Friday night devouring Chinese food...

Chinese food, lots and lots of delicious Chinese food, do I have your attention people? I thought so. For a long time I have just loved Chinese food and when I first moved to Liverpool over eight years ago, I used to love going to a restaurant  called May Sum for a tasty Chinese buffet. Back in the days when I was studying for my Masters in Advanced Language Studies, and struggling to pay colossal course fees, the Chinese buffet was kind to both wallet and appetite. Sadly what was once May Sum is now a Sainsbury’s but my taste for Chinese food is as insatiable as ever. When I visit my family in Derbyshire, we go to the best local Chinese take away in Glossop (shout out Lee’s Garden!) for our Saturday night feast. Chinese food is evocative of great memories and a feeling of comfort and security for me personally, and for these reasons it is a cuisine I love to eat again and again.
On Friday night we had no exact plans, which was lovely as it is nice just to be spontaneous once in a while. I often stroll past Tai Pan Restaurant on Hanover Street in Liverpool and have thought for a while how inviting it looks, so after a quick debate over whether to head to Byron Burger, Côte Bistro or Tai Pan we decided to head for the latter. We were all very hungry so we were delighted to see the two enormous counters of food as we were led to a cosy table by the window. The mouth-watering aroma of Chinese food filled the air and chefs were busy cooking up steamed Dim Sum behind one of the counters. 

One of the best things about a Chinese buffet is there is no waiting involved, so after our drinks were ordered we went straight for the food. Wow is the only word applicable, as there was every well loved dish available both from Chinese and other cuisines such as Sweet & Sour Chicken, Chinese curry sauce dishes, noodles, king prawn Szechuan, Thai style prawn crackers, Singapore vermicelli and salt & pepper chicken wings.

There was also a very impressive array of more gourmet dishes on offer. These included King Prawn in thousand island sauce, deep fried crab claw, mussels cooked in the shell, honey steamed pork buns and teriyaki chicken fillet. Many of these are cooked right in front of you, which is always a good sign. I sipped my glass of excellent, dry house white wine whilst tucking into a plate heaped with prawn toast, spring rolls, noodles, sweet and sour chicken and prawn crackers. My dining companions meanwhile enjoyed filet of beef, salt and pepper chicken wings, spare ribs and honey pork buns. Everything was delicious and we were soon going back for more. 

The thousand island king prawns were some of the most succulent prawns I have ever tasted, with crispy batter which gave way to juicy giant prawns. The sushi counter was hugely attractive and the sheer range on offer was amazing with traditional California rolls next to an array of other options such as chicken Katsu roll and vegetable rolls. The sushi chef was very friendly and knowledgeable and he talked me through all the different options. 

We tucked into a final round of platefuls (I know three plates each, don’t judge me!) including sushi, fluffy boiled rice and vegetable curry. Another round of drinks was ordered and a few groans issued forth as to why we had eaten so much, before we decided that we just had to sample the dessert selection too! The choice was incredible, with fruit jelly, fresh fruit, mini doughnuts and assorted cakes on offer alongside a large selection of ice creams. I tried a mini strawberry cake, strawberry ice cream (do you get the impression I like strawberries?!) and a coconut and mango jelly. We also tried the mini doughnuts which were out of this world bites of sinfully sugary dough and some unusual desserts (which I am not sure of the name of) consisting of a sweet crispy pastry shell filled with cream and fruit. 

Oh my goodness, what a delicious meal it was and we all had such a good time. The selection of food on offer was simply astounding, and it was exceptionally good value as the bill only came to around £40 per couple for the full meal and two rounds of drinks. This is a place which offers delicious food (as much of it as you can eat!) great service and pleasant surroundings and we will definitely be back again soon.

So that is all from me for now, please tell me if you like Chinese food and if so what is your favourite dish? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this and thank you so much for reading this post!

Until next time,

Camille

xo