環記麻油雞 — Restaurant in Datong District

Actually not sure why we ventured into this shop. Not sure if I read some food blog that recommended this place, or mistook it with another stall in the night market which is supposed to be selling the chicken rice. There was no queue but we still waited a while as the seats were limited. We were given a 'bar' counter seat as the tables were occupied and the table was oily. Ordered a few dishes to share. Food was served rather quickly. First came the mian xian in sesame oil soup. The mian xian was cooked till soft and I loved the texture of it. Then came the lu rou fan was normal nothing special and doesn't leave an impression. There wasn't much flavour on the braised meat. Last came the sesame chicken soup. The portion was quite big but difficult for sharing. Asked for plates for sharing but wasn't given. I guess I had to change my perception of the sesame chicken here. I usually would expect it to be more flavourful like ginseng chicken soup but here the soup is very rich in the sesame oil but is lacking in flavours. It just had a strong sesame oil taste but the soup was bland. The chicken wasn't cooked very consistently, there were hard and soft areas. I didn't really like it because the smell is strong but the soup is bland. Maybe it is a good soup during winter cause it provides fats and keeps...

Terribly disappointed. I have some youtube videos recommending this place so I decided to eat here instead of at the Night Market nearby. The chicken felt like it was overcooked all the way until I couldn’t even bite or chew it. I’m wearing braces so in the end I used my hands to tear through the chicken, that was how bad it was.

The soup it came with was so overpowering with cooking alcohol smell that I couldn’t bear it so I didn’t finish the soup. It was very acidic and sharp.

Chicken noodles soup was actually pretty alright but I don’t think there’s any point in visiting this shop if the main star of the restaurant is supposed to be the sesame oil chicken.

Best you save your stomach space and...

We were here at 530pm for dinner and we were lucky to get a table immediately. We liked their sesame oil chicken. The broth is appetising. But strangely, the mee sua soup tasted more flavourful than the broth from the chicken. We also had sesame oil sunny side up - it was aromatic.

The environment of this place is rather dirty. We sat at level one. The bins to discard waste, dirty bowls, and utensils are just next to the dining area. So try your best not to look at the staff clearing the remaining food off customers' plates into the bins while eating. 😅

I've read reviews to say the service is subpar. Yes, the ladies who took the order and cooked were not the warmest. But they're not...