Naming a restaurant ‘House of Chinese’ is, well, bold, and a tall claim to make. It evokes interest in that it refers to authenticity of the cuisine.

House of Chinese recently opened up off M.M. Alam Road where once the restaurant Jazz stood. With the interior giving off a vintage European, yet classy vibe replete with wooden furniture, window frames and doors with Chinese paintings to add the oriental touch, the vintage essence reflects off the menu as well; it could transport one back to their childhood when a humble Sweet ‘n Sour Chicken or Chicken Corn Soup was a delicacy.

From the soups and appetizers to the mains, the selection of food at House of Chinese – barring probably the lobster, teppanyaki and teriyaki -- is safe and run of the mill: something I was told by the owner was deliberate keeping in mind customer preferences. What’s unique about this restaurant is that it has a separate ‘express menu’ offering individual servings of some items from the regular menu.

I started off with the Mushroom Chicken Clear Soup which was an almost clear, brown, punchy broth with chicken chunks, mushroom, cabbage and garlic. A warm, comforting start to a meal.

Next up were steamed prawn dumplings presented in a traditional bamboo basket. The dumplings were stuffed with minced prawn and Chinese herbs sprinkled with caviar. They tasted fine but the dough wrapping was mushy and sticky, which did not feel too good in the mouth.

The Crunchy Seafood Balls were true to their name in terms of the crunch. Inside, there was a scrumptious, smooth minced mixture of fish and prawns along with a sweet and sour sauce on the side to provide the kick. These seafood balls left me longing for more.

On to the mains, I ordered half a serving of egg fried rice and half vegetable fried noodles on the recommendation of the manager. From among the gravies, I had individual servings of crispy beef, Szechuan chicken, fish in garlic sauce and sweet and sour prawns.

The rice were your usual boiled rice with egg and vegetables. Nothing worth pointing out. The Crispy Beef was supposed to be marinated with Chinese spices and stir fried with a spicy sauce, but unfortunately what appeared on the table was chewy, dry chunks of beef that I wish were crispy; there was a dollop of sauce at the bottom of the bowl and a pinch of sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

The Szechuan Chicken, on the other hand, had a generous amount of sauce in it along with sliced carrot, capsicum, green chilli and ginger. The tangy sauce is what lent it the flavour. The Fish in Hot Garlic Sauce had soft chunks of fish cooked in a garlic sauce that could have had a bit more zest to make it a delightful plate of food.

Lastly, the fried vegetable noodles: tossed in an array of veggies and mushroom, they looked appetizing, but just the first bite was enough to drive me away from them. There was an overload of salt, or something salty, in the noodles that made them too bitter to be palatable.

House of Chinese may have chosen to play it safe by offering familiar food that dates back to the time Chinese food arrived in the market. They plan to tap, according to the owner, the masses, who are not experimental or adventurous with their food.

Another sticking point could be the presentation that really needs to be worked on; you may get away with a mundane menu but not messy plating.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2018