Rik L.

Review of Crispy Duck

13 Jul 07, 10:46

Fairly standard for Chinatown

I'm not usually the type of person who goes into any restaurant where they have bits of dead animal in the window. Be it kebab shops or chinese restaurants, I tend to avoid the ones with rows of duck, chicken and squid in their windows which has probably been there for days.

I did get half-dragged into the Crispy Duck, moaning that they had crispy ducks (with heads still on) and squids on skewers in the window. When I got the tattered menu with pages falling out, I was slightly regretting coming in. Luckily though, they did have a good selection of things that I liked alongside the stranger items such as squid and frogs legs.

When the food did arrive, it was rather good, nothing particularly special considering the amount of other Chinese restaurants in the area. I had the chicken in satay sauce, not too spicy and nicely cooked. The rice was reminiscent of high school rice, a bit clumpy and dry, but once you got some sauce on it, it wasn't too bad.

The price was pretty cheap, I only paid 12 pound for a starter, main and a beer, so it's quite reasonable. The staff are all pretty helpful, but the restaurant is generally standard fare in a place where there is a lot of competition. I wouldn't recommend this place to people but I wouldn't dissuade anyone either.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of H K Diner

20 May 07, 09:57

Pretty much what I expected

My friend was visiting London with me when he was wondering why there was so many Chinese restaurants around. Jokingly he said "it's like we're in Chinatown or something". Which of course, we were.

HK Diner was one of many Chinese restaurants in Chinatown that we could have gone in but luckily HK Diner was pretty good. The staff were the Chinese equivalent of those snotty French waiters from TV sketch shows, looking at you like you had pink dreadlocks and no trousers on. Not a great start, I thought.

Anyway, the food was good, I had crispy pork and rice, which was a generous portion for the cheap price. Pretty much what I expected really, bit on the greasy side, but tasty nonetheless. I wouldn't recommend it at as a night out but I would recommend it as a quick stop-off meal on a night out.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Ping Pong Dim Sum

14 May 07, 22:33

Very disappointing

I went to Ping Pong based on a friend saying his friend said it was okay. Maybe I should have asked someone who'd actually visited... Don't get me wrong, the place looks good, the furniture is very posh and fancy-club-esque. However, the table we were sat on was a round one. Normally, rounded tables aren't much of a problem for me... except for when other people are sat on the same table. Struggling to eat with chopsticks when you have strangers directly facing you is definitely not the most comfortable experience. I'm sure the food and drink is high quality - it better had have been at the price - but tasted merely average and plain. On the plus side, the staff were friendly enough, and as I said, the place looked nice. But combine below average food and an uncomfortable experience and you get a very disappointing night out.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.