Mayflower — Restaurant in Berlin

Better than average Berlin Chinese with a selection of more diverse dishes for German standard, such as Sichuan beef or fish. I had high hopes as I just moved into the area. Ultimately disappointing compared to other restaurants. Too much onion in cumin lamb, which reminds me of a blander version of Australian suburban Chinese. Not what I was expecting for this dish I’ve had elsewhere in the world. Tasted very anglicised. I had the Sichuan fish, it was not very oily compared to how it is usually prepared so lacked a bit of flavour. It’s close to being quite good but just misses the mark, my guess because of availability of local ingredients. Frozen lotus roots are in easy supply. There are better Sichuan options in Berlin. The veg dishes we ordered were a bit in the bland sweet side. We had the eggplant, marinated tofu skins and Chinese cabbage dishes. I don’t think carrots should go with tofu skins, but we’re in Germany. But if you can afford to pay for ordinary - it’s not bad. There is Definitely worse! Maybe they are better at other dishes? Or they just cater to local taste buds. But if you know better you’ll be...

not only is this the best Chinese restaurant in Berlin, it's the best Chinese food I've ever had the pleasure to eat (and I've been all over China). The service may be a tad slow, but don't worry about that. Everything is extremely flavourful. I suggest the eggplant starter. It'll amaze you what they can do with such a bland vegetable. I also love the pork dumpling starter. Whatever you order, you'll be delighted. There is a Chinese restaurant 2 blocks away that is much more popular than this place, but the food there can't compare with Mayflower. Ironically, the other place is much more popular than this one. Go figure. I rarely write reviews, but I want this restaurant to stay in business so I can continue enjoying their great food for a long...

Good Sichuan style Chinese food - think strong (garlicky and spicy) flavours. Service is friendly, often a tad slow, but worth the wait. My recommendations are aubergines (converted two friends who didn't think that they like aubergines), fish cooked in "water" (I don't know the English/German name, but the water is full of chilis and chili oil, so this is a very spicy dish), and the "mouth water chicken" (this is a cold starter of pieces of chicken on bone in a chili and peanut sauce). As with many Chinese restaurants, they are quite adaptive and have included more southern, milder flavoured, dim sum type dishes on their menu to cater to all tastes, but I've never tried those as it was clear that Sichuan style is more likely...