Visited 22.09.09
China Tang in the Dorchester.

The lead up to China Tang, through the Dorchester is an impressive runway of plump Regency sofas, expensive looking tables and lots of rich folks all enjoying tea and cake, or ordinary folk out for a special day.. and more of that later.

As we're headed for China Tang which is at the end of all the Louis XIV opulence – we leave 18th century aristocratic decor behind and are ushered into the dark underbelly of the hotel where China Tang is located. The decor as you walk in feels special there's the dark wood walls the silk dressed chairs in the secret booths – however we were whisked past this particular slice of luxury and into the plush, but tired, main room with its heavy wood and carp motif. I got over the crystal and silver chopsticks pretty quick I have to say.

The wine cellar came first and clearly the Tang want us to enjoy some very, very, very fine wines – but rather than spend £2,700 on a bottle I found a not bad Barbera for £35 – there were not many cheaper. Recession anyone?? Clearly not. The vodka martini I had from the bar was also excellent, as was the beer I was reliably informed.

What then unfolded was the equivalent of a gastronomic nightmare without the relief that you can wake up. The good bit was the shared starter which was a main dish we shared – Dry Chili Squid, which was fine and wholly absolutely unremarkable & I can get the same standard for approximately 1/5 of the price on my high street. The true horror started when a main dish of sauteed chicken with cashew nuts turned up – not only was the dish's predominant colour grey and looked like something Ronnie Barker would have enjoyed at Her Majesty's pleasure – but even by the subdued lighting I could tell that the chicken was not cooked. Slicing into one particular piece told me all I needed to know & I called the waitress over to inform her of the unsatisfactory dish what then followed beggared belief. Ignoring the fact the the dish was grey… More