Tang Palace is a chain of authentic Chinese restaurants in Dubai. This branch opposite the Marina Byblos Hotel is one of three, the other two being the Tang Palace in Jumeirah (http://www.zoma.to/vNYNxR) and Mian Dian Wang in International City (http://www.zoma.to/QXQnpo). The interior of this branch could not be anything but Chinese, from what looks like a giant terracotta warrior at the entrance to the lookalike Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and the electric hotpot hubs on every table. There’s an outdoor seating area literally on the sidewalk which should be good for another few weeks.
I was not as impressed with the food at this branch as I was at the other two branches. Let’s start with the fact that a couple of the dishes I wanted weren’t even available, such as the beef short ribs and sautéed Chinese broccoli. Our surprisingly thick-skinned Xiao Long Bao soup dumplings arrived dry, with no soup in them. We returned them, cancelling the order altogether when our mains arrived. The delicious, juicy lamb Pot Stickers (pan-fried dumplings) however made up for the earlier disappointment. I highly recommend these pointy at both ends (and also soup filled) dumplings, just be careful when eating them because they splurt.
Our mains included amateurish excuses for Kung Pao Chicken and Fried Noodles. In the other two outlets, the chef would be taken out and flogged for letting something like this leave the kitchen. The egg fried rice was only slightly better, slightly.
Thankfully the Sizzling Beef restored a little honour to their reputation.
No, I was not at all impressed with the food here. Believe me, Patrick’s Calcutta Imperial Dragon serves far better Chinese food and are unashamedly from Kolkata! Rounding off a disappointing experience was a waiter who, while friendly and extremely accommodating, was reeking of BO. Come on Tang Palace, you can do better than this.
Hey! Now read this –
Xerxes physically dines at, or orders from,
each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his
companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes
accepts no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or
favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join
me on Instagram @ravenousxerxes
or email
me on xerxes@dellara.com.