255 replies to this topic

[CalumC]

The Beijing dumplings are more addictive than crack  

yep, especially when dunked in the soy sauce thingy too.

I'll admit to being something of a dim sum 'n00b', but i just found them kind of sloppy and boring. Maybe i need to try harder.

Next time i think i'll be going for some sort of crispy beancurd. Any other recommendations?

[david goodfellow]

The Beijing dumplings are more addictive than crack  

yep, especially when dunked in the soy sauce thingy too.

I'll admit to being something of a dim sum 'n00b', but i just found them kind of sloppy and boring. Maybe i need to try harder.

Next time i think i'll be going for some sort of crispy beancurd. Any other recommendations?

Just noticed your from Leeds, however the manager from the Manchester branch mentioned deep fried beancurd as a recommend, however I can't seem to find it on the menu
I'm almost certain to go with his recommends on our next visit unless I weaken at the last minute and go back to the old favourites

[thom]

The Beijing dumplings are more addictive than crack  

yep, especially when dunked in the soy sauce thingy too.

Ths sauce is actually a dipping vinegar, sexed up with a few odds and sods. It can be a bit much for those expecting the umani of a soy based sauce or some sweet chilli concoction, but for me it works as well as malt vinegar on chips. Sharp, tangy and utterly delicious.

Dinner at Red Chilli last Wednesday. Hot poached lamb, French beans and minced pork, spring onion bread, rice and beers. I am nothing if not predictable. Worryingly this time I found the lamb broth lacking heat and depth - compared to the norm it was almost watery.

I don't want to be over-dramatic but if this happens again I might kill myself and all those close to me.

*twitch*

Who say's I need to cut down at Red Chilli?

Permit me a smidge of review balance here (see previous postings):

Lunch at le Manoir at the weekend: Very, very good - better than the "Brand Blanc" theme park I was expecting - a delightful garden veg rissotto and a spectacular (sous vide?) piece of steak.

Lunch at The Wolesley yesterday: Excellent service - the place just feels right - and a very passable steak frites. Although some find the menu limited I could of eaten most of it. I should go here more regularly.

Anyway, enough of all that, I might go to Red Chill for a pre-football lunch this Sunday.

*twitch*

Cheers

Thom

Edited by thom, 08 May 2009 - 07:21 AM.

[YKL]

for me, the whole point of the dumplings is that they're homely and comforting and yes, dangerously addictive.

and would be good news indeed if they were to open a branch in Brum - it could really do with a standout Sichuan place.

[david goodfellow]

The Beijing dumplings are more addictive than crack  

yep, especially when dunked in the soy sauce thingy too.

Ths sauce is actually a dipping vinegar, sexed up with a few odds and sods. It can be a bit much for those expecting the umani of a soy based sauce or some sweet chilli concoction, but for me it works as well as malt vinegar on chips. Sharp, tangy and utterly delicious.

Dinner at Red Chilli last Wednesday. Hot poached lamb, French beans and minced pork, spring onion bread, rice and beers. I am nothing if not predictable. Worryingly this time I found the lamb broth lacking heat and depth - compared to the norm it was almost watery.

I don't want to be over-dramatic but if this happens again I might kill myself and all those close to me.

*twitch*

Who say's I need to cut down at Red Chilli?

Permit me a smidge of review balance here (see previous postings):

Lunch at le Manoir at the weekend: Very, very good - better than the "Brand Blanc" theme park I was expecting - a delightful garden veg rissotto and a spectacular (sous vide?) piece of steak.

Lunch at The Wolesley yesterday: Excellent service - the place just feels right - and a very passable steak frites. Although some find the menu limited I could of eaten most of it. I should go here more regularly.

Anyway, enough of all that, I might go to Red Chill for a pre-football lunch this Sunday.

