China Tang 粤苑 — Restaurant in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown

Jellyfish Okra was the highlight — everything else, unfortunately, was disappointing.

We had high hopes for this restaurant, having travelled over an hour by train specifically for the Peking Duck experience. Sadly, the experience fell far below expectations.

The only dish I genuinely enjoyed was the Jellyfish Okra — fresh and nicely prepared.

However: We had a 6 PM reservation but due to an alarm issue at the restaurant, nobody handled customers waiting outside or gave any updates. We felt unwelcome right from the start, and were greeted rather rudely in Mandarin when we finally got in. Even though we said we didn’t want to look at the menu while waiting (since we had already pre-ordered the duck), the server insisted and handed it to us anyway, making us feel rushed to order more. The Peking Duck itself was just… okay. Certainly not on par with authentic Beijing or Guangzhou versions I’ve had before. The accompanying soup was completely bland. The “duck cutting show” was poorly executed — the server gave an explanation, but we couldn’t understand or learn anything from it. Dumpling platter came with no explanation of what each dumpling was — we had to ask ourselves. And again, everything was served hastily, without the care or detail one expects from a supposedly high-end restaurant. The Century Egg & Tofu dish was initially way too salty (just soy sauce). They redid it, but the improved version was still nothing memorable.

On top of that, the atmosphere was uncomfortable — the red lighting was harsh and left me feeling dizzy even after I left.

Overall, the service felt indifferent, rushed, and even suppressive at times. For a restaurant marketing itself as a premium experience, this was hugely disappointing — not worth the time, money, or effort.

SERVICE was SUPPRESSION and DEFINITELY...

Recently, my girlfriend booked us into China Tang, which already tells you two things. One: she has excellent taste. And two: she is clearly trying to civilise me.

Now, this was not your average Friday night Chinese takeaway with a plastic bag full of sticky tubs. No, this was an event. They sent out a chef — an actual chef — to present the Peking duck. And this was not just sliced up and plonked on a plate. Oh no. There were steps. There was a ritual. First, the skin, which you dip into sugar (I was slightly sceptical, but it was fantastic). Then the proper business: pancakes, cucumber, spring onions, and soy sauce assembled into little parcels of happiness.

Of course, this is where my performance started to unravel. Chopsticks. They make it look so effortless in the movies. But I quickly discovered that my motor skills are entirely incompatible with two bits of polished wood. After several attempts that mostly ended with food either on the table or launched across it, I did the honourable thing and asked for a knife and fork. At which point, my girlfriend, the waitress, and even the chef were in stitches.

We moved on to a platter of dumplings — four kinds, each as delightful as the next — and then came what I can only describe as the culinary equivalent of a V8 engine: the Hunan Spicy Stir-Fried Hereford Rib Eyes. Now, my girlfriend, who apparently has the heat tolerance of a Victorian maiden aunt, took one bite and retreated. But me? I devoured the lot. Every. Last. Bite. It was magnificent: fiery, bold, and utterly addictive.

In short, China Tang is superb. Great service, phenomenal food, and just the right amount of humiliation to keep me grounded. I will absolutely be back — though I might bring my own...

Five of us went because I’ve always wanted to try Peking Duck. We had to order the duck the day before to give time to prepare it and it cost €88. The Dim Sung finished at 5:00 so we missed it which was disappointing. The five starters we got were fine, quite varied and quite satisfactory but not exceptional in any way. The Peking Duck itself is probably the equivalent of two to three mains. It’s very well presented and initial carving is at the table. Good theatre! First you get some skin which you dip in sugar. It’s not a good combination. Then you get carved duck with pancakes and trimmings. That is really very good. The rest of the duck comes back cut up on the bone and cooked further. It’s almost inedible, dry hard and difficult to get off the small bones. We left most of it uneaten which wasn’t great given the price you have paid for it. The other three mains were variable. A beef short rib was nice but small for €28. The Kung Po Chicken was okay and the beef and noodle dishes were okay. Overall it was a very expensive meal for food which was average. I wouldn’t go back. The premises was nice and service was very good so I’m giving it three rather...