Banzha — Restaurant in Bergen

It may have just been the evening we went, however from the experience we had we wouldn't visit again. The service time was the main issue, waiting to be serviced the next part over ten minutes on multiple occasions.

Food was pretty good, we got the Tofu spicey dishes and they were good although be aware you should do as I unintentionally did and accompany it with a beer or other cold beverage instead of my brother who had a wine which meant he could hardly quench the spice as it did seem to literally be chilly flakes that the Tofu were sat in.

I do NOT recommend the cold chips - tiger fries or something similar I believe they were called - as they did just taste uncooked, was aware they weren't going to be warm but they tasted just like raw chips essentially. Didn't help that it reminded me I'm not a fan of cilantro but that's on me.

Overall I liked the atmosphere, although they could do with more than one bathroom stall total. It's a shame that service took a long time, including when we took a moment to confirm what we wanted when the waiter went to take our order and he then moved to the table next to us and didn't come back to us for fifteen minutes or so. They did also lose out on business at the end as my brother was going to get desert but with how long they took after we finished our mains, we went up after another 12 minutes or so and just paid the bill.

This was on 9 May so was a Friday night so that may have been part of the reason for the delay as it did seem the whole place was full although the waiting staff didn't seem rushed...

I was planning to finally sign up to one of Michelle's cooking classes, when she announced she was opening a restaurant instead.

Then when I found out they were doing crowd funding, I funded with what I could, about two chairs and a frying pan 😄. Because honestly her food looked so good, and I fully believe we need more restaurants making recipes you'll actually get in China. Because the flavours are awesome.

I am happy to see they're doing well, and finally it was my turn to try!

Michelle recommended dishes for me, and I made sure to pop some extra antihistamines for the sesame seeds - some meals are worth it!

🍇 I wish I was a Ninja - Testalonga Wines 🍇 Maceración - Charles Frey

° pickled cabbage with chilli ° pork belly in garlic sauce ° shiitake mushroom baozi ° Yunnan street potato (this is comfort food!) ° For dessert - Crispy Yunnan Cheese with rhubarb jam, especially imported by Michelle's parents! 🤗

Also - the light art on the wall is made by affix.no - and even in a super slow-mo video, it does not flicker AT ALL 🔥.

All in all, I'm super happy I backed this, and I hope its not 1,5 years...

I don’t usually make comments but I do believe more people in Bergen should know this place! I’m glad that the city eventually has some unconventional but still authentic Chinese food. Me personally was not from southwest China but I can still guarantee the taste of Banzha being a very good representation of the region’s creativity in using spices and herbs - and good adaptation with local ingredients too, well done! Given the quality of food and average dining price in town, I think Banzha is fairly priced. You can get nothing like this elsewhere or easily at home.

I tried tofu rice noodles with pork topping, amazing taste. For vegan lovers I think even without the topping it should be good 🩷.

I ordered a small dish of marinated beef on the side, I’m very happy for how it turned out - the touch aroma of vinegar at the end really set the tone. I paired the beef with their home wine, classic, nothing can go wrong ：）

Looking forward to try a different seasonal menu. I also with there will be set menu for one or couple, so I can bring friends over. Anyways...