuggets & chips are a regular fixture. And our eldest went through a phase of loving - being absolutely obsessed with, in fact - the cheeseburger our local Chinese did...

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Cold Meat Platter on November 20, 2021, 10:52:30 PMHow often do you think the 'European Dishes' get ordered? How many people are there that order a takeaway chicken maryland? Our local Chinese has liver and onions with chips and peas.

My in-laws all like Chinese and curry... except mother-in-law.  So whenever they have a Chinese or Indian, she always has either chicken and chips or scampi and chips.  And they're fine.  As good as any bog-standard half decent chippy.

Quote from: Cold Meat Platter on November 20, 2021, 10:52:30 PMHow often do you think the 'European Dishes' get ordered?

Haha, yeah, there's a place near me that does "plain omelette - £5.50". On yer bike!
I'd sooner chuck a couple of eggs in a pan myself.

I suppose it's for the odd picky person isn't it? Your racist uncle or the person who's not really feeling a chinese, doesn't like nowt spicy, but wants in on the takeaway action.

I do wonder how much of that stuff they shift.

Cold Meat Platter

Quote from: mothman on November 20, 2021, 10:55:18 PMWe have an autistic child with a limited palate, the chicken nuggets & chips are a regular fixture. And our eldest went through a phase of loving - being absolutely obsessed with, in fact - the cheeseburger our local Chinese did...

That's me clamped.
Sorry for being ignorant.

Chicken maryland though, what even is that?

mothman

Quote from: Cold Meat Platter on November 20, 2021, 10:59:18 PMThat's me clamped.
Sorry to be ignorant.
Nonono, not at all, it was a valid query and something I often wonder myself - despite the experiences I cite!
QuoteChicken maryland though, what even is that?
No idea. Chicken coated in chocolate chip cookies?

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Cold Meat Platter on November 20, 2021, 10:59:18 PMChicken maryland though, what even is that?

Must admit it's not something I've ever seen on any "forrun muck" takeaway menu, but it's an American dish which is basically deep fried breadcrumbed chicken with a cream sauce (occasionally a smoked sauce made with toms and paprika).  It's quite nice, but something you'd see more in yer Beefeaters and Harvesters.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on November 20, 2021, 10:56:41 PMMy in-laws all like Chinese and curry... except mother-in-law.  So whenever they have a Chinese or Indian, she always has either chicken and chips or scampi and chips.  And they're fine.  As good as any bog-standard half decent chippy.

Yeah my grandad was similar (my nan's mum had lived in goa and could make lime pickle that could eat the paper label on the jar through the glass), so every so often he'd have to sulkily eat an omelette in the curry house.

Cold Meat Platter

From wiki:

"In some Chinese restaurants in the United Kingdom (particularly in Scotland) Chicken Maryland can be found under the "European" or "British" section of the menu. It consists of a breaded, deep fried chicken breast served with a slice of bacon, a banana or pineapple fritter (or both) and chips."

it seems like a holdover from the age of prawn cocktail

Sebastian Cobb

my parents local Indian takeaway does a Persian chicken biryani and they throw a butterflied banana in with it, goes really well with the biryani gravy.

Cold Meat Platter

That'll annoy those people who go berserk about putting fruit in savoury dishes, as if it's some kind of crime against nature.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Cold Meat Platter on November 20, 2021, 11:18:02 PMFrom wiki:

"In some Chinese restaurants in the United Kingdom (particularly in Scotland) Chicken Maryland can be found under the "European" or "British" section of the menu. It consists of a breaded, deep fried chicken breast served with a slice of bacon, a banana or pineapple fritter (or both) and chips."

it seems like a holdover from the age of prawn cocktail

Soooooo.....not chicken Maryland then?

They're blatantly just making it up as they go along aren't they.  It's tikka massala for the European Dishes orderers.

"What, they don't want the omelette cos it's on the main menu as well?  Christ.....well what have we got left in the fridge?.....okay, take that chicken leg, deep fry it and then shove a couple of fritters on top.  Call it something safe, okay?" (assistant chef sees packet of aforementioned choc chip cookies on shelf)

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Cold Meat Platter on November 20, 2021, 11:21:49 PMThat'll annoy those people who go berserk about putting fruit in savoury dishes, as if it's some kind of crime against nature.

come to think of it in the winter months you find the odd sprout kicking around in amongst the veg

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Cold Meat Platter on November 20, 2021, 11:21:49 PMThat'll annoy those people who go berserk about putting fruit in savoury dishes, as if it's some kind of crime against nature.

I will admit that seeing the words "raisins" or "sultanas" in the description for a korma or biriyani means that I will never order a korma or biriyani from that establishment.


(I also don't mind admitting that I'm VERY partial to a korma every now and again)

mothman

I made a very nice korma tonight, actually. No fruit featured.

Sebastian Cobb