The Great Hungry Guy Shrewsbury Chinese Food Adventure
I am generally really grateful for the food scene in Shrewsbury - it ticks most boxes and has tons of cool independent places and has enough of a changing landscape that there is always the potential for a cool new opening! However, there are a few gaps that really grind my gears. Some cuisines which I think are taken for granted in most towns are just totally lacking. Chinese is one of them. There isn’t a decent Chinese place in town and when I have asked around its normally met with some negativity - but I’m a believer! I’m a positive thinker! I will prove the doubters wrong! Surely, somewhere in or around Shrewsbury. Probably sat somewhere in the middle of an estate out of town, there has to be a hidden gem. An unassuming place that is just pure deliciousness!
Chinese is a funny cuisine in this country - we’ve done the thing we do with all great cuisines, we have spent the last 50-60 years dumbing it down for our dull palates. So we are left with a cuisine so far from authentic and a population thinking they are eating authentic Chinese food. I could easily go down a philosophical worm hole about ‘what is authentic?’ and how subjective that question is; and how I think this is a question that most of a nation’s own population can’t - so how does anyone not from there know? But I won’t!
As with most distant cuisines, you ask around and you always end up with ‘those’ 2 types of people:
The '(scoff scoff) I lived in London and ate in Chinatown - I know authentic and you can’t get it anywhere else’ Types
The ‘(scoff scoff) I actually did travel to China so I know what to expect and you just can’t find it anywhere outside of China itself’ Types
In the case of number 1 - yawn, who cares and in the case of number 2 - zip it Hugo, no-one cares about your family trip to the Beijing Olympics to watch the Dressage when you were 12
I also take great pride in letting you know that I am actually both of these types of people! I adored Chinatown when I was living in London - it’s a wonderful place to just go and exist on your own and get some space from the ever pressurising London vacuum. And I spent some time in China - I travelled most of the country, ate tons, loved the food, loved the people, loved the culture - but both these experiences have left it hard to find a standard Chinese restaurant anywhere. So I have combatted this by separating the 2 cuisines! There’s Chinese food and there’s British Chinese food! I mean, lets face it - there is no chance the UK Food Standards Agency is going to let anyone start selling ‘meat on sticks’ on the side of the road without any refridgeration of even a requirement to let people know what the meat is. I learnt not to ask, just eat, its delicious, that’s all that matters. However, the one thing I won’t be eating again was Yak - I have never been so ill in my entire life - it was insane how bad the food poisoning was. I also tried some soft of fermented thing - not even sure what it was (someone ordered it for me in what would turn out to be a massive prank); that had the texture of an pencil eraser and the aroma of the walking dead!
Anyway, what was the point of this blog again?
Oh yeah - Chinese in Shrewsbury - can’t find it, don’t know if it exists - however I am willing to try as many places as possible to put this matter to bed!
So I stuck this out on the socials awhile ago and was kind of blown away by the response! I love every single one of my band of loyal followers! I was so taken a back by the response that I decided to ask everyone who recommended a restaurant to give me their fave dish and why they love it. Then I could collate everyones responses to create the ultimate Shrewsbury Chinese Directory - explore, order, eat, enjoy! I am going to work my way through this list and I will add reviews on to my blog as I go!
So here goes………..
TIM TIM, 33 Monkmoor Road
5 Recommendations - The Most Recommended
- Satay King Prawns - Real juicy prawns with a satay sauce that outstrips most other Chinese takeaways when it comes to peanut goodness
- Tim Tim is the absolute sex - 2 of my best buds are vegan and they have a separate menu for vegan which makes things way easier
- Crispy shredded chicken with the sauce is the best thing
- The orange chicken is always super tasty
- We moved to them from previous Chinese because we find the chicken is really good chicken, rather than that kind of rubbery reconstituted slimy stuff you often get
- The lady when you order is always very cute and sweet!
ZENNA’S, Main Road, Pontesbury
2 Recommendations
- Crispy Chilli Beef - food is fresh and not greasy
- I crave proper Szechuan cooking - I am obsessed! This is the closest I can find in the Shire
LEE FUNG HOUSE, Hereford Rd (Belle Vue)
3 Recommendations
- Veggie Chow Mien with no sauce, chips and curry sauce - seasoned really well!
