I was reading somewhere recently that one of the issues with some processed and junk food is the amounts of MSG in them - far more than in soy sauce. Apparently, at high levels, it can 'switch off' the body's ability to tell itself that it's sated.

I haven't had a Chinese takeaway or been inside a Chinese restaurant in years.

Whereas many "Indian" restaurants, for example, have upped their game in terms of quality, service and ambience, the Chinese ones seem to me to have (in general) stagnated, remaining generic, dull and price-led.

I blame these buffet places, one or two opened up and must have done well because very soon they all turned into them.

I went to one once and it wasn't pleasant, people hung about like vultures waiting for the fresh meat to be brought out, the food was the saltiest things I've ever tasted (and I've swallowed a bit of Dead Sea, and no, that isn't a euphemism) and gluttony was all around.

I woke up at three o'clock in the morning with a mouth like the Gobi Desert.

Someone told me about one recently that's £4.99 for as much as you can eat. What on earth can possibly be in that and what are they paying the poor buggers manning the woks for that?

The first of those self-service Chinese buffet places I ever visited was in the early nineties in Strutton Ground, Westminster.
It was still there and was packed to the rafters last time I passed, a couple of months ago.

I was amused to get a bill there which included a 10% service charge.
For use of the crockery and cutlery presumably.


Anyone been to Cleator Moor, Cumbria?
It's a tiny place consisting of not a great deal more than a couple of terraces of houses.
I drove through it about 20 years ago and was amazed to see it had a Chinese takeaway.
I wondered how they had decided to open up there, of all places.
I mused whether they had looked at a map of Britain with all the Chinese takeaways on it, seen the big gaps in distribution in Cumbria and thought "Aha, a gap in the market, it's Cleator Moor for us !!"

Longtown in Cumbria had an Indian takeaway staffed by two white lads who couldn't see over the counter. I've always regretted not trying it. I did get one from up the road in Gretna once though. Bloody awful it was, almost as bad as the crap they sell in Leeds.

vbfg wrote:Bloody awful it was, almost as bad as the crap they sell in Leeds. In Leeds you should be eating Persian

vbfg wrote:Bloody awful it was, almost as bad as the crap they sell in Leeds. In Leeds you should be eating Persian

mmmmm..... cheap jar olives and anchor butter pats on the plate. Nice.

I'd agree with that - went to Max's original restaurant (behind the Kirkstall Rd fire station) the other week and have to say I was disappointed with it, the food was good but not outstanding but the decor was much the same as it was ten years ago and the whole experience no more than eating a good takeaway on the pavement outside after a pub session on a Friday night - apart from the cost that is, £20 for what was a sweet & sour chicken and some spring rolls for starters is a tad heavy on the wallet.

cod'ead wrote:In Leeds you should be eating Persian There's quite a few Persian joints opened up in Leeds recently, must try one of them soon.

cod'ead wrote:In Leeds you should be eating Persian There's quite a few Persian joints opened up in Leeds recently, must try one of them soon.

McLaren_Field wrote:There's quite a few Persian joints opened up in Leeds recently, must try one of them soon. Have a butcher's at episode two of Jamie's Great Britain. Not only does he partake of Persian in Leeds, he also visits a Leeds micro brewery, owned by an Indian family, with a 26 year old head brewer from Mombai

McLaren_Field wrote:There's quite a few Persian joints opened up in Leeds recently, must try one of them soon. Have a butcher's at episode two of Jamie's Great Britain. Not only does he partake of Persian in Leeds, he also visits a Leeds micro brewery, owned by an Indian family, with a 26 year old head brewer from Mombai