Wednesday Review: Rosemary's Chinese Restaurant, Headington
Hello!
Apologies for the late post. Today I'll be writing up a long-overdue review of a great little place in Headington, Oxford; Rosemary's Chinese Restaurant. Google it for precise location.
This place is a nice, quiet and chic little place in the heart of Headington High Street. The food is always good, though the service is typically grumpy, run by non-smiling Chinese waitresses who only smile if you tell them a joke. And even then, it's a bit like this. |-/ instead of :-D. As I've said before, I can say that because my eyes go -><- way and my skin is the colour of English Breakfast with a dash of milk.
Anyway, onwards with the food. The food is great. End of. One of the best Chinese restaurants you'll find outside of China Town, and even then better than most. The stuff that's meant to be crispy is super crispy, the tender stuff super tender. They have the traditional Chinese fare from most regions, Hainanese Chicken Rice, slow-cooked pork belly etc, and also the westernised stuff. I hear their Sweet and Sour chicken is pretty damn good; judging by their other similar dishes, I concur completely. Their food is served on trendy black plates, offering stark contrast with the colourful food and this creates an 'exclusive' experience, but not seedy as if Peter Stringfellow owns the place. The tea is served in a beautiful, delicate glass teapot and teacup over a tealight, something I've only seen in top-class places but it adds an extra something.
Its atmosphere is can be a little cold at times, owing both to the temperature of my recent visit and the stoney-faced waitress whose face I make it my job to crack into a smile on every visit. Similarly with any other restaurant, the company makes the atmosphere. Luckily I had someone vaguely interesting with me. He was talking about some corporate foul-up with a secretary or something, which ended up with him receiving a free BMW X5. Long story short, it's a good idea to pack some good conversation as it can be a bit dead on occasion.
Price-wise it isn't overly expensive with most meals coming in at around £12 per person (starter and a main excl drink and service). The beverages are priced competitively with beers comparable to the nearest public house. It's good for an occasional visit, try out Dong-Dongs for weekly-thorough fare. Give the mixed starter a try; it contains 80% home-cooked and prepared food, rather than the usual cook-from-frozen cack. Anything on the menu with 'Capital sauce' is purely 'Capital'; more sour than plum sauce, but twice as good. Probably MSG or some other addictive substance. On the whole, try and ask for the most authentic food you can get, because it's probably going to be the best, no matter how good the Sweet and Sour is.
Things to try:
-Braised Belly Pork
-Mixed starter (the meat one, obviously)
-S&S chicken (pork for those who think chicken is a vegetable, like me)
-Ma Po tofu (not for veggies)
-Dim Sum selection
-Steamed Tripe (for the brave only, even though I don't think there's anything wrong with it, personally)
Things to avoid:
-anything with vegetables. They're £8.50 a pop and not that good, save the cash and take a daily vitamin pill instead if you feel that guilty about it.
So there you go, one of the better restaurants in Oxford and won't break your bank account. They also have a competitively priced range of cocktails for you ladies, and gents of a girly-drink disposition.
Give it a go, I want to hear your views once you've tried it.
BenY
Apologies for the late post. Today I'll be writing up a long-overdue review of a great little place in Headington, Oxford; Rosemary's Chinese Restaurant. Google it for precise location.
This place is a nice, quiet and chic little place in the heart of Headington High Street. The food is always good, though the service is typically grumpy, run by non-smiling Chinese waitresses who only smile if you tell them a joke. And even then, it's a bit like this. |-/ instead of :-D. As I've said before, I can say that because my eyes go -><- way and my skin is the colour of English Breakfast with a dash of milk.
Anyway, onwards with the food. The food is great. End of. One of the best Chinese restaurants you'll find outside of China Town, and even then better than most. The stuff that's meant to be crispy is super crispy, the tender stuff super tender. They have the traditional Chinese fare from most regions, Hainanese Chicken Rice, slow-cooked pork belly etc, and also the westernised stuff. I hear their Sweet and Sour chicken is pretty damn good; judging by their other similar dishes, I concur completely. Their food is served on trendy black plates, offering stark contrast with the colourful food and this creates an 'exclusive' experience, but not seedy as if Peter Stringfellow owns the place. The tea is served in a beautiful, delicate glass teapot and teacup over a tealight, something I've only seen in top-class places but it adds an extra something.
Its atmosphere is can be a little cold at times, owing both to the temperature of my recent visit and the stoney-faced waitress whose face I make it my job to crack into a smile on every visit. Similarly with any other restaurant, the company makes the atmosphere. Luckily I had someone vaguely interesting with me. He was talking about some corporate foul-up with a secretary or something, which ended up with him receiving a free BMW X5. Long story short, it's a good idea to pack some good conversation as it can be a bit dead on occasion.
Price-wise it isn't overly expensive with most meals coming in at around £12 per person (starter and a main excl drink and service). The beverages are priced competitively with beers comparable to the nearest public house. It's good for an occasional visit, try out Dong-Dongs for weekly-thorough fare. Give the mixed starter a try; it contains 80% home-cooked and prepared food, rather than the usual cook-from-frozen cack. Anything on the menu with 'Capital sauce' is purely 'Capital'; more sour than plum sauce, but twice as good. Probably MSG or some other addictive substance. On the whole, try and ask for the most authentic food you can get, because it's probably going to be the best, no matter how good the Sweet and Sour is.
Things to try:
-Braised Belly Pork
-Mixed starter (the meat one, obviously)
-S&S chicken (pork for those who think chicken is a vegetable, like me)
-Ma Po tofu (not for veggies)
-Dim Sum selection
-Steamed Tripe (for the brave only, even though I don't think there's anything wrong with it, personally)
Things to avoid:
-anything with vegetables. They're £8.50 a pop and not that good, save the cash and take a daily vitamin pill instead if you feel that guilty about it.
So there you go, one of the better restaurants in Oxford and won't break your bank account. They also have a competitively priced range of cocktails for you ladies, and gents of a girly-drink disposition.
Give it a go, I want to hear your views once you've tried it.
BenY
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