*twitch*

Cheers

Thom

Old Xie will be back off holiday soon, so things will be back to normal chilli wise
The relief chef is more european biased, instead of the hardcore that you are used to

[david goodfellow]

for me, the whole point of the dumplings is that they're homely and comforting and yes, dangerously addictive.

and would be good news indeed if they were to open a branch in Brum - it could really do with a standout Sichuan place.

Fingers crossed for Brum although they seem to be fighting an uphill battle, from a few fronts, which I can not go into.

This would be another feather in the cap for Birmingham, with their three Michelin stars already in place.

[david goodfellow]

We just polished off the doggie bag from our last visit and surprisingly enough there was enough food left over for todays lunch.
Just proves the superb value that it offers.

In the Lamb dish I made a note of the lack of the tiny birds eye chillis,( there were only half a dozen left in the dish,) and ploughed in like a fool, only to end up with burnt mouth, sweaty top lip, and tears in the eyes, if this is pleasure, I must be a masochist!
I'm sure that the relief chef uses a lot more dried chillis than the smaller bullets thereby kidding me into thinking its milder, its not.

I have changed my mind on the heat from this dish, its still hot as hell, and glad to report it was not watery

The pork and beans leftovers still had fantastic flavour although the beans had lost a bit of crunch.

Its nice to have a pleasurable reminder of our last visit and surprisingly the food has not suffered much by not being straight from the wok,

[codheadred]

Following all the good press in this forum I chose this place as avenue for 5 of us for a works feed..

We weren't disappointed the starters were great - salt and pepper squid being the stand out for me amongst half a duck, dumplings, salt and pepper ribs (I didnt get much of the duck tho as it was firmly on the other side of the table)

We ordered spring onion bread, the poached lamb, belly pork,spicy beef and chilli chicken, and roast lamb some rice and noodles.I got to try a bit of each (thanks to the size of the starter portions) The poached lamb is excellent and I would go again for that alone - liked the "those are chillis" warning it came with - and the remark sparked a whats hottest? tasteathon which it won after much discussion.

Really enjoyed the belly pork and the chicken also - belly pork getting the vote from most around the table as well as the bread- left with 2 doggy bags despite some healthy eaters being at the table. Definitely going again.

Got to have a pint of tetleys in the Circus as well so all in all a good night

Edited by codheadred, 10 May 2009 - 07:59 AM.

[Gary Marshall]

little visit last night to york branch, no great suprises in the order - beijing dumplings to start, 10 of the lovely fellas so we split equally, six for me, four for mrs m.

pork and beans obviously and a crispy fillet beef with chilli, a dish we had once before and enjoyed, it may be verging on more trad chinese rather than the off-piste that red chilli does but very enjoyable nontheless, both crispy and chewy and battered, what's not to like? i think i actually preferred them to the pork but this time the pork wasn't quite the brown reduced nuggets that they often are, but still very good. just some egg fried to go with, plus 3 pints of lager bill £33.....

[Amy D.]

Went to the Manchester branch yesterday - enjoyed the salt & pepper bean curd which had lots of garlicky goodness although the fried soft Chinese mushrooms were bland in comparison but still quite tasty. I had the stir fried eel slices with chilli which involved a mound of crispy nuggets of eel in a rather sweet sauce which was lacking in the advertised chilli, it was quite nice but reminded me too much of take-away crispy beef which gets a bit sickly. The OH had the spicy hot poached bean curd, a huge portion of fried bean curd and lettuce swimming in a savoury chilli sauce- obviously the veggie option for the lamb dish though the broth was a different beast to that I encountered at Leeds, although really spicy it was not impossibly so (we definitely didn’t have those little chillies at Leeds) like this it’s really addictive stuff. I wonder if it’s toned down for the non-meat eaters, that’s one theory to test next time.

[Gary Marshall]

an ostensibly quick lunch today that seemed to take an age to serve, but the really bad news is the lamb hot pot was really neutered, barely hot, hardly any of the mini chillis in (i forget the name), enjoyable in a savory way but certainly not as hot as before, they warned us it was hot before but it just wasn't.

