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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To wonder if bog-standard British Chinese takeways have secret menus?

173 replies

SherleenDionne · 24/03/2021 20:22

I've heard that a lot of Chinese restaurants have 'secret', more authentic menus that you can order from. Is this maybe just an American thing or does your bog-standard British Chinese takeaway have this too?

OP posts:
toffeebutterpopcorn · 24/03/2021 20:25

I worked with a Chinese woman and we used to go to a restaurant in Chinatown - get to use a ‘special room’ and have a menu that was all in Chinese... there was definitely food on the menu that wasn’t on the standard English one! It was ages ago but I remember it was a real treat to go with her.

ShirleyPhallus · 24/03/2021 20:26

I can’t believe this. What’s more authentic than sweet n sour chicken!

toffeebutterpopcorn · 24/03/2021 20:29

What’s the ‘made up’ recipe with noodles and veggies? My sister was in China and says she chased someone down the road when she saw them with a KFC bag to ask them where they got it from. Apparently chicken feet are not very pleasant...

ComtesseDeSpair · 24/03/2021 20:30

You can definitely phone a takeaway and ask them (or just ask in a restaurant) if they’re able to make X dish from X region. I have Chinese friends who do it quite often - usually when they want something more authentically spiced and less sweet than Is generally made for the UK palate. However, most Chinese chefs in the UK are of Cantonese origin, so they can’t necessarily make very authentic Szechuan dishes, for example.

Bunnybigears · 24/03/2021 20:30

There was a Chinese restaurant we used to go to that had a menu in Chinese and one in English and I'm pretty sure there were extra things on the Chinese one than on the English one because all the Chinese students only went to that restaurant.

YesILikeItToo · 24/03/2021 20:30

I noticed a new place near us with a very in standard menu, and I wondered about the market for this, it made me think they might all do it under the radar. There was a Chinese buffet with an upstairs room doing hotpot - in no way was that promoted to regular customers. The things to put in the hotpot were edgy. There are clearly seekers of authentic foods out there.

GrumpyHoonMain · 24/03/2021 20:32

@SherleenDionne

I've heard that a lot of Chinese restaurants have 'secret', more authentic menus that you can order from. Is this maybe just an American thing or does your bog-standard British Chinese takeaway have this too?
Indian restaurants have too. Generally speaking if you go to an Indian restaurant that has lots of people of desi origin in it, they either get given tastier items on the side (eg deep fried chillis) or order things off-menu. The non-desi customers don’t get that option.
eatsleepread · 24/03/2021 20:32

I've heard the same about Indian restaurants. One I know of had a secret 'staff' curry!

LegendDairy · 24/03/2021 20:33

Yes, the wife of one of dh's friends was Chinese and would call up a local takeaway to order for us all.

ArosGartref · 24/03/2021 20:33

My local Chinese sells poppadoms so I don't think they're interested in authenticity.

idontlikealdi · 24/03/2021 20:34

Our local Indian restaurant definitely does not sure about the Chinese I've never tried.

ComtesseDeSpair · 24/03/2021 20:39

@ArosGartref

My local Chinese sells poppadoms so I don't think they're interested in authenticity.
GrinGrin Genuine little LOL.
Elouera · 24/03/2021 20:42

A more authentic style Chinese near us had seperate menus and different options if you spoke and could read Mandarin or Cantonese etc.

On the reverse whilst in Spain, I was given the English menu. I asked for the Spanish one, even though my Spanish is fairly basic. It had better deals and options not on the English menu! The waiter seemed a bit miffed when I ordered from the Spanish one instead.

Silvergreen · 24/03/2021 20:44

Are you in a city? You can just order from a Chinese restaurant that markets itself as authentic.

funtimefrank · 24/03/2021 20:51

A family member is Chinese and when I was a poor uni student, one of our biggest treats was she would take my brother and I to her favourite local restaurant where there were separate and different menus in Cantonese.

PineappleCakes · 24/03/2021 21:07

I like chickens feet in black bean sauce (common dim sum dish).

A hotpot is a stock in which you cook various vegs, fish balls (like a meat ball but most often made with white fish instead of the usual mince), sliced meat (thinly slice beef for example) and fish, shellfish, tofu, noodles. Anything you like really. The stock can be flavored and made spicy too.

It's a very communal, shared experience. Perfect for get togethers with family or friends.

My favourite version is a Korean version, where you have stock in the middle with a griddle around the pot to barbecue veg and meats. Super tasty experience.

The restaurants in Chinatown London will often have Chinese menus that include additional items, not sure why those aren't offered to non-Chinese readers. But if you're vaguely familiar with "authentic" Chinese food, I expect you could describe and ask for it specifically.

Takeaways in the UK were generally started by Cantonese Chinese, mainly from HK. But over the decades as 2nd generation children have not followed their parents into the catering trade (often encouraged into more stable white collar professions), a lot of takeaways have been taken over by the next generation of Chinese immigrants who have been from mainland China - so nowadays there's a lot more food from different regions on offer. In Chinatown there has been a noticeable shift from Cantonese to Mandarin, from the restaurant & shop staff as well as the customers.

Heyha · 24/03/2021 21:14

I'd struggle if there was even more choice at the Chinese restaurant 😋

I've had the language thing though- had a lovely lunch in Malaga having practiced my best Spanish, went back a couple of days later and orders the same but in English and got a very mediocre version of the same thing- tourist presentation of tapas dishes. Might have been a different chef on duty but it was a lesson learned the hard way!

dropthedeadhorse · 24/03/2021 21:21

I have a Chinese friend (I’m white British) and when we go to Chinese restaurants together it very much confuses our waiter as they don’t know which menu to give us. They often ask him in Chinese what they should do.

JaninaDuszejko · 24/03/2021 21:23

I had a HK Cantonese boss and when he took us out for dinner he always ordered off menu for us all and the food was fantastic. He was a big foodie and so knew the best restaurants in the first place. Never had such good food in a Chinese restaurant since.

FishWithoutABike · 24/03/2021 21:25

I have heard this is true from several

FishWithoutABike · 24/03/2021 21:25

Chinese friends (sorry posted too soon)

SarahAndQuack · 24/03/2021 21:35

@Silvergreen

Are you in a city? You can just order from a Chinese restaurant that markets itself as authentic.
Bless your little heart.
DressyGerbera · 24/03/2021 21:41

Yes definitely! The more authentic dishes tend to be a lot less sweet and more regional rather than the typical sweet and sour chicken and black bean beef type dishes. Just ask and they should be able to provide some suggestions.

minniemoocher · 24/03/2021 21:44

Many will cook to order, our local Indian restaurant does too

1Morewineplease · 24/03/2021 21:49

Yes.. a popular local Chinese restaurant always served different dishes to the local Chinese community than they'd put on their menu.
I don't know why but I'm assuming that the majority of their patrons only wanted western styled Chinese dishes.
Such a shame.