Dalian food at Xi home dumplings bay with haggis dumplings, Dan Dan noodles and Menzi

Xi home dumplings obviously specialize in dumplings with seafood from Dalian like abalone, sea cucumber etc but the signature dumplings are quite expensive like £27 per portion and it doesn't say how many!!

I have already had my fare share of these sort of dumplings at similar restaurants.

Anyway, finally paid a visit because of the Haggis dumplings and discovered other dishes which I tried as at both branches.

My first impression of the new branch was a bit disorganized as there were so menus for the haggis dumplings so it was hard to order them.

It was late January yet they still had the Christmas menu on the table as well as the window.

After waiting for a while, I managed to find the physical haggis menu as there was a pile of them near the counter.

The haggis dumplings were a little different from what I imagined because it turns out that they use chopped offal like lungs and liver and not actual haggis.

The taste was ok but a bit gamey.

The dan dan noodles were seriously good because it is not the usual peanut broth.

It has fine noodles tossed in sauce made with chilli oil, Sichuan pepper, sesame paste and garlic topped with minced meat and pickled greens.
What I love about it is the super thin noodles which hang the sauce well and the finely chopped pickled green.
Overall you get this lovely complex taste with the Sichuan spices and aromatic sesame paste but the only thing I did not like was the sweetness.

Spotted Dalian menzi on the menu so had to give it a try as it is something I never came across or heard of.

Very tasty but expensive but considering I didn't have to fly over they were worth the experience.

They are crispy with a soft texture like steamed Chinese starch based savoury puddings.

Again, very tasty in this rich garlic, sesame sauce.

As well as the vegetarian option, you can also choose the seafood style but I felt that trying the vegetarian option is recommended as this is how they serve them as street snacks in Dalian.

Unlimited and bottomless Beijing food at Big Bowl Noodle bar

At the Big Bowl Noodle bar, expect bottomless food for £12.80!
Similar to those Chinese style rice and dish meals but this was bottomless.
It was a good way of trying out different Beijing dishes like braised beef, Zha Jiang, egg and tomato etc.
I would definitely get the noodles which go well with most toppings especially the salty Zha Jiang bean sauce.
The tomato egg was nice as it was not too sweet.
The fun part is the buffet style where you get the toppings yourself.
Best to get there early before the crowd as I went later in the day when there was barely much left and I wasn't sure whether to wait for a refill or not.
There is also a condiments bar with chilli, vinegar, spring onions etc.
Takeaway is even cheaper at £9.80.

Currently, there is too much pork options but then they consume a lot of pork in the Chinese cuisine!

Vegan Thai food at Plants of Roselyn

Pretty and healthy but not my cup of tea because its too grassy and cruncy hence the late post.
I liked the way they have made the rice noodles blue with butterfly pea flower contrasted by the watermelon radish.
Beetroot soup noodles just reminded me of polish ones but I just don't like flat rice noodles in soup as they are tasteless .
Sweet potato toasts were oily and sweet.

Beef Cheek Stew at Turtle Bay Croydon

I have always wanted to try Turtle bay but because its everywhere there is always that one day.

Previously walked past it but the menu wasn't that captivating as this visit which was also a factor.
The latest menu had rum ribs and wings as well as jerk beef ribs.
Tried the beef cheek stew which was surprisingly good for a chain in the sense that it was soft and gelatinous which is how beef cheek is meant to be.
By default it comes with mash but I had rice and peas because I wanted that Jamaican kick.
The portion was way too small for that price tag so I didn't feel quite full but at least it was yummy.
There was no service charge which is good.

Dim Sum and Business Lunch at the Chinese Cricket Club, Hyatt Regency Blackfriars (5 Star Hotel)

I'm not the biggest fan of Chinese but the food here is decent as well as the nice quiet environment.
To start, the lunches were a good value apart from the one rib which had white cartilage unlike their official photos.
I'm quite particular with ribs, they have to look like good ribs ie just the bone part and not the white stuff or joints.
Prawns with black beans were a bit too salty and garlicky.
The sweet and sour was really nice with the finely diced pineapple.
Anyway, the dim sum is spot on and better than most in Hong Kong ie non oily or heavy while looking neat, especially the steamers which look new.

Some garnishing was missing from the pink prawn dumplings as shown on their official pictures.
Overall, top tier for Chinese but not something I would crave for because I just don't have an Asian tummy.

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