Oriental Flavours at Chinese Restaurant

by Iyath Adam

Looking for some place new to eat out? We’ve discovered the perfect place for you.

It’s called ‘Chinese Restaurant.’ Yes, that’s right. 

Located on Boduthakurufaaanu Magu, near Maldives Port Limited (where Oishii restaurant was previously), the restaurant serves a wide variety of Chinese cuisine. The decor has the classic Chinese restaurant vibe to it which you see in movies: red and gold decorations with wide, circular wooden tables. There are two floors for seating – both large spaces – where you can sit and enjoy with friends or family. 

We chose to sit upstairs, and we were quick to receive a menu with the attentive servers. The menu was extensive and featured unique delicacies (at least here in the Maldives) like sea snails, conch, and bean curd apart from different noodles, rice, and many, many side dishes with vegetables and meats.  

But what caught our eye was the duck in hotpot – a delicacy which is usually not available here and we knew we had to try it out! 

We chose to go with the duck in hotpot, stir-fried seafood noodles and the classic Chinese dish, Kung Pao chicken, all of which arrived relatively fast. 

Let’s go for the tasting!

First, the duck in hotpot. It came in a sizzling hotpot, chock full of duck on the bone pieces and potatoes in a steamy broth. Although we were expecting the duck to be boneless, we have to admit that the boned duck did add a nice texture and depth of flavour to the soup. The taste was spicy, peppery, warm and acted as a great appetizer to the meal. Plus, the potatoes were cooked to perfection, soft enough to bite into without it completely falling apart. 

Now, the stir-fried noodles; vermicelli noodles mixed in with a lot of seafood and sliced veggies. Flavourful, filling and satisfying, the dish somehow seemed to keep increasing the more we dug into it! 

The Kung Pao chicken was a BIG portion. Cut into bite-sized pieces and topped with sliced green onions and dried chillies, the chicken was salty, spicy, and tangy. It was a bit less sweet than Kung Pao chicken typically is, but nevertheless tasty and went as a great side dish. 

On the whole, the entire dining experience was pretty great, and we definitely recommend you try out Chinese Restaurant at least once!