Review #1: Bei Jiang Restaurant
Bei Jiang Restaurant was recommended by some friends of ours recently. I had asked them for any leads on REAL Chinese restaurants that were priced reasonably, not like the ones around our place. They quickly perked up about this place with the distinctive Camel on the outside. They said it was cheap and sure to impress.
Let me say first that in looking at TripAdvisor and other places that they tend to cater to those who are impressed with expense and with how close it compares to a western restaurant. If I want closeness to a western experience I will go to McDonald though, while I'd never eat there in the USA... go figure right?
Anyway, I consider "cheap" to be about $2-3 USD per person or less. Around the area we live under $10 per person is considered cheap. Don't get me wrong, that is cheap for a nice dinner by western standards, but not by Chinese Standards. I am looking for the real Chinese stuff and when the top 20 restaurants reviewed are all $15+ per person and most reviews are in ENGLISH and not by Chinese, then you have to question the validity of them being the 20 best restaurants. Anyway, on to the review.
We went to the Bei Jiaan Restaurant and really did get some pretty good Chinese food. The "Pizza" like object on the menu tastes a lot like an Arabic "Esfia" from Brazil, but without the lime juice on top. That was a good thing by the way, I love Esfias. The rest of the mean was pretty good too and we really ate up the 2 orders of carmalized apples from the back few pages of the menu.
Our friends graciously offered to pay but we went back there for lunch once and we paid about 120 RMB or just under $20 for tons and tons of food. I loved the beef dishes there, they were served leaner than a lot of Chinese restaurants. Overall the price was cheaper than most anything else we had had in this area of town, but at $17 for everything including drinks I guess I can't complain. Honestly I think the prices were inflated and that you can do better if you want a real Chinese restaurant.
As with all of my reviews I am including a Google Maps link to the location, though this one says the Bei Jiang Restaurant is 1 block west of where it actually is, you'll need to walk east one block from there this takes you: Link Here!
Let me say first that in looking at TripAdvisor and other places that they tend to cater to those who are impressed with expense and with how close it compares to a western restaurant. If I want closeness to a western experience I will go to McDonald though, while I'd never eat there in the USA... go figure right?
Anyway, I consider "cheap" to be about $2-3 USD per person or less. Around the area we live under $10 per person is considered cheap. Don't get me wrong, that is cheap for a nice dinner by western standards, but not by Chinese Standards. I am looking for the real Chinese stuff and when the top 20 restaurants reviewed are all $15+ per person and most reviews are in ENGLISH and not by Chinese, then you have to question the validity of them being the 20 best restaurants. Anyway, on to the review.
We went to the Bei Jiaan Restaurant and really did get some pretty good Chinese food. The "Pizza" like object on the menu tastes a lot like an Arabic "Esfia" from Brazil, but without the lime juice on top. That was a good thing by the way, I love Esfias. The rest of the mean was pretty good too and we really ate up the 2 orders of carmalized apples from the back few pages of the menu.
Our friends graciously offered to pay but we went back there for lunch once and we paid about 120 RMB or just under $20 for tons and tons of food. I loved the beef dishes there, they were served leaner than a lot of Chinese restaurants. Overall the price was cheaper than most anything else we had had in this area of town, but at $17 for everything including drinks I guess I can't complain. Honestly I think the prices were inflated and that you can do better if you want a real Chinese restaurant.
As with all of my reviews I am including a Google Maps link to the location, though this one says the Bei Jiang Restaurant is 1 block west of where it actually is, you'll need to walk east one block from there this takes you: Link Here!
Review #2: Cheap Noodle Shops
There are tons of places reviewing expensive restaurants in Suzhou, but I LOVE cheap places. Here is one of my latest favorites, it is a little noodle shop around 78 Su Hui Road, just down the street from the Zen Restaurant (over priced, never go there for dinner) and Spicy Memory (great place with some great dishes, but that is for another day). It is next door to a Convenience market with a picture of a Tomato on the sign and a massage place. You can even call them at 0512-6937-2709. It is just a standard noodle shop, one of hundreds you will find in Suzhou. So why not always eat there? Because there is NO menu, just some dishes written all in Chinese hanging behind the register. Well have no fear, I have a photo of the "menu" and have translated it for you, along with select photos and recommendations and insights for your ordering pleasure. This is not only good for this place, but most noodle shops as they all seem to overlap on many dishes. Notice the numbers 1-82 above and that they correspond to the 82 menu items in the translated menu that you can find below.
We love this place and think you will too, try the fried noodles, most any of the noodle bowls, some of the shrimp dishes, or even the fried rice. It is all GREAT and all cheap. Learn the characters and order like a boss and never be intimidated by another menu!
There are tons of places reviewing expensive restaurants in Suzhou, but I LOVE cheap places. Here is one of my latest favorites, it is a little noodle shop around 78 Su Hui Road, just down the street from the Zen Restaurant (over priced, never go there for dinner) and Spicy Memory (great place with some great dishes, but that is for another day). It is next door to a Convenience market with a picture of a Tomato on the sign and a massage place. You can even call them at 0512-6937-2709. It is just a standard noodle shop, one of hundreds you will find in Suzhou. So why not always eat there? Because there is NO menu, just some dishes written all in Chinese hanging behind the register. Well have no fear, I have a photo of the "menu" and have translated it for you, along with select photos and recommendations and insights for your ordering pleasure. This is not only good for this place, but most noodle shops as they all seem to overlap on many dishes. Notice the numbers 1-82 above and that they correspond to the 82 menu items in the translated menu that you can find below.
We love this place and think you will too, try the fried noodles, most any of the noodle bowls, some of the shrimp dishes, or even the fried rice. It is all GREAT and all cheap. Learn the characters and order like a boss and never be intimidated by another menu!
cheap_noodle_shop_menu_translation.pdf | |
File Size: | 342 kb |
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cheap_noodle_shop_menu_translation.docx | |
File Size: | 2003 kb |
File Type: | docx |