[thom]

Being with a newbie I played safe (and wheeled out the big hitters) by ordering us (all together now) spring onion bread, rice for two, Beijing dumplings and hot poached lamb. Service was a little slow (they were busy) but the food was as consistently wonderful as ever

Yep, I did exactly that all over again.

Thankfully the lamb was back to it's spicy best.

Hurray!

Cheers

Thom

[Harters]

In a couple of weeks, Mrs H & I are off for our first visit to Red Chili.

Now, I know it'll be sacrilege to some - but we won't be ordering the lamb dish. We like a bit of spice but this sounds waaaay to hot for us.

I've got as far as thinking Beijing dumplings ( are they a "nibble" or a proper starter?). And I've got as far as the pork belly with preserved cabbage as one main (recommended by a mate and I see Thom mentions it upthread). But what else do you suggest we try - the lamb dish aside, we want to give this our best greedy shot?

[Prawncrackers]

I'm confused about this Lamb dish everyone is banging on about, do you know what the Chinese name for this is? One of my favourite Sichuan dishes is 水 煮 牛 肉 (translates to Water Boiled Beef), is this the lamb version of this? If it is then no wonder you are all smitten, it's like heroin.

[CalumC]

I'll stick my hat in for one of the hot beancurd ones, can't remember the name but i don't think it was the one of this threads title. I also had pork with garlic shoots which was delicious. The Beijing dumplings are a starter I think, portion of 10 for 2 will easily get you going. Apparently spring onion bread is good.

[Gary Marshall]

In a couple of weeks, Mrs H & I are off for our first visit to Red Chili.

Now, I know it'll be sacrilege to some - but we won't be ordering the lamb dish. We like a bit of spice but this sounds waaaay to hot for us.

I've got as far as thinking Beijing dumplings ( are they a "nibble" or a proper starter?). And I've got as far as the pork belly with preserved cabbage as one main (recommended by a mate and I see Thom mentions it upthread). But what else do you suggest we try - the lamb dish aside, we want to give this our best greedy shot?

lamb hot pot has been milder of late in leeds and york, think is was pretty powerful in manc last time i had it with thom and bapi.

other must have is the stir fried french beans with chilli (which is a pork and chilli dish). I also like the crispy fillet beef which is a bit more trad chinese but good (though thinking about it, in manchester they have it on the menu but it's not crispy because 'the locals don't like it' when i asked.

dumplings proper starter (one portion enough for 2)

[Gary Marshall]

I'm confused about this Lamb dish everyone is banging on about, do you know what the Chinese name for this is?  One of my favourite Sichuan dishes is 水 煮 牛 肉 (translates to Water Boiled Beef), is this the lamb version of this?  If it is then no wonder you are all smitten, it's like heroin.

have a look on the website, there's a pdf menu. the dish is under beef and lamb dishes and is called 'spicy hot poached beef/lamb/pork' it does have a chinese description too but i can't enlarge it enough to read it.

[thom]

The lamb dish is pretty pokey but it is so, so good (and a snip at only £7:50) that I implore you to try it. Really, you'll be suprised how quickly your mouth becomes acclimatised.

As to whether it's the lamb version of "water-boiled beef" I think it could be. Poaching is boiling, all said and done, and I guess it's not a common cooking technique on the Chinese menu's (at least in UK restaurants).

Harters, I say try the pork and beans; the last one I had was almost too salty/umami but damn it was good. Spring onion bread for dipping is a must, and I'd heartily recommend trying some fish dishes too - cod with chilli and/or fungi (the little flappy ones like wet mouse's ears) is a regular dish for me.

My only caveat is that to avoid spice in Sichuan cuisine does put a good portion of the menu, and some of the most wonderful dishes, off limits for you. If, God forbid, you're also not keen on offal, extreme meats or exotic seafood then you really are missing out on the best of the place.

Last time I was in there I had a look at the laminated special menus (one is handed to you as you're seated, but several others are up on the wall in reception) as I fancied something trying something new.

