Golden Noodle Bistro 金香稻 — Restaurant in Cambridge

Food:

Boiled Pork Dumplings: My first time ever trying these and I loved them. I will definitely be having these again in the future.

Spicy Beef Brisket - Tasted amazing and was even better than I expected. Very spicy for the average English tongue so possibly go for the normal beef brisket if anyone is afraid of the heat. Slightly fatty cuts of beef but unsure if this is the norm as I don’t have Chinese food often - either way I was still super happy as it tasted great!

Noodles: This wasn’t my meal but I had a taste and it was lovely too. Portion size was generous!

Service: We were seated instantly and also had our order taken really fast. The staff were very kind and genuinely seemed very happy which is always great to be around.

Atmosphere: Small restaurant which I really like and felt very authentic.

Overall: I chose this place as they are always super busy and have a large Chinese customer base… so they must be good! The food was different to other Chinese restaurants I’ve been to in Cambridge and felt much more authentic. I will definitely be back!

Thank you...

Great food, but the service left me feeling annoyed and insulted. It's one of those Chinese places where anyone who looks Asian will be given chopsticks and anyone who doesn't look Asian will automatically be given a fork and a spoon. I find this totally insulting and I haven't experienced this in a Chinese restaurant for a very long time. It's assumptions like this that are the stuff of long outdated stereotypes.

I felt further insulted when the waitress spoke to me in loud, clear, simple English to warn me that the pot was 'Hot. Do Not Touch'. Okay, it wouldn't be so bad if she used loud, clear, simple Chinese, but there seemed to be an assumption that I was some sort of simpleton and that I might struggle even in English.

All that being said, the service was quick and, as I said before, the food was good. I won't ever go back there, due to how insulted I felt, but it might not be like that for you, so why not...

My experience at this restaurant was okay overall, but there were several aspects that could use improvement.

Positives: •The food was generally acceptable in taste. •Ingredients used in the dishes were fresh — you could really taste the freshness of items like peppers and onions. •Everything appeared to be made to order. •Good prices

Negatives: •The service was lacking — staff came across as impolite and unresponsive to basic courtesies like “thank you” or “excuse me.” •As a non-Asian customer, I felt like an unwelcome presence, which was disappointing. •The atmosphere was dull and uninviting, with no background music or warmth in the setting. •The egg and tomato “soup” turned out to be more of an omelette with tomato slices — not what was expected. •The main dish (chicken stir-fried noodles) was served before the soup, and by the time I got to them, the noodles had gone cold. •Poor meal timing affected the...