Chinese Kitchen

Budget Chinese food on Al Wasl Road Discuss this article

From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2009

Chinese Kitchen looks like a takeaway service with a restaurant soldered on as an afterthought.

Make your way carefully up the dimly lit stairs and you’ll find yourself in an equally murky room, bathed only in the unnerving sounds of the greatest hits of Simon & Garfunkel, as performed on traditional Chinese instruments.

So far, so scary. The menu boasts the usual fare – the chicken noodle soup starter performs a lot better than the musicians on the CD, who move on to make a hash of Karen Carpenter’s finest moments.

It’s a substantial bowl, and it’d probably make a decent main course for anyone wanting a simple meal. As a main, the hefty prawn chow mein comes with spoons (chopsticks would surely be a better option – 1.3billion Chinese people can’t be wrong) and on the stereo, five or six Chinese buskers get it very wrong as they tackle the Bee Gees.

The music wouldn’t be such a concern if it didn’t cast such an all-pervasive misery over diners, who tend to eat in silence. The only person who speaks – in hushed, possibly reverential tones – is the waiter. Perhaps it’s his CD.

• Previous reviews
  • 23 March,2008- reviewed by Jeremy Lawrence
  • 12 March,2007- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff

Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.