I did try and remember the descriptions as they were brilliant but the dish we went with (something about "honest lamb" with aubergine and coriander) but a bit of a damp squib. The pale aubergine was about texture rather than taste (unlike the delish Beijing aubergine) and the thin milky sauce tasted underpowered.

There was some fantistic looking stuff on there though, including the "fondue" style dish I drunkenly had on the last night out with Bapi and Gary. Reading what the chunks for dipping actually were was enlightening (something about jellied fish skin I think)!

On the way out I spotted a specials list on the wall which was all about rabbit dishes (again not something I've ever seen in a Chinese restaurant) and they all sounded eminently triable. One of them was actually called a "Roger rabbit" something, something.

Anyway Harters I hope you have a good visit and find some dishes to your liking, but pleeeease order the lamb.

Cheers

Thom

[Prawncrackers]

have a look on the website, there's a pdf menu. the dish is under beef and lamb dishes and is called 'spicy hot poached beef/lamb/pork' it does have a chinese description too but i can't enlarge it enough to read it.

Yup checked out the menu.pdf, it's that dish alright. Though it's strange how you've all gravitated to the non-standard lamb version of it and not beef. I'd never heard of lamb being used before. Saying that I normally order the beef without checking the menu as it's such a favourite. Next time I'll see if my local here does lamb too. But you all must try the beef to compare.

The menu looks really good, is there anymore news on whether they'll open one up in Brum? The Beijing/Sichaun resto we have here called BBQ village is a little more studenty, slightly cheaper than Red Chilli it seems and more focused on Hotpot. But the main draw is, as it's name suggests, the multitudinous bbq skewers. I'm seriously addicted to chargrilled spicy chicken hearts and gizzards at the moment. But I'm willing to sacrifice those for some sea-cucumber dishes, hmmm slimy and chewy.

Surprised that there isn't my other favourite Sichuan dish on the Red Chilli menu, 口 水 雞, literal translation is Saliva Chicken but I suppose Mouth-watering chicken is more apt. It's a cold chicken dish that encapsulates all the flavours of Sichuan. Worth asking for, maybe as the Urban myth goes, there's another menu… the "Chinese" menu where the delights of Hotpot lie….

[SaladFingers]

While I quite like the Lamb, I really appreciated the sweetness of the crispy shredded fillet steak in Catonese sauce to cool my mouth down. CSFSCS is my favourite chinese food of all time too. Why not go mad and try jellyfish?

[david goodfellow]

I would have bet strong money that I would never utter the words
" Had a poor meal at Red Chilli", but I just have.

I was looking forward to my overdue chilli fix today, but on the way to a rain soaked Manchester I formed a pact with my wife to not have the lamb hotpot, which is a stalwart, that I always order.

Early evening was about a third full and the service was the normal laid back slow.

Glancing at the above posts before we left I decided to take Thom's advice and look for the Rabbit specials as we are partial to a bit of bunny. Sadly there were none.

We did however chose another special.

Sexy aubergine couple with honest lamb & coriander in clay pot.

Well, I missed Thom's comment above, sad to say, as this dish is gobsmackingly poor.
It looked completely unappetising when it arrived at the table. The dish was devoid of flavour except for the coriander and a slight lamby undertone. The aubergine was tasteless and the broth was as murky as the pavement puddles that we had trudged through.
A really poor dish.

Gongbao chicken was the first dish we ever ordered here and this latest rendition was as good as the first. So no problem there, thank goodness.

Salt and pepper soft shell Crab arrived looking as appealing as ever and its normal portion size as generous as we remember..

However, the dish had stood about for some time, so instead of the batter being crispy it was soggy and slightly offputting.
The crab itself was tasty, thank god or I would have sent this back.

I was really disappointed with the meal and it did cross my mind to complain, but quite frankly I really could not bring myself to do it.

