CHIPS vs FRIES

Ha! I speak purely of shitty chinee takeaways, I know there's better stuff around!

chinee takeaways

That be racist.daguerrotype

xp Ronan, I think Gourmet San delivers and it's one of the best Chinese restaurants in all London. IT IS EVEN ON BETHNAL GREEN ROAD. You may not have ventured there because it is Szechuan and hellaciously spicy, but you could have an amazing not-too-overspiced dinner from there by ordering half a dozen lamb skewers, rice and chilli green beans.

i actually am mad keen to check out gourmet san....just for whatev reason have never done so, i've never booked and it's always busy. i think i knew they delivered as my flatmate had a menu lying around, then i seem to have completely forgotten this.

is that one good?

the link wasn't a recommendation, let's put it that way. check out those houseplants in the window. the inside is the grimmest thing you've ever seen, like stepping into communist poland. there's one counter and five plastic chairs against the wall. two or three sullen people sit in them, clutching carrier bags. they may have been there for years. everything is indescribably dingy. a television can be heard faintly from the back. one of the fluourescent lights has gone out.

Yeah, Tracer, I can't imagine you frequenting that establishment.

The key to getting a table at Gourmet San via the walk-up method is to go at 7pm.

check out those houseplants in the window. the inside is the grimmest thing you've ever seen, like stepping into communist poland. there's one counter and five plastic chairs against the wall. two or three sullen people sit in them, clutching carrier bags. they may have been there for years. everything is indescribably dingy. a television can be heard faintly from the back. one of the fluourescent lights has gone out.

in every small-town Chinese takeaway ever thread coming up

must give that a go. i do have a soft spot for noodle king just a few doors up, not in any way going to challenge gourmet san for authenticity, but when i've been broke or jobless it is unbelievably cheap, 3.50 or so for a gigantic plate of rice or noodles.

x-post the chinese on globe road is the worst i've ever been to.

Noodle King is OK for what it is, but I made an ordering error there once by going off the noodles/rice grid for some seriously knuckly and flavourless 'hot and spicy' spare ribs.

'Houseplants' must be plastic to qualify for pride of place in such takeaways, which are not GANGSTA unless there is plexiglass between you and your server.

the singapore fried rice is the best thing in noodle king probably. the ribs do vary...they can be good but i know what you mean, gaping jaws of fat, shudder.

Speaking of authenticity and Chinese restaurants, even out here in the wilderness of Not London there are restaurants who put all the trad Anglo-Chinese takeaway fare at the front and then the main section of the menu trumpets its ~authenticity~

I have no idea how authentic these menus really are but there is usually some pretty interesting stuff in them

but if you order a chicken/duck dish from the "authentic" section, it's usually been diced with a cleaver while on the bone, leaving chunks and shards of bone in most of the slices, which are pretty hard to identify through the marinade and almost impossible to remove from the meat with chopsticks. So my question is, what is the proper way to eat these? Is there a nicer way than repeatedly picking bits of bone out of your mouth?

But back to fried potatoes, the best kind are called beach fries and you douse them in malt vinegar and they look like this http://blog.streaminggourmet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/P1000133.jpg.

they look great.

yeah they look similar to the ones i had at Coney island

but if you order a chicken/duck dish from the "authentic" section, it's usually been diced with a cleaver while on the bone, leaving chunks and shards of bone in most of the slices, which are pretty hard to identify through the marinade and almost impossible to remove from the meat with chopsticks. So my question is, what is the proper way to eat these? Is there a nicer way than repeatedly picking bits of bone out of your mouth?

― dimension hatris (a passing spacecadet), Monday, April 18, 2011 8:31 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark

put the whole chunk in your mouth and spit the bones out on the table as you go (honest to god)

Chinese takeaway chips are usually pretty excellent as well

cosign - my local Chinese takeaway does Salt&Pepper chips which are srsly good; seasoned to within an inch of their thick cut lives and covered in chopped red chilis.

Thanks dayo! Think I'll give the spitting a miss, but at least I know I'm not missing a trick.

those beach fries look mighty good, with a little cajun seasoning.