- Chips are phenomenal! I have ordered an Indian takeaway before and got chips from Lee Fun House instead - they are that good!
- The noodles are great, veg is fresh and has a bite to it. Seasoned brilliantly - full of flavour
- The food is always fresh and made to order and good value for money
EATWISE, Longden Coleham
3 Recommendations
- All the food there is great but chicken fried rice, curry sauce and chips is a classic comfort food combo!
- Also, the lemon chicken is excellent - always lovely chicken!
WEM’S KITCHEN, Wem
1 Recommendation (I know this isn’t Shrewsbury but a friend recommended it and I won’t hear the end of it if it don’t post it!)
- Chicken, green peppers in black bean sauce - salty treat
HONGKONGER, Fish St (Town Centre)
2 Recommendations
NEW LI SING, Monkmoor Rd
1 Recommendation
- Chicken chow mein, mushroom curry
- Staff are always friendly and efficient and food consistency is great
AMBROSIA EXPRESS, Oakfield Centre, SY3
1 Recommendation
- It’s great, we call it the Custard Factory! Ha!
WAKAKA (Formerly Hong Kong City), Town Centre
1 Recommendation
- Beef with ginger and spring onion with egg fried rice and prawn crackers (obvs)
- It feels naughty but flavours are mint every time and you don’t get that grim feeling after demolishing the whole thing!
BLUE JADE, Bicton Heath
2 Recommendation
- We make a special trip out, right across town to go there
- It has the milk vending machine too!!!!
- Always fresh and crispy!
- The duck pancakes are banging and the spare ribs with chilli and salt are great!
MANDARIN, Frankwell
3 Recommendations
- I am an enthusiastic fan of Mandarin in Frankwell!
- Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls are unbeatable - we have not found better chicken balls and the kids adore them
- Chicken chow mein is also the best I’ve found
- Crispy beef cantonese style is fab - full of flavour and not just fat strips
- Szechuan chicken is also a fave and the prawn toast - the thickest, most unctuous out there - mile high pawnage!
- The prawn toast though - like a whole prawn on a toast - amazing!
- Salt & Chilli Ribs are the best and the big, fat, juicy prawn toast! Epic!!
BEIJING TERRACE, SY6
1 Recommendation
STAR FERRY, Castle Gates
1 Recommendation
- BBQ Bao Buns - Super fluffy and super generous with the filling. A very sweet and smokey pork filling and a portion big enough to class as a main instead of an appetizer
HONG KONG CITY, Bayston Hill
1 Recommendation
- Salt & Pepper Chicken - good batter and something great to add to your Chinese meal
- Never disappointed!
STAR KITCHEN, Bayston Hill
1 Recommendation
- Singapore Vermicelli, seaweed, salt & pepper chips, prawn toast, sweet & sour sauce
- They do these boxes where you get a bit of everything in and they are fit. You get like spring rolls, prawn toast, ribs, seaweed, salt & pepper chicken and sauce - then you just mix that with your usual order
- Bit pricier that the other places but worth it
PEKING GARDEN, Mount Pleasant Road
2 Recommendation
- I have tried a lot of things on the menu and yet to find something I don’t like!
- The meat dishes have loads of meat (unlike other local places that have small shredded pieces of meat)
- Must try their Chicken Fried Rice, Curry Sauce, Prawn Toast and Salt & Pepper Chilli Chicken Balls
- Peking Garden is ace!
BEIJING TERRACE, Radbrook Green
3 Recommendations
- The nice man there gave me a wok 15 years ago
- Szechuan Prawns and Duck In Plum Sauce without Pineapple
MANDARIN CHEF, Ditherington
1 Recommendation
- King Prawns with cashews, chilli and salt chicken wings are great
- Chow mein is very good - mushroom for me and chicken for my partner
- The older guy who usually delivers is really nice and friendly
WOK KING,
Sundorne
2 Recommendations
- Hong Kong style chicken and singapore noodles
- Flavours are bang on and the curry sauce is THICC
- Fried stuff is always crispy and I guess it’s a bit of nostalgia from my childhood
- Love the curry sauce and Bobby is ace!
OSCARS, Reabrook
1 Recommendation