We spoke briefly to the manager as we left. He was on meet and greet duty so we had to be brief.
He is always happy and friendly with us so I did not discuss the food but sad to report ,you Brummies will not be getting a Red Chilli, your loss will be London and Newcastle's gain. They are also having a look at Reading.

We are of the opinion that this freak event will not happen again, so it will not stop us going back

Edited by david goodfellow, 26 July 2009 - 04:01 PM.

[david goodfellow]

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[

Edited by david goodfellow, 26 July 2009 - 04:03 PM.

[Gary Marshall]

suggested to my mate that we changed our post york races curry venue from akbars to red chilli (across the road from each other conveniently) , we wavered at the door as thoughts of lamb chops arose but headed into red chilli anyway.

I'd warned him it wasn't a usual york restaurant and he let me order so we got straight on ordering some beijing dumplings as they take the time, followed eventually by suprisingly the pork & beans, and crispy beef , plus some steamed pork buns and egg fried.

the waitress said the pork buns would also take 10 minutes so i said just bring it when it's ready, which they took literally and in a dash we got the pork and beans, the beef, a moment later the beijing and then the pork buns! Not a problem in the end as we were starving.

All up to scratch.

[StewieMac]

Dinner for one please !

Finally making it up to Manc and will try out the (in)famous Red Chilli, but will be on my tod, which means that realistically I can't order quite as much as I'd maybe like.

The hot poached lamby thing I think would leave me no space for anything else, so I'm wondering if dumplings, spring onion bread and the beans/pork/chilli dish might be (a) a good general intro and (b) not so much food that I'm going to be sick....

anyone want to agree/disagree/suggest anything different ?

ta

[Gary Marshall]

you'll be fine with that, though the bread works better with soupier dishes like the hot pot.

[Merseymike]

I'm happy to eat the bread on its own - its yummy!

[daw]

I'm happy to eat the bread on its own - its yummy!

Me too - the bread is a standard feature of the lunchtime deal and it is excellent

David

[Gary Marshall]

never seen it on the lunchtime special , but i think they do consider it a 'course'rather than accompaniment as we have spent 10 mins with a plate of bread in front of us waiting for the hot pot, and when i asked it came straight out.

[olicollett]

so yeah, the lamb hot pot is.. hot! It did help clear out my cold though!

I wasn't exactly sure which dish it was but the waitress seemed to know what i meant. It was nice, but i think it was a little bit too much heat for me. Had some lovely dim sum too. My only "complaint" was that the portions were so big that so much food seemed to go to waste.

I can see it would be best going there with a really big group of folk to sample more dishes. I'll certainly be making another visit anyway as it looks like i'll be in leeds more often :)

[Harters]

Finally got into Manchester this evening.

What a slick operation they're running. Staff very much on the ball - with stuff like drinks orders, clearing crockery, resetting tables.

Started with the Beijing dumplings. Well made dumpling, pleasant filling, nice vinegary dip. Nothing to write home about though.

Much better was the other starter - cucumber with crushed garlic sauce. Nicely spicy and crunchy - we hung on to most of it till the mains arrived - made for a good contrast of texture.

First main - braised pork belly with preserved cabbage. You often hear of someone describing food as "melt in the mouth" - you could take it almost literally with this dish. The meat was just fab. Preserved cabbage formed a sauce with something sweetish. It came with some stalks of choi sum. Not sure which region this comes from - the sweetness makes me think Cantonese but, wherever, it's a belter of a dish.

Second main - the green beans with chili and pork. A standout dish. Crunchy beans with the pork providing a flavouring rather being a main event. And it was certainly hot enough - wouldnt ewant to eat anything hotter than that , thanks very much. Just the sort of dish you can imagine feeding a family of six, in rural China.

And that is another thing. Portions are bloody enormous.

I drank a pint of lime & soda. Herself mnaged a G & T and a pint of lager. Bill for food came to £25. Drinks added another £9. Bargain eating experience if ever there was one.