Ding Xiu Suan

New Cantonese restaurant in Deira’s Al Khaleej Palace 1 Reviews

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One of the things that characterises a really good Chinese restaurant is an adventurous menu. If several items give the average western diner cause to think, the chances are you’ve stumbled across something genuinely authentic. But the very best Chinese restaurants are the ones that challenge the palate rather than affront it. Anywhere can serve up sea cucumber and preserved eggs, but to do so in an appetising manner is an altogether different task. Ding Xiu Xuan, the new Cantonese restaurant in Deira’s Al Khaleej Palace, was off to a good start with its menu, which dared the diner to broaden his horizons. The fact that several tables were filled up with Chinese clientele also hinted that this was somewhere not only authentic, but very good as well.

I decided to test the restaurant’s mettle by taking out a couple who had spent time in China. They were the type of friends who made for dangerous company: turn your back for a split second and your table would be filled with tripe, chicken feet and fermented tofu.

Our impressions of the restaurant were strong from the start. The place was brightly lit, filled with scarlet hues and rice-paper lanterns. At the entrance, underneath some Chinese characters and the venue’s name, was the statement ‘Top Excellent Chinese Restaurant’. There was something endearing about the words’ enthusiasm, which seemed to rub off on the staff as well. After we were seated, they proved so attentive to our needs that at times their friendliness was a tad oppressive. When one companion pondered aloud as to how to eat the Peking duck (it was presented atypically, with duck skins on one plate, shards of duck and peppers on another), our waitress wrapped a serving to demonstrate, then continued to roll four more. For those 10 minutes, conversation halted.

The duck was something I ordered to balance my companions’ cold jellyfish starter. Peking duck is a dish that only surprises if it’s bad. If it’s good, it’s hot, crispy, juicy and abundant. Happily, this dish didn’t surprise, but it satisfied deeply. The jellyfish stunned, partly for being wonderful. If I were asked to guess what it was by sight or taste, I might have said ‘seaweed’, or ‘al dente rice noodles’. The crimped, translucent tentacles had a springy texture. They came out lightly dressed in white vinegar and sesame seeds, and made for a cool, refreshing starter.

I also countered my friends’ order of celery, mushrooms and black fungus (a nice side, but nothing show stopping) with sweet and sour prawns. The prawns disappointed slightly. They were served tepid and, though battered, were more doughy than crisp. On the upside, the sauce was nicely balanced, neither too saccharine nor overly tart. A favourite at the table was an order of spicy beef, made of juicy, chilli-laden strips of meat, peppers and some mean chunks of garlic and ginger. It was a dish that packed serious heat. If I had been a cartoon character, steam would have been coming out of my ears, yet I couldn’t stop myself from eating it.

Desserts were even less familiar than mains. When we asked our waitress for recommendations, she steered us towards the shrimp dumplings from the vast dim-sum menu. Full up, we opted for the sweet bean soup, a thick, clotted liquid that resembled a sweet split pea with a few walnut-sized, rice-flour dumplings floating in the mix. We also ordered twice-boiled pear with white fungus, a sweet, naturally syrupy concoction that, despite the floating bits of crinkled fungus, reminded us of a soothing Christmas cider. The dishes were welcomingly unique, and we ended up demolishing both.

So what to make of Ding Xiu Xuan? Is it ‘top excellent’? I think it might be. It’s certainly the type of place that threatens to deliver the average diner out of their comfort zone, but that’s no bad thing. It’s a relief to escape the city’s westernised noodle houses for somewhere that delivers Chinese food as it’s meant to be.

The bill (for three)
3x Tea Dhs66
1x Large water Dhs10
1x Sweet and sour prawns Dhs48
1x Chilli beef Dhs48
1x Celery with mushrooms Dhs38
1x Jellyfish Dhs38
1x Peking duck Dhs88
1x Boiled pear Dhs18
1x Bean soup Dhs18
Total (including service) Dhs372

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