Wing Kee

rigilbert

Great Chinese - good value 4th April 2009

1 found this helpful

Great Chinese - good value. That's always a good start to a restaurant review, but what's it like in reality. Let's see...

China Town in Amsterdam is less of a 'town' and more of a street. That street is Zeedijk (pronounced Zay-dyke), just a chopstick's throw from the Red Light District.

The Wing Kee falls into the category of what are known in the Netherlands as 'eet cafe's', which generally means that, as the name suggests, it's more of a cafe than a restaurant. The distinction is usually reflected in the prices and that's very much the case here.

From the outside the place looks rather unappealing. There are the usual crispy ducks hanging in the window and beyond that there's not much else to see. It was on a search to satisfy our craving for take away crispy duck that we first 'discovered' the Wing Kee. The quality of the duck and the friendliness of the staff encouraged us to go back and sample the fare inside.

It was worth it.

The decor is fairly sparse, but then this is a cafe, not a restaurant. The place was busy on our visit, and had a good buzz about it. Locals mixed with tourists; Chinese mixed with Westerners - always good signs.

The menu is extensive and offers everything from won ton soup (large or small) to fried tripe (intestines). No alcohol is served here, just soft drinks and jasmine tea.

We each ordered won ton soup as a starter (one with pork, the other with prawns) and followed up with crispy chicken cooked with chilli and salt, and sweet and sour chicken. We chose plain boiled rice instead of noodles to accompany our dishes.

Service was fast and efficient. That's something of a treat in the Netherlands where the laid back attitude of the Dutch can get you really frustrated at having to wait so long for your food, and the bill. Not so here: the Chinese understand, and we've experienced this in other Chinese restaurants, that efficiency of service is good for the customers and the business.

Our won ton soups were good and wholesome - and filling. We were sort of sorry that we'd ordered soup when the main courses were dished up - the portions were larger than expected. Likewise with the rice, which came as a mountain in a big bowl. Enough for three or even four, we thought.

Good food, simply presented and efficiently served. Better still, good prices. Our total bill, which also included two cans of cola, came to 34 euros. Great value in a city (indeed, country) where eating out is generally quite expensive.

We'